Jim Thompson

The Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company was founded by the self-made US entrepreneur James H.W. Thompson who arrived in Bangkok at the end of World War II. Passionately interested in Southeast Asian art and antiques, he established the Thai Silk Company in 1948. His dedication and natural flair for design and color revived what had been a dying craft. Thompson mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia in 1967, but the company he founded is still the top name in Thai silk today.

Get the Thai silk scarves, clothes, bags, purses, home furnishings, cushions, and pillow cases. The prices are high, but so is the quality.

Available at Jim Thompson House and Museum, main shop on Surawong Road, CentralWorld and the airport.

http://www.jimthompson.com

Doi Tung

The Doi Tung Lifestyle Shops are part of a sustainable development project initiated by the king's mother HRH Princess Srinagarindra of Thailand to help the people living in Doi Tung, a region in the Golden Triangle that had become entrapped in the opium trade. The shops sell a variety of handmade products produced by the local ethnic groups, including hand-woven clothes and carpets, home decor items, ceramics and mulberry paper. The Doi Tung is based on sustainable values, which are reflected in the products.

Available at the Doi Tung Lifestyle Shops at Mae Fah Luang Foundation, Central Chidlom, CentralWorld and the airport.

http://www.doitung.org/

NaRaYa

The NaRaYa brand, founded by Khun Wasna Lathouras and her Greek husband, began with less than 20 sewing machines and selling products out of a 2-square-meter booth in the basement of a bazaar. From these humble beginnings grew one of Thailand's best-known brands. Japanese flight attendants caught on to NaRaYa's cheerful light-weight bags with their signature ribbon, now the "The Bangkok Bag" is a must buy for any visitor to the city either for themselves or as a gift.

Available at CentralWorld.

http://www.naraya.com/

(China Daily USA 10/22/2013 page10)