Thai silk

According to Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan, who was sent to Cambodia by Temür Khan, Siamese people were skilled in silk production:[6] “In recent years people from Siam have come to live in Cambodia, and unlike the locals they engage in silk production.

There was an attempt in the early 20th century to develop the native industry with the help of a Japanese sericulture expert, Kametaro Toyama.

However, this attempt failed, due to a lack of local interest in producing for a larger market.

[8]: 34 After World War II, former OSS officer Jim Thompson thought that silk would be popular back home in the USA.

[9] Writing in the Bangkok Post in 1949, Alexander MacDonald noted that, "...out of a number of scattered remains of history, from cultures borrowed from Siam's neighbors, and from colonies of fat and lazy Siamese silk worms, Jim Thompson is trying to build a modest business.

Created by Irene Sharaff, the production served to promote the material to the American audience, and fueled interest in the country.

Locally, Thais showed little interest in the product, as it remained expensive and unsuited to the hot climate.

[citation needed] The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture estimates that in 2013, 71,630 small landholders raised mulberry silkworms on 39,570 rai, producing 287,771 kg of silk cocoons.

Another 2,552 farmers grew mulberry silkworms on an industrial scale, producing 145,072 kg of silk on 15,520 rai of land.

Eri silk production, on the other hand, amounts to only a fraction of these quantities, grown by a small network of 600 families scattered throughout 28 provinces in north, northeast, and central Thailand.

The process is a tedious one, as it takes nearly 40 hours to produce a half kilogram of Thai silk.

Mulberry silkworms, on the other hand, make a hole in the cocoon when emerging as moths, thus damaging the silk.

In contrast, artificial silk is machine woven, which means that every part of the fabric is identical and has the same color.

Examples of varieties of Thai silks protected as geographical indications include Lamphun Brocade, Chonnabot Mudmee and Praewa Kalasin.