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29 Jul 2025
Thailand’s rich cultural heritage and exquisite craftsmanship hallmarks of the country’s soft power on the global stage are once again in the spotlight as EM DISTRICT (comprising EMPORIUM, EMQUARTIER, and EMSPHERE) collaborates with the Department of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture; the SUPPORT Foundation by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother; and the Tourism Authority of Thailand to present “EM DISTRICT Sense of Thai 2025.”
Now in its fourth consecutive year, this celebration commemorates the 73rd birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King and the 93rd birthday anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother. It also pays tribute to Her Majesty’s more than five decades of unwavering commitment to promoting Thai handicraftsan initiative that has not only preserved national heritage but also created employment and enhanced livelihoods across the country.
Onthira Bharksuwana, Senior Vice President of EM DISTRICT, explained the significance of the event “This annual event, jointly organised by EM DISTRICT in collaboration with both the public and private sectors, honors Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother, and sustains her legacy of promoting Thai handicrafts particularly handwoven textiles that reflect the unique identities of regional communities. We also spotlight the royal initiatives of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, who has made invaluable contributions to the preservation of Thai textiles and handicrafts. By creating contemporary textile designs and fashion collections, Her Royal Highness is helping to elevate Thai craftsmanship to international acclaim while supporting local communities. In recognition of her efforts, UNESCO awarded Her Royal Highness a commemorative medal on July 18, 2025, at its Paris headquarters, citing her contributions to preserving cultural heritage, promoting the fine arts, and advancing Thailand’s cultural and creative industries towards global sustainability.”
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya graciously presided over the opening ceremony of “EM DISTRICT Sense of Thai 2025,” where she also viewed the fashion show “The Symphony of Thai Textiles,” featuring 14 of Thailand’s leading fashion houses: SIRIVANNAVARI, TIRAPAN, THEATRE, ASAVA, ISSUE, CHAIGOLDLABEL,WISHARA-WISH, MILIN, VICKTEERUT, ARCHIVE026, TANDT, JANESUDA, LANDMEÉ, and IRADA.
Themed “The Symphony of Thai Textiles”, the fashion show highlighted handwoven textiles from the SUPPORT Foundation and various communities ranging from royal motif-printed Thai silk to silk plaid and plain silk orchestrated harmoniously into 42 contemporary outfits that reflect each designer’s distinctive style.
For the show, Her Royal Highness personally designed an exclusive collection under her fashion house SIRIVANNAVARI, titled “Devotional Design.” This collection reflects her vision of preserving traditional Thai textiles while infusing them with a modern aesthetic. Emphasising intricate craftsmanship, the designs feature signature sculptural draping and hand-wrapping techniques. Voluminous silhouettes are used to accentuate the natural elegance of the textiles, with minimal stitching to let the fabrics speak for themselves.
The SIRIVANNAVARI collection presented two standout contemporary looks inspired by the brand’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection. The first was a fuchsia silk mudmee off-shoulder gown, adorned with gathered details, soft ruffles, a high front slit, an asymmetrical hemline, and elaborate embroidery. The second was a turquoise Thai silk mudmee gown, paired with a French lace corset for a global twist. Featuring asymmetrical draping, luxurious embroidery on the bodice, and a dramatic high slit, both ensembles used fabrics from the SUPPORT Foundation, underscoring Her Royal Highness’s commitment to preserving Thai heritage.
Beyond the runway, the Thai Craft Market offers visitors a chance to shop for premium handicrafts, textiles, and agricultural products curated by the SUPPORT Foundation. Located at EM MARKET Hall, G Floor, EMSPHERE, the market showcases the limited-edition Thai silk printed with royal motifs known as “Siriraj Phastraphon.”
The 2025 collection includes the following patterns:
Pud Tan (Cotton Rose Hibiscus)
The Heart of Pud Tan
Mayurasiri
Horse Motif
Kho Chao Fa Motif
These designs are being released to the public for the first time and are available exclusively at this event.
Other highlights include mudmee silk with contemporary motifs such as stars, ocean waves, and evening skies—ideal for modern daily wear. Also featured are wool products from Mae Hong Son, artificial flowers inspired by the Princess’s visit to Chiang Mai (including wisteria, lavender, and various dendrobium orchids), and contemporary ceramic dinnerware.
A whimsical addition comes from the Textile Museum, which presents three-dimensional ice cream with flavours like:
Chocolate-covered coconut (embossed with the Grand Palace Gate pattern)
Chocolate-covered Chitralada milk tablet (embossed with the Grand Palace Gate pattern)
Mangosteen, coconut cream, and mango (embossed with Wat Phra Kaew tile designs)
Durian and Thai tea (embossed with an elephant motif)
Visitors can also explore other top-quality products from the SUPPORT Foundation and Textile Museum and enjoy the SUPPORT Foundation’s Khon masked dance performances, scheduled for weekends and public holidays (2–3 August and 9–12 August) at 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM at EM MARKET Hall.
Following the fashion show, all 42 outfits from the 14 designers will be displayed in the Thai Textiles Exhibition under the theme “The Symphony of Thai Textiles.” This exhibition aims to inspire further interest in Thai textiles and sustainable preservation efforts. The exhibition runs from 30 July to 13 August 2025 at EM Station, M Floor, EMPORIUM, conveniently connected to the Phrom Phong BTS station.
For this event, EM District, together with 14 leading Thai designers, has joined hands to donate all proceeds from the sale of the Thai fabric collection featured at the event to support those affected by the Thai-Cambodian border situation. The donation will be made through the Thai Red Cross Society.
Celebrate the splendor of Thai culture, craftsmanship, and creativity at “EM DISTRICT Sense of Thai 2025,” on view now through 13 August at EMSPHERE.