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The
fluffy piggy dolls, the hand-towels decorated with mother bunny
holding her little one, snadals embroidered with a girl with
fluffy hair, robes with light blue turtle scale design
artificial flowers and printed-design handbags are just some
samples of a range of increasingly popular products from the Her
Majesty the Queen's SUPPORT Foundation which are offered for
sale at the Chitralada Shop.
In
1964, prior to the inception of the Foundation, Her Majesty
introduced a supplementary income program to the villagers of
Khao Tao sub-district of the district of Hua Hin,
Prachuabkirikhan. Free lunch was provided to woman recruits who
worked on the hand looms made available by Her Majesty in the
grounds of Klaikangvol Pavilion.
The
program was expanded to include housewives in the Central Region
four years later. Here they learnt techniques from teachers from
the Ministry of Industry, Program participants made good use of
the Sorn-Narai grass which is widely available in the vicinity
of Hoob Krapong in Petchburi province and a cooperative was
eventually established.
The
fabric-weaving group of Wat Cheung Khao, Baa Jaw district,
Narathivas, soon followed. Based on Her Majesty's advice, fine
bodice was made on fine designs borrowed from local flowers such
as Tan Yong or Mimusops. Then on one of Her Majesty's visits to
Chiang Mai, the same program was introduced to the people of
several districts including Ome Goy and Baan Mae Takrai in that
province. The chief purpose of the program was aimed, however,
at preserving the art of embroidery.
With
plenty of projects going on, a contact point became a necessity.
Thus, the SUPPORT Foundation was born in July 1966. Thanpuying
Maneerat Bunnag was appointed secretary of the Foundation. In
the opinion of the newly appointed secretary, given a constant
supply of products, a shop offering products from the SUPPORT
Foundation should be open permanently. It would also serve as a
vehicle to promote valuable folk handicrafts. A name was
subsequently given by Her Majesty the Queen and the shop has
since been known as the Chitralada shop with its first branch
opened at the Oriental Place Shopping Centre by Her Royal
Highness Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn on December 20, 1977.
Ideas
were explored for more extensive applications for hand-woven
cotton. As a result, the shop offers products ranging from
curtains, upholstery, cushions, light and heavy fabrics of print
designs for outfits and handbags, briefcases and suitcases.
Embroidered
products for daily use such as eyeglass-case, table places, and
picture frames are also available. In addition, improved
embroidery skill has made possible more creative items with
features of scenes from rural life, the grand palace and
character from Thai classic literature encased for wall
decoration.
Crochet
items of delicate designs prove to be popular gifts, be they
handkerchiefs, table places or doilies. Other favorite souvenirs
most sought after, by locals and foreigners alike are artificial
flowers of tropical and temperate countries.
As
the delicate inexpensive products which also benefit charitable
causes have become popular in increasing degrees, the number of
Chitralada outlets was also increased. Today, there are 12
Chitralada outlets altogether, each with its own chair and 1-2
volunteers to help run the outlet on a daily basis. Income from
the outlets is returned to the producers.
While
the producers earn income from their products, part of the
proceeds is presented to Her Majesty the Queen every year to
benefit the Foundation and other charitable events. Some of the
revenue goes to the renovation of the Apisake Dusit Pavilion to
make it a permanent museum for the Foundation to mark the fifth
birthday cycle of Her Majesty the Queen.
The
SUPPORT vocational program has proven itself to be a success
story. It represents the pride and encouragement for local folk
whose products are admired by the consumer public. It responds
well to the objectives of Her Majesty the Queen whose concern
for her rural subjects is reflected in the creation of
supplementary program through which the local folk earn extra
income and folk art stands a chance of survival. In the meantime,
it has been elevated to a national level recognized by
foreigners.
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