Laos Essential Artistry

Lao Weaving - Beginning of the End

2012-04-09T07:54:55-07:00

I'm posting an article from today's online Vientiane Times (April 9, 2012) that reveals how the Chinese are now creating printed Lao sinh fabric so Lao women no longer have to purchase hand-woven Lao sinhs. Is the threat real? Yes. Just look at how the Chinese have eliminated any need for Hmong to create their own Hmong New Year skirts/designs. Everything that is sold in Laos and in the states is made in China. The Chinese are smart and the colors are bright and the designs entrancing, but there is nothing left that the Hmong make by their own hands. Who has time anyway if you're working and caught up in the non-stop pace of American life?

We were just in Laos in February and we'ren't aware of these sinhs being sold, though we did hear from Carol Cassidy that Lao tdin sinhs were being sold by the Chinese as printed fabric.

I guess it's good for our business, right? We can buy some of these cheap sinhs and sell them for a cheaper price and especially here in America, who cares if the sinhs are hand woven are not? What do you think? Does it matter that another old cultural tradition, an exquisite art form will slowly wither away?

Chinese sinh makers not breaking any law: senior official

Lao sinh makers should strengthen their production capacity rather than asking the government for help to stem the influx of Chinese made products into Laos, a senior official at the Ministry of Science and Technology has said.


Vendors at Vientiane's Khuadin market display Chinese-made sinh.

Deputy Director General of the Intellectual Property Department, Mr Makha Chanthala, said on Thursday the department could not bring any legal charge against Chinese firms that make the traditional Lao skirt for sale in Laos, as there are no ownership rights attached to the product.

“Because the sinh can be considered public property, it is impossible for us to file legal charges against Chinese producers because they're not violating any intellectual property law,” he said.

Mr Makha made the comment amid large scale imports of cheap, machine-made sinh from China, which makes it difficult for producers of hand-made garments in Laos to stay in business. Many people have said the government should file legal charges against foreign manufacturers because they are copying a Lao product.

Mr Makha said the Intellectual Property Department will only be in a position to stop Chinese producers selling sinh in Laos if an individual, association or business can prove that Chinese factories are copying designs and patterns they have registered with the department.

He said one of the best steps that sinh makers and the public authorities could take would be to boost their production capacity so they can compete with the inflow of cheap Chinese goods.

And the government will be powerless to stop the inflow of foreign goods into the country when Laos joins the Asean Free Trade Area and the World Trade Organisation, he added.

Mr Makha suggested that individuals and businesses should register any patterns they create with the department, saying this would help to protect their designs as intellectual property.

Director General of the Technology and Evolution Department, Mr Soumana Chounlamany, said Lao businesses need to utilise more technology so they can increase their output. They could also form groups to share technological know-how to help cut production costs.

Mr Soumana said one way that Lao handicraft makers could survive would be to advertise the uniqueness of their products. He said many consumers did not want to buy machine-made goods as they saw no value in them.

He also said there was growing demand in the world market for hand-made products. Japanese consumers, for example, are prepared to pay more for hand-made items than factory-made goods because they appreciate the work that has gone into a hand-crafted piece.

Some people also value the fact that every hand-made item is slightly different, and take pleasure in knowing that they own something unique.

10% Discount on Lao Sinhs Jan. 7 - Feb. 15

2012-01-06T12:46:34-08:00

In honor of the Year of the Dragon, Peter's birth year and the year our first baby will be born (the due date being in April, the same month when Peter [Dad] was born), we're offering a 10% discount on our Vientiane Fashion and Wedding Sinhs from Jan. 7 - Feb 15.

All you need to do is enter the code leanaga10 and 10% will be deducted from the order. And that's in addition to our sale prices.

The section for our new 2012 Vientiane Fashion and Wedding Sinhs can be seen here.

Happy Year of the Dragon!

New Vientiane Fashion/Wedding Sinh Collection at our Yahoo! Store

2011-12-07T09:15:01-08:00

We just got back from Laos last week and have added new Vientiane Fashion/Wedding Sinhs that we are calling our new 2012 Collection. What we have written for this new section is below beginning with an article from the Vientiane Times.

Wet season ends, wedding season starts (Article in Vientiane Times Nov. 5, 2011)

"The three-month rains retreat for monks is over now that Buddhist Lent has ended. Monks can now leave temples after three months of renewing their spiritual vigor, meditating, studying and teaching.

The end of Buddhist Lent also marks the start of the wedding season in Laos. Once Lent is over, the wedding invitations start coming. Some people view it as a time of wasted money as they have to spend a lot with each wedding invitation they receive.

Women in particular spend a lot of money on wedding attire such as traditional skirts ( sinh ) and silk blouses. For those who are getting married the costs are far greater as they have to prepare and pay for the wedding ceremony. This is considered one of the most honorable duties for Lao women and a joyful occasion for her parents when they see their daughter honoring and respecting them by choosing a traditional wedding in her transition to starting a family. The wedding season is also a busy time for shops selling wedding attire and paraphernalia. A shopkeeper at the Morning Market Shopping Mall in Vientiane, Ms Keoudon Xayaphet, told Vientiane Times that since Lent ended last week she is seeing more and more customers every day. She sells a wide variety of sinh ranging in price from 800,000 kip ($100) to about 6 million kip (over $700 dollars). Some handmade bridal outfits fetch up to 20 million kip. [The exchange rate is currently about 8000 kip to $1]

Ms Keoudon explained that wedding outfits are more expensive than everyday sinh because they include more detailed decorations and patterning. The price of an outfit is based on the quality of the silk and the intricacy of the patterns. Some designs are difficult to make and take a long time to produce."

__________________________________

What the article states above is so true and when we were in Vientiane (Thanksgiving 2011) you could see the excitement in shoppers at the different sinh shops. And yes, there were many weddings happening that we could see as we traveled throughout Vientiane. We spent a lot of time looking at the latest sinhs and now that we're back from Laos we have just added our new selection of Vientiane Fashion and Wedding Silk Sinhs and Scarves to our site that you can see below. The main difference between the "fashion" sinhs and "wedding-style" sinhs is that the fashion sinhs are hand-woven and the wedding sinhs have hand-embroidered designs on silk fabric that is not woven. The price of silk is now much more expensive than last year and consequently we have had to raise our prices on all the sinhs and the wedding sinhs are more expensive than the fashion sinhs.

We used to buy "cheaper" fashion sinhs (we have 3 left for $160 in the Vientiane Fashion 2011 Sinh collection), but finally we reached the decision that even though they were about half the price, we like the more expensive sinhs much better and actually feel they are a better value and this time we did not buy any of the cheaper sinhs. Plus you will see in our new collection a few Vientiane Fashion Sinhs that have a new overall small diamond pattern that is currently the "rage" in Vientiane.

Because we are pressed for time we are not initially including photos of the sinhs and scarves on a mannequin, just a photo of a section of the fabric alongside the matching scarf.

We also purchased more wedding sinhs in colors beside white and beige and we think they're gorgeous!

About six months ago we sold one of our new sinhs,(2011 Collection) # 2011-10, which you can still see in our 2011 Collection, and this is what our customer wrote to us (2/22/2011) after receiving the sinh and scarf, "Hello Peter and Bai, Just wanted to say I received my sinh and scarf today. It has to be the fastest I have ever received a package ordered by internet. Also, the sinh is so beautiful. It is exactly what I expected. Beautiful, beautiful color. I absolutely love it!! I have been looking awhile, but I believe I have found the perfect wedding dress. I will definitely order more in the future, and have already told friends and family about this site. Thank you for the great customer service! - Tina"

She also wrote us before she ordered stating, "I just read the "about us" portion of this page. I just want to thank the both of you for starting this page/business. I am Laotian and am very proud of my cultural heritage and Lao textiles. It is very hard to purchase Lao textiles without going to Laos or having friends/ relatives buy them for you when they visit. I have just ordered a sinh and matching scarf today (Vientiane Fashion Silk Sinh and Scarf 2011-10), and am very excited and can't wait to get it. This definitely won't be my last purchase for sure and I will definitely tell my family about it as well. Please continue to sell these products. I know of many Lao people who have a hard time finding these things. Thanks again."

It's great to see that Tina understands what we represent here at Laos Essential Artistry and it means a lot to us to have a satisfied customer like her confirm that what we're doing really does make a difference. Thank you Tina!

Wedding Sinh Article in Vientiane Times Nov. 5, 2011

2011-11-06T09:23:46-08:00

Wet season ends, wedding season starts

"The three-month rains retreat for monks is over now that Buddhist Lent has ended. Monks can now leave temples after three months of renewing their spiritual vigor, meditating, studying and teaching.

The end of Buddhist Lent also marks the start of the wedding season in Laos. Once Lent is over, the wedding invitations start coming. Some people view it as a time of wasted money as they have to spend a lot with each wedding invitation they receive.

Women in particular spend a lot of money on wedding attire such as traditional skirts ( sinh ) and silk blouses. For those who are getting married the costs are far greater as they have to prepare and pay for the wedding ceremony.

This is considered one of the most honorable duties for Lao women and a joyful occasion for her parents when they see their daughter honoring and respecting them by choosing a traditional wedding in her transition to starting a family.

The wedding season is also a busy time for shops selling wedding attire and paraphernalia. A shopkeeper at the Morning Market Shopping Mall in Vientiane, Ms Keoudon Xayaphet, told Vientiane Times that since Lent ended last week she is seeing more and more customers every day.

She sells a wide variety of sinh ranging in price from 800,000 kip to about 6 million kip. Some handmade bridal outfits fetch up to 20 million kip. [The exchange rate is currently about 8000 kip to $1]

Ms Keoudon explained that wedding outfits are more expensive than everyday sinh because they include more detailed decorations and patterning. The price of an outfit is based on the quality of the silk and the intricacy of the patterns. Some designs are difficult to make and take a long time to produce."

Bai and I will be returning from Laos around Dec. 1 and plan to purchase more classic Vientiane style silk sinhs with matching scarves. They will be perfect for looking your finest for Lao New Year celebrations or any Lao weddings you may be participating in or attending.

As you can imagine the cost of silk and paying for the time-consuming cost of handweaving and embroidering each sinh and scarf has dramatically risen over the last two years. The article above really does a great job in explaining why these sinhs and scarves are more expensive than traditional sinhs. Consequently we spend a lot of time looking at sinhs in the Morning Market in Vientiane until we find shops that offer the best quality and price.

The silk sinhs and scarves we purchased we'll probably be selling at two different prices. A year ago we were able to price the cheaper sinhs at $150 and the more expensive sinhs at a discounted price of $250 (we paid twice the cost of the $150 sinhs). There are some still left at these prices and for sure our prices will go up as the price of silk has dramatically risen.

Why the difference between the two different prices? The more expensive sinhs use a higher grade of silk, they’re thicker, and you can easily see from the photos that there is more added detail which is more finely woven. They’re beautiful. The difference is clear, though the cheaper sinhs look fine, and we wanted to give our customers a choice, though we bought more of the more expensive sinhs because we really think they're gorgeous and we think you will too!

About six months ago we sold one of our new sinhs and this is what the customer wrote us after receiving the sinh. "Hello Peter and Bai, Just wanted to say I received my sinh and scarf today. It has to be the fastest I have ever received a package ordered by internet. Also, the sinh is so beautiful. It is exactly what I expected. Beautiful, beautiful color. I absolutely love it!! I have been looking awhile, but I believe I have found the perfect wedding dress. I will definitely order more in the future, and have already told friends and family about this site. Thank you for the great customer service! - Tina"

She also wrote us before she ordered stating, "I just read the "about us" portion of this page. I just want to thank the both of you for starting this page/business. I am Laotian and am very proud of my cultural heritage and Lao textiles. It is very hard to purchase Lao textiles without going to Laos or having friends/ relatives buy them for you when they visit. I have just ordered a sinh and matching scarf today and am very excited and can't wait to get it. This definitely won't be my last purchase for sure and I will definitely tell my family about it as well. Please continue to sell these products. I know of many Lao people who have a hard time finding these things. Thanks again."

It's great to see that Tina understands what we represent here at Laos Essential Artistry and it means a lot to us to have a satisfied customer like her confirm that what we're doing really does make a difference. Thank you Tina!

New Lao Sinh Manual now available!!! You can read more about the manual on another one of our blog posts here.

Going to Laos Nov 12-27 - Need Wedding Sinhs?

2011-10-13T08:09:58-07:00

Above you can see two wedding sinhs we added to our online store (gotlaos.com) about six months ago and have already sold (approximately $350 each). All of our Vientiane fashion sinhs with scarves tend to sell out quickly and we have many customers asking us if we have more sinhs in particular colors/styles and unfortunately our stock is very low now.

The good news is that we're going back to Laos unexpectedly in November, the 12th - 27th and if anyone is interested in having us find something specific to meet their needs please let us know. What we have done for other customers is to locate sinhs we think meet their requirements, send digital photos and then if the customer likes the sinh and price we purchase the sinh and then sell it to the customer after we return. We will be purchasing sinhs on our own to add to our online Yahoo! store, but then it's always first come first serve and sometimes we don't purchase a specific color someone is interested in.

You can see photos of Vientiane Fashion Sinhs we have on our website now to see what they look like and you can see most of them have been sold.

The price of silk has been going up dramatically and it looks like the fashion sinhs and scarves we have sold for $250 (on sale) will be a minimum of $300, maybe more. We can buy cheaper sinhs, and we can buy more expensive sinhs and you can clearly see the difference in quality at each level. We've been buying sinhs for over five years and the ones we've recently sold for $250 seem to be the best compromise of price and quality.

You can always call us at 916-996-4553 or email us at peterlaos@hotmail.com if you have any questions or would like to have us try to locate sinhs for your special occasion.

Lao Sinh (Skirt) Manual Soon to be Available

2011-09-22T07:26:52-07:00

We are going to be offering our Lao Sinh Manual for sale at a minimum charge through our Internet store sometime in January 2012. We'll probably sell it for about $10. It's only 21 pages, but we paid $400 to have the manual translated from Lao to English and then we had to modify all the graphics which was very time consuming. We're not sure if there is anything else out there like this, but this might be useful to anyone with prior sewing skills who wants to attempt to sew their own sinhs. In Laos in a city like Vientiane there are hundreds of seamstresses available to sew your sinh, but in any city or town in the states, you're lucky if you know of even one person who can sew sinhs. On our Flickr page you can see thumbnail photos of each of the pages here

A photo of one of the pages is above. The manual is actually divided into two parts. The first part describes the entire process of measuring and sewing a sinh (pages 1-13) and the second part for sewing a Lao style dress (pages 14 - 21). The manual also includes great graphics showing exactly how to measure and cut each sinh.

Again, check our main Laos Essential Artistry page here and in the column on the left if you see a section labeled Lao Sinh Manual then it's available for sale.

Sok dee.

Hmong History Storycloth purchased by Queensland Art Gallery

2011-07-28T08:18:49-07:00

First, sorry to all our fans about not updating our blog for three months. There seems to be a lot going on in our lives and our focus really has been on completing research on the Sinsai epic and the beginning of writing our book which we hope to have published by June 2013. Peter did go to Laos for three weeks in June to finish our research on Sinsai and we'll be displaying some of the photos he took while in Laos and on this trip the only textiles he bought were some of the medium sized and large horizontal Hmong storycloths which seems to sell out very quickly.

But we checked out the Queensland Art Gallery website and see that the Hmong History Storycloth we sold them about 6 months ago is now on display! It's great validation that our storycloths indeed, are museum quality.

Older Shamanic Textiles for Sale

2011-04-24T10:54:48-07:00

We've been putting up all our older shamanic textiles we've purchased over the last ten years on our Yahoo! store website. We are definitely not in a rush to sell these, and they are not cheap, but I figure someone might see something they would really like to have or would fill a gap in their collection. The money we make from selling these textiles we are going to use in publishing our English translation of Sinxay, which we plan to have published before the next Lao Studies Conference in July 2013. Sinxay, like Lao textiles, is an important Lao cultural heritage, one unfortunately many Lao are not aware of, and we think our English translation will spark a Renaissance of Sinxay and a greater appreciation of Lao culture. Below are photos of some of the textiles we are listing for sale here

Testimonial from Queensland Art Gallery

2011-04-18T08:09:20-07:00

We recently sold one of our XL (64 x 96 inches) Hmong History Storycloths to the Queensland Art Gallery for $1400 and after they received the storycloth we received the following email below. Receiving emails like this make it all worthwhile for Bai and I. You can see similar storycloths we still have available here. The photo you see above is a storycloth almost exactly like the one we sold which includes Wat Tham Krabok in the lower left-hand corner, the informal refugee camp in Thailand that closed in 2004, but not before over 14,000 Hmong were given refugee status and came to the US.

Dear Peter and Bai: I am writing to thank you for your assistance with securing the wonderful Hmong History storycloth for our contemporary textile collection here at the Queensland Art Gallery. I have been impressed with your passion for Laos textiles and the high level of professional service you provide to your online customers. Laos Essential Artistry provides important opportunities for Laos textile artists to market their works to international collectors, museums and galleries via an easy to navigate website. Your obvious commitment to the artists ensures that all works are well documented with an established provenance essential to institutional collections. I have appreciated you prompt attention to all of my enquiries and willingness to undertake additional research where required. Thank you again.

How a Traditional Hmong Skirt is Made in Laos

2011-02-26T15:11:24-08:00

When we were in Laos in January we discovered a pb book authored and illustrated by a Japanese man about the entire process of how a traditional Hmong skirt is made. Every handmade Hmong skirt is a true work of art, like the one featured in our photo above. The process to make a Hmong skirt in long and complex and one that traditionally many Hmong girls and women would master, for wearing their own handmade skirt was a demonstration of their skill and expertise in the art of paj ntaub. Many people don't know that the skirts are traditionally made from hemp and the process of creating weavable fabric from Hemp fibers is a difficult and time-consuming one.

So what we did was create an album of photos from each page of the pb book on our Facebook page. Unfortunately the book is not for sale and was only made for distribution to schools and libraries in Laos. We were told that the man who wrote the book spent a year in the Hmong village you see on one of the pages. That's dedication and is indicative of how much the Japanese strongly support Lao textile traditions.

The fabric on these traditional skirts is now being bought up by traders and made into fashionable purses and bags seen for sale in places like the evening market in Luang Prabang. A photo of one of the pages showing children wearing and enjoying the skirts is below.

Peter and Bai in Laos January 2011

2011-02-25T08:59:23-08:00

We don't often include photos of ourselves, but here are two we took last month when we were in Laos doing research for our book on Sinxay. The photo above shows Peter standing next to Little Peter who was named after Peter because Peter used to rent a house catty corner to a shop selling pho/fir (noodle soup) and the daughter of the owner and her husband decided to name their first child after Peter. At the shop they like to refer to Peter as Big Peter and when we visit they always cry out to their son, "Peter Noi, Peter Nyai ma hot." In English, "Little Peter, Big Peter has arrived!" It's fun because Peter Noi is not shy and we always bring him gifts, like the shirt he is wearing in the photo.

The photo below shows Bai with a Naga friend at Wat Mixay, a very short walk from the Vayakorn guest house where we stay. We always love to go in the evening and listen to the monks chant. If you have time you should really listen to the monks chanting in this one session. It's easy to imagine you are in Laos sitting meditatively in a wat yourself and we know some people who play the video when meditating within their own homes or at their own altars.

It's all about Customer Satisfaction...

2011-02-23T10:41:53-08:00

We've been so busy we've ignored our blog and we hope to begin posting more regularly. But, we just had to post a recent email we had from a new customer who wrote after spending time looking at our Vientiane Fashion/Wedding Silk Sinhs and Matching Scarfs on our Laos Essential Artistry website: and her reaction to receiving the sinh she ordered above.

"Hello Peter and Bai, Just wanted to say I received my sinh and scarf today. It has to be the fastest I have ever received a package ordered by internet. Also, the sinh is so beautiful. It is exactly what I expected. Beautiful, beautiful color. I absolutely love it!! I will definitely order more in the future, and have already told friends and family about this site. Thank you for the great customer service! - Tina"

She also wrote us before she ordered stating, "I just read the "about us" portion of this page. I just want to thank the both of you for starting this page/business. I am Laotian and am very proud of my cultural heritage and Lao textiles. It is very hard to purchase Lao textiles without going to Laos or having friends/ relatives buy them for you when they visit. I have just ordered a sinh and matching scarf today (Vientiane Fashion Silk Sinh and Scarf 2011-10), and am very excited and can't wait to get it. This definitely won't be my last purchase for sure and I will definitely tell my family about it as well. Please continue to sell these products. I know of many Lao people who have a hard time finding these things. Thanks again."

You're not always sure if your intent is being clearly communicated and understood but when we receive an email like this we realize we're on the right path!

By the way, the sinh and scarf she ordered was one of the ones we just added to our site under the section Vientiane Wedding/Fashion Silk Sinhs and Scarves

Bai was hoping we wouldn't sell this sinh so she could bring it back to Laos so she could have it made into a sinh for herself! Now she'll just have to wait and find one like it when we return to Laos. Or, there's a couple we bought she really likes if we don't sell them maybe they'll become one of Bai's...

Nyak at Wat Phra Keo in Bangkok

2011-02-22T08:49:29-08:00

Nyaks are important characters in the epic of Sinxay and are guardian figures seen in temples (wats) in both Laos and Thailand. They are also incorporated in an abstract way in Lao textiles as protective figures, scaring away any evil spirits. The photo above shows one of the many nyaks at Wat Phra Keo and in the photo below you can see the motif of a nyak wovn into a Tai Daeng (Red Tai) blanket from Sam Tai, Laos now known as a Phi Nyak, the Nyak Spirit.

Monks Chanting at Wat Mixay

2011-02-21T08:21:41-08:00

As we write on our Facebook page, At Laos Essential Artistry we are Buddhists infused with the spirit of nagas, khuts, nyaks and other mysterious deities. We like to think that the chanting of these monks is "embedded" in the textiles we sell and love.

We're back from Laos! Check out our new Lao silk sinhs!

2011-01-27T19:05:20-08:00

Another great trip, this time with a focus on completing research for a book we're going to publish on Sinxay. But, we did have time to buy some more Vientiane Fashion Sinhs and you can see the collection we just added to our online Yahoo! store here