Northern provinces band together to show fashion strength

CHIANG MAI: -- The eight northern provinces making up Thailand’s ancient Lanna kingdom are joining together to showcase the region’s potential as a fashion hub, focusing initially on the domestic market before turning to customers in Japan and Europe.

The provinces hope to draw on the strengths of the large number of fabric producers in the region, developing their skills in design and marketing to create unique products based on a range of local designs with a global appeal.

The Lanna Fashion project will be officially launched on 27 February in the Chiang Mai Arts and Culture Hall by the governors of the eight provinces to showcase some of the region’s products.

Included in the event will be exhibitions showing each stage of the fabric-making process, as well as catwalk shows from some of the region’s leading designers.

Mrs. Wiphada Trisat, head of the province’s commerce office, said that the project would initially focus on penetrating the domestic market with a range of monthly activities, before travelling to the Bangkok International Fashion Fair in September.

Next year, she said, the organizers of the project would shift their focus towards Japan and Europe.

--TNA 2005-02-19

CHIANG MAI: --  The eight northern provinces making up Thailand’s ancient Lanna kingdom are joining together to showcase the region’s potential as a fashion hub, focusing initially on the domestic market before turning to customers in Japan and Europe.

Lamphun, the Milan of the North.