BANGKOK DESIGN WEEK 2025, 8 –23 FEB

RCA x TU

Thai Textiles

The Thai Textiles Project was an international partnership between the Royal College of Art (RCA) and Thammasat University, Thailand. Dr Oakley, the Principal Investigator, collaborated with Co-Investigator Dr Wuthigrai Siriphon, who has a PhD and an MA in Textiles from RCA. The project studied, experimented and created textiles made using sustainable fibre and natural dyes locally sourced in Thailand. The samples on display were created as part of the Thai Textiles project, which was funded through the Global Challenges Research Fund and RCA Research & Innovation. The materials for the textile sample collection were woven on hand looms at Thammasat University’s textile workshops, using sustainably sourced cotton, hemp, and silk. The yarns were either undyed or had previously been dyed using regionally available dyestuffs: Cassia fistula fruit, Garcinia dulcis bark, indigo, lac, Maclura cochinchinesis heartwood, mango leaves and bark, mangosteen peel, Senna siamea, or combinations of these. The exhibition is an example of international collaborative research in the area of sustainable design and material study. Bio: Peter Oakley is a Professor of Material Culture and Co-Lead of the Material Engagements Research Cluster in the RCA’s School of Arts and Humanities. He specialises in ethnographic, experiential, and object-based research, focusing on materials and making. His academic expertise covers anthropology, creative practice, science and technology studies, and industrial heritage. Wuthigrai Siriphon is a weaver, lecturer, and researcher interested in textile art, traditional crafts, and the promotion of craft studies for the new generation. He has received design awards and exhibited his works internationally. He holds a BFA in Textile and Fashion Design from Thammasat University. He later received a scholarship from the Ananda Mahidol Foundation and graduated with an MA and a PhD in Textiles from the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom. He is an Assistant Professor and Head of the Textile and Fashion Design Programme at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Thammasat University.