Imagine yourself taking a journey to Northern Thailand, starting in Chiang Mai. You are interested in design, craft and local culture. Where would you go, where do you start? Or maybe you are a buyer or an interior designer from afar who is looking for new sources for materials, accessories, decorative items or other craft products. How can you find out more about the beautiful craft objects from Northern Thailand, a region also called “Lanna”? Lanna refers to an ancient kingdom that is famed for its craft products; sa’lahmade (salahmade) aims to provide a simple gateway into this realm for visitors and potential buyers of craft products.
Sa’lahmade is pronounced with a deep, shortish “sa“ and a long low “lah”. Sa’lahmade is a website (salahmade.com) about crafts and artisans from Northern Thailand. It is not an e-commerce platform. If you have any inquiries or want to purchase a product, please contact the artisans or shops directly, but if you have a general inquiry, please contact us. We do also know some strategic shops and product makers that might be able to assist your designing and sourcing products from Northern Thailand.
The northern region has a vibrant art and cultural scene as it was once a great kingdom of the past where ethnic tribe communities are diverse. They settled in this prosperous land and carried customs, traditions, cultures, and wisdom with them. Through this, the north is abundant with artisans, or “Sa-lah” in the northern dialect. Their artistic skills in handicrafts or “crafts” have been widely known since the old day.
“Salah” are artisans who have a specific craft skill. Their works reflect a diversity from culture, wisdom, tradition, beliefs, resources to ways of life of the northern people. They have passed on knowledge of craftsmanship and have designed various types of crafts with distinctiveness and practicality. Besides, each craft has its own indigenous context.