from everyday clothing to gorgeous artworks – and all at seemingly miraculous prices for the quality offered.

The locations for buying show an equal diversity. From upscale boutique malls to bustling street markets, from workaday artisan’ workshops to glittering jewellery showrooms, from multi – level department stores to local handicraft centres, from north to south, east to west – Thailand has it all.

Timeless Traditions, Contemporary Styles

Supreme among Thailand’s wares are its handicrafts and designer items, in both traditional and contemporary styles. The enormous range of beautifully hand – crafted items on offer everywhere reflects an array of traditional artisan skills with centuries of history that have few rivals worldwide. Many of the handmade objects were originally created for temples and palaces, or for practical purposes in the home. Nowadays, reproductions of these traditional items have become the coveted keepsakes of visitors and collectors from around the world.

Thailand is renowned worldwide for its hand woven silks and cottons, wood carvings, lacquerware, ceramics, metalware, gems and jewellery. Traditionally each of the country’s 76 provinces specialized in one particular type of product. For example the best lacquerware came from Chiang Mai and the north of Thailand; the southern city of Nakhon Si Tammarat was famous for its nielloware while Sukhothai – Si Satchanalai and the Central Plains were renowned for their classic green celadon pottery.

Tourists on tight schedules no longer have to travel from province to province in search of indigenous local handiwork. Major department stores everywhere now have sections devoted to showcasing Thai crafts. A few days spent shopping in Bangkok or Chiang Mai provides a comprehensive overview of the country’s extremely varied regional styles and products. It’s become almost as easy to find handwoven northern cotton clothing on the main road of Chaweng Beach on Ko Samui as in downtown Chiang Mai.

Not so long ago ‘Thai – style’ meant the recognizably Thai objects that comprised the bulk of every visitor’s souvenir purchases. Today the term connotes the increasingly sophisticated range of Thai – designed items sought after by international clients. The fashionable new Thai aesthetic preserves many time – honoured materials and techniques, yet is chic and contemporary.

Thai style harmoniously blends Eastern spirituality and attention to detail with Western sophistication and technology. Thailand’s rich heritage of diverse skills such as gold – leaf stenciling are reinterpreted in a cutting – edge 21st century context. Savvy Thai and overseas designers use gold – leaf stencils as decorative accents on a range of home furnishing items. Tightly woven rattan baskets which once held the pumpkin seeds of Karen hilltribe villagers now display wine bottles on international dining tables.

Meanwhile, richly hued Thai silks now come in a variety of weaves and thickness, suitable for everything from stylish apparel to sturdy upholstery fabric. Many traditional household items once served utilitarian purposes. Today, modern interpretations of these ordinary household objects are elegant design elements in hotels, resorts, restaurants, office buildings and private homes all over the world.

Along with breakthroughs in shapes and styles, new uses have come up for traditional materials. The country’s many renewable natural resources now travel the world as paper products, modish furniture and other stylish home products. Meanwhile, as the world’s leading gemstone cutting centre, Thailand is perfectly positioned to adapt the latest design and technical innovations to its already world – famous silver and gold jewellery arts.For the millions of visitors to the kingdom, these exciting new trends in contemporary Thai style mean a quantum leap in shopping opportunities.Products and styles go in and out of fashion, but the Thai heritage of creativity and attention to detail that comes from centuries of handcrafting tradition remain constant. Whatever you buy in Thailand, be it a traditional repousse (hand – hammered) silver bowl originally used to offer water to monks, or a set of matte – finished stainless steel cutlery, it will always be of the highest quality at of course, the best possible price.