It’s been a quest for me to look for a decent Thai bag brand. Working for French luxury brands, I have a thing for beautiful bags. A lady cannot have too many bags, right? Yet, I found Thailand is not a habitat for leather. Simply, it’s too hot for my Birkin! In such a hot climate, I really needed a bag that’s light to carry and cool on my skin.
Most people think of Thailand as a place where you can buy knock-off souvenirs from Thailand at a fraction of the price of the real deal. But there’s much more to Thailand than that. I love the high-quality, colourful canvas bags from Jim Thompson. However, I would also like something without a pattern with a stronger focus on the craftsmanship.
You might have seen similar bags at many markets and tourists’ shops selling Thai women’s clothing or souvenirs from Thailand. What drew me to Dao Handicraft bags are their straps. Upon closer look, you can see the details of strengthening and the specialty knots connecting with the bag body. Turned out that was the technique that the brand prides itself in.
“We originated our own special technique called DAO Handicraft Signature Net, a traditional technique which is inspired from a fisherman’s net. We combine cotton, nylon and summer yarn as our main materials. We combine our signature with the various handcraft techniques to create an aesthetic, modern and unique handmade art pieces as bags, Thailand women’s clothing, and other accessories. Our art pieces are 100% produced by exquisite craftsmanship of Thai crews.” Shared by the brand’s founders, Banyen (Khun Dao) and Chanon, who have been bag makers for over a decade.
Dao Handicraft is the second brand I encountered in Thailand that was a team of mother and daughter. Maybe in Thai culture working together as a family is common and possible. Well, I cannot imagine working with my mum!
The fashionable and entrepreneurial mother and daughter duo
“We represent the uniqueness of handcraft techniques in every collection with our brand identity. We aim to encourage ladies to be themselves and pull off the full confidence they use when they show off art pieces. Our customers can also customise some details of the bags to match their style and better represent their characters.”
Stunning bags by Dao Handicraft are currently only sold in Nakamol NYC in New York and on their Instagram @daohandicraftofficial. The price range varies between 2,500 baht and 5,500 baht (at time of writing, USD was trading at 34.63THB).
Tiny and weightless bag, the least expensive item which retails at 2,500 baht.
