Fabric Wisdom of the Royal’s House in Nan to The Development of Cultural Identity for Contemporary Textile Design

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the lifestyle, stories in the royal house of Nan relating to wearing sarongs, and Nan textile design as a guideline for developing a textile design based on cultural identity development to interpret key features and convey the identity in the form of contemporary textiles. This study employed qualitative research methods, including research studies and in-depth interviews, to collect and analyse data as a guide for the study. The study included three parts: 1. the royal house of Chao Rajabutr, Mok Fa Na Nan; 2. the community enterprise of Ban Sao Luang Weaving Group; and 3. Fai Ngern, the operator of a local fabric business in Nan, through the classification of keywords, namely: 1. the story of the royal house; 2. the wisdom of a sarong; and 3. modern textiles. Consequently, the conceptual framework for developing cultural identity in the form of patterns on contemporary textiles was obtained from the wisdom of local people from concept to design, “Nan for time, design for the heart,” in accordance with the definition of “cultural costs” to make it easier to discover the knowledge that generates wisdom, namely: 1. the wisdom of using sarongs in the royal house of Nan; and 2. the wisdom of Nan weaving culture. Each factor contributed to the wisdom. When the body of knowledge was obtained from both parts of wisdom through factors in each aspect, it resulted in the development of cultural identity in contemporary textile designs using key components. The design development was divided into two phases: culturally-based textile patterning and contemporary textile development. Contemporary textile designs continued to reflect the royal house’s history through patterns, modernity, and suitability for modern clothing.