Thai traditional folding kra-tong: the design and development for clothing collection, case study Hak-Kor-Ma

Abstract

               Thai traditinonal folding Kra-tong is considered to be exquisite crafts. Thai people in the past had the connection with banana leaves and used them as a container, rice offering trays and a Kra-tong, a small leaf container. However, when there has been an increasing use of plastic, there has been a gradual decrease in the use of banana leaves from everyday life. Moreover, it has negatively affected the number of people who are interested in using banana leaves.

               This research aimed to preserve this art and combined it with fashion design to create new styles of clothing from the roots of Thai art and culture. This research focused on applying Thai traditinonal folding Kra-tong so called “Hak-kor-ma” pattern, which is one of the basic forms of banana leaf folding, in designing accessible clothing so that other people would easily understand the concepts. The researcher designed various ways and styles to wear this clothing in order to provide more varieties which match lifestyles of today's consumers. The results of the study showed three prototypes of the kra-tong-inspired clothing for women, which can be adapted to maximise the utility.