"Fashion in majesty. Haute couture and tradition at the Thai court" at MAD: from the heritage of know-how to contemporary creation

Until November 1st, the Museum of Decorative Arts (MAD) presents Fashion in majesty. Haute couture and tradition at the Thai court. This exhibition, dedicated to the evolution of clothing at court, brings together around a hundred outfits and accessories from royal wardrobes. It highlights, among other things, the eight formats of traditional Thai costumes designed by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit in collaboration with a team of Thai historians and designers.

This history of cultural and artistic dialogue is marked by more than thirty years of collaboration between Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and the fashion designer Pierre Balmain, continued with the houses of Balmain and Lesage. Organized in collaboration with the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textile in Thailand and the Sustainable Art and Craft Institute of Thailand, the exhibition is part of the celebrations of the 170th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and Thailand.

“It’s a real France-Thailand collaboration that was quickly formed and very positive, even if we worked a lot remotely. What youWhat you will see in the exhibition is a story that also opens onto the future: it is not a fixed story. It’s a story in motion that has a very bright future. We worked under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari. (…). This was an extremely interesting exercise and above all very strong support which allowed the exhibition to have exceptional loans, such as the 40 royal outfits of Queen Sirikit. She has a way of renewing this tradition which is very important and very interesting and also supporting other Thai designers always by promoting the integration of Thai fabrics into contemporary creation”indicated Béatrice Quette, curator responsible for the Asian and Islamic collections at MAD.

Since the 1960s, Queen Sirikit has maintained close relationships with major French and European fashion houses. Passionate about fashion, she played a central role in modernizing court attire, showcasing her designs during official trips with King Rama IX. With the help of Pierre Balmain, she reinvented royal Thai elegance, preserving its heritage while ensuring international appeal. The exhibits, taken from the wardrobes of the royal family, offer a glimpse of Thailand’s rich artisan tradition in textiles, jewelry and accessories.

Committed to the preservation of traditions, Queen Sirikit worked to safeguard the textile arts and crafts of her country, which led to the creation of the Support Foundation in 1976. Today, under the patronage of Queen Suthida, she continues to defend and develop its mission, while her granddaughter, Princess Sirivannavari, perpetuates this legacy as a fashion designer, supporting the young generation of Thai designers. The exhibition reveals the work and research process between Her Majesty, the house of Balmain, the house of Lesage and the Support Foundation through drawings, samples of. textiles and embroidery.

The course considers fashion as a form of cultural diplomacy, based on image, materials and know-how. Thai silks and ceremonial outfits have acquired international visibility thanks to collaborations with Parisian couture, with French expertise contributing in return to the global diffusion of Thai textiles in a relationship based on reciprocity and exchange creative.

The exhibition opens with the 1960s, a period when Queen Sirikit maintained close relationships with major French fashion houses and made an official visit to France with her husband King Rama IX, presenting her designs during official trips made in 1960 in 1960. European countries and the United States. With the designer Pierre Balmain, she developed a new expression of Thai royal elegance, reconciling loyalty to heritage and international openness.

For her state visits abroad, Queen Sirikit entrusted Pierre Balmain with the design of a wardrobe capable of translating the Thai heritage into the know-how of the French house. The designer approaches Thai attire as a composition of haute couture, conducting an in-depth study of shapes, proportions and textiles, stemming from a tradition based on wrapping and draping rather than Western tailoring. Working with Thai silk, brocade, mat mii (ikat) and embroidery, the couturier develops silhouettes adapted to international official contexts, both anchored in tradition and open to modernity.

The exhibition centers around the wardrobe of Queen Sirikit, whose style and modernity influenced the international perception of Thailand during a pivotal period in its history. In the 1960s, her appearances during state visits attracted the attention of the international press, making her an iconic figure whose elegance went beyond the diplomatic framework. In the post-Second World War context, as Thailand reaffirmed its place on the world stage under the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), clothing became a vector of identity affirmation combining refinement and cultural continuity.

In the exhibition, a place is given to Thai know-how, with the techniques and processes which structure the tradition of court dress and still nourish contemporary creation. Studies of materials and audiovisual devices highlight these skills such as lipao weaving, folding fan painting, niello work, gold damascening or painting on Bencharong ceramics, considered as living traditions. This approach highlights the close link between craftsmanship and creation, showing how material skills remain at the heart of Thai design.

The preservation of these traditions is part of the work of the Support Foundation, designed to protect traditional know-how and support sustainable livelihoods for rural artisans. She thus ensured the continuity of techniques such as weaving, wicker or metal work, several of them being presented in the exhibition.

A program of demonstrations and workshops led by master Thai craftsmen is also presented at MAD. “This presentation of know-how was made possible thanks to the support of the Sustainable Art and Craft Institute of Thailand, an organization which supports traditional Thai arts. They offered us to do demonstrations of different professions before the exhibition”, underlines the curator responsible for the Asian and Islamic collections.

Alongside historical pieces, the exhibition brings together outfits worn or commissioned by Queen Suthida and Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya. These works testify to the continuity of the principles established under the reign of Queen Sirikit – clarity of forms, mastery of textiles, reinterpretation of traditional clothing – which nourish contemporary creation and the international influence of fashion Thai.

The tour ends with a presentation of contemporary Thai creators, heirs and interpreters of this still living tradition. The creations of Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya interact with those of designers such as Asava, Vatit Itthi, Wisharawish, Tirapan and Meshmuseum. They place Thai clothing in the present and the future, affirming the voice of contemporary Thai creation in international fashion.