OUR STORY
Shining a light on the talented craftspeople of Thailand
Project Rattan was born of a strong desire to keep the history of Thai traditional arts and crafts alive whilst in turn supporting the local economy and protecting the environment. In a market that is saturated with cheaper, inferior, and imported plastic products, we have built a bridge for designers to connect with factory workers locally in rattan and bamboo crafts.
No synthetics or plastics
Rattan is a natural material found in abundance across forests in Thailand, especially in the Southern part of the country. It has been used as a weaving and basket material for household objects and furniture since ancient times. Being a naturally renewable palm, it provides a perfect solution for the environment: no synthetics or plastics are used when we work with rattan, thereby not adding to the global crisis of plastic oversupply.
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Rattan factories have been closing rapidly in recent years, by working with ‘the real people of Thailand’, Project Rattan is helping to shine a light on the unique skills set of these talented artisans and craftspeople. We hope that by doing so, we can contribute to the continuation of factories which are currently on the brink of extinction.