Chiang Mai Hilltribe Handicraft Training Centre

Buy straight from the producers

What we say:

Hill tribe shoulder bags, pouches, hats and skirts aren't hard to find in the Chiang Mai night bazaar and Sunday market, but if you want to see the artisans at work and buy straight from them, come to the Handicraft Training Centre.

Established in 2007 by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the centre helps train and provide income for women and girls from poor families in northern Thailand. The centre currently employs Akhsa, Lisu, Lahu, Hmong, Karen, Yao and Khamu workers. The emphasis isn't so much on crafting products in the traditional ways, but rather on creating eclectic, crossover Western/hill tribe styles that incorporate, for example, swirling Hmong patterns on mobile phone holders, pillow cases and so on.

It's possible to watch the artisans at work, and an excellent showroom displays finished products, most of which are for sale. Prices are so cheap that we thought some of the tags were misprints; attractive, quality items cost a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere, and indeed some of the products you won't find elsewhere.

The centre also has a professional catalogue and it's possible to make large wholesale orders to be shipped around the world.

More details

248/1 Maneenoparat Road
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00
How to get there: Maneenoparat Road is the exterior moat road and the centre is close to Wat Lok Molee and Computer Plaza, and right next door to the Seventh Day Adventist church.

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