Welcome to the latest news from Izara  Arts  Fine  Village  Crafts, the income generation project of Khom Loy Development Project based near the Myanmar-Thailand borders in Chiang Rai, Thailand. We work with Myanmar  refugees and members of ethnic minorities in the region to design and produce striking products fusing the skills and traditions of different groups into unique designs.

See more on our website at www.izaraarts.com, or contact us at sales@izaraarts.com.

Help Needed!

As we grow, we keep finding there are things we just can’t do ourselves any more… Let us know if you can help with any of the following:

* All the normal stuff - fundraising, selling at office/home, market stalls, buying as gifts, telling your friends, finding distributors.
* Can anyone help us get another product placement (see IA in the press below)? Stories in the press?
* We need a web/telephone salesperson to secure more overseas purchasers. An effective one year volunteer will take us from a small business punching above its weight to a major player. Good sales levels will result in a paid position.
* Consider our corporate gifts and tapestries for your next event.



If you can help, please email Patricia Solar at izaraarts@gmail.com

Izara News in full

Sales Results for 2008 - Last year, IA increased its turnover from US$3,580 (2007) to US$35,000 as a result of new designs and customers. Based on our average margin of 25% and an average cost of materials of the same amount (totalling 50% of sales price), the total amount paid to producer groups for work carried out is estimated at US$17,500. This equates to full-time work for about 30 people.

After payment for its office staff (one full-time employee plus some part-time workers) and other overheads, Izara Arts broke even in 2008. In 2009, we hope to generate a surplus so we have funds to invest for the benefit of producer groups. We are currently designing art workshops, skills training and quality workshops. We are exploring micro-credit and savings banks.



Izara Arts achieves "Fair Trade" status - In March 2009, we were also honoured to be granted membership of the World Fair Trade Organization - Asia, the regional accreditation body for Fair Trade. As a result, after an audit of our processes and production groups, we can now proudly display the WFTO logo on our products and reach a range of buyers which purchase only from Fair Trade suppliers. We hope this wider market access will help us overcome the general consumer downturn in our major markets.




New Product News - Izara Arts has developed a new market segment: Badged Products and Tapestries for Fund-Raising Events and Corporate Promotion

* Badged Equipment bags for the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort Elephant Polo Matches were designed and made by the Izara Arts ladies. The hotel keeps keep coming back for more. We hit budget and deadlines every time.
* Badged Shopping Bags for Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC), Siem Reap, Cambodia. The first 100 sold out in 3 months and they are taking delivery of their second order.
* Personalised eyemasks also for AHC, made in their corporate colours and featuring a specially-commissioned batik from the BaanSanRak orphans (located near Chiang Rai) sold out almost immediately. Anantara Hotel, Phuket bought the house design as part of their opening celebrations and uses them for corporate giveaways.
* Hand-embroidered Tapestries were initially made as part of the Pure Art project (see below for story) and have since developed into a new product for fund raising events and auctions. Now into a Third Series……

Contact us about creating fund-raising and corporate items or a tapestry for your next event. We can do small runs of 10-30 bags/eyemasks (dependent on the complexity of your design). If your logo is suitable and you give us sufficient lead time, we can have it hand worked by the ladies. Ordering now for Christmas will avoid the pressure of the season.

Our new WorldTote Collectibles range - each zippered wallet tote is made in strong black canvas cotton and features a strip of showcase technique. The bag folds up into a handy-sized wallet that fits conveniently in your handbag. How often do you intend to do the right thing but forget to bring your permanent shopping bag with you?



There are currently 14 designs and we are in discussion with other Fair Trade organisations in other countries. Twelve different designs are presented in each point of sale display box that comes complete with marketing information. Open the box, prop up the marketing sheet, write in your selling price and keep the orders coming!

Two new Yoga Mat Bags

Two new designs grace our family of yoga mat bags. The Hmong Om (right) replaces the Hmong Batik. Om is repeated 3 times as it is in your yoga practice. The design has more male appeal with the beige, burgundy and black colour scheme and restrained pattern. The Hmong women still employ their considerable appliqué skills but we don't get all cute about it. Also suitable for females. (Click here to order.)



The Buddha Footprint replaces the Akha beige model. It is made by artists in Bagan using fine Irrawaddy sand and traditional images. Each picture takes about 7 days to complete and at the price, it's a labour of love. The footprint represents the many reincarnations of Lord Buddha on his progress to achieving Nirvana. Owning this bag is a karmic act.

Flattering Silk Tunic

It is embarrassing to admit but this shirt is a masterstroke of design. It came about by accident when a shipment of our 100% silk scarves arrived in beautiful jewel Thai silk colours but bearing bright blue tassels in the warp base colour. They weren't going to sell so we decided to use the silk elsewhere.

Designer Patricia Solar knew that natural fabrics do not have the flexibility of modern synthetics and was unhappy with many of the boxy rigid styles that are usually created from this fabulous local material. She hit upon this universally flattering style that really does fit every female form from the unenviably skinny to the, ahhhh, generously proportioned.

It marries the needs of a small producer to the needs of the fashion conscious population. For women, it is stylish, unusual without being weird, curvy even though it is 100% silk, colourful in a controlled way, fully reversible (back to front), comfortable without being sensible and truly one size fits all (not one size fits nobody well). For the small business, it reduces inventory without limiting size ranges, it comes in 3 lengths, is well-priced for a luxury product, has a range of colours that will suit all women and doesn't go out of fashion after one season. Currently we can't keep this shirt in stock because staff and locals keep buying them as they come through the office door. Note there is a 2 month delivery period. (Click here to order.)

Bolero Silk Scarf

Weather is so variable, isn't it? You head out on a bright sunny day and suddenly a chill wind is raising goose bumps on your upper arms. Or those evening garden parties start in the warmth of the late afternoon sun but end with you slapping at bugs or covering your lovely party dress with your companion's jacket. Even warmer climes hold the perils of over-refrigerated air conditioning.


The Bolero was created to pop out of your handbag to rescue the damsel in any of the above forms of distress. It combines the 100% silk, colours and weave of the ever-popular Skinny with the flexibility of a shrug. It can be worn in the myriad of wraps and knots offered by the Skinny but has the added option of slipping on like a little jacket that is always the right length no matter which top you are wearing. A perfect combination of versatility, warmth and elegance.

Shoulder Bag

This bag should really be called The Barry. A friend saw a prototype we created for a failed design contract and insisted on buying it for his friends. We tired of making one bag every couple of weeks for him and added the design to our collection.


Arguably it could be a "manbag" or a "murse" but it is a style that any metrosexual would be proud to carry, especially if his new small-size computer is tucked into it. Oh dear, does that mean it could also be a computer case?

New Producer Groups

New products usually means new producer groups, our raison d’être. During the year, we started working with 14 new groups, bringing our total number from 10 in 2007 to 24 groups and individual craftswomen comprising 60 women and finally, a group of young men who create the Buddha footprints. A group of Shan refugees from Myanmar are currently creating a new design for the WorldTote and we have found a Lisu village close to the Paluang producer group.



All of the groups we work with are from poor social/economic backgrounds and include women living in bamboo housing in remote villages, and an HIV/AIDS women’s group. We are about to commence a monitoring process to measure how successful we are at developing the welfare of our producer groups.



During 2008, we also worked with three orphanages and, within the requirements of Fair Trade rules relating to children’s working conditions, hope to be able to launch low-volume products in 2009 based on batik work done during the leisure activities of children from one of these orphanages. Sales income goes towards food and clothing. We offer their blank batik cards in sets of 5 but can only supply according to availability.

A recent meeting might lead to new producer groups in Laos and therefore, new products. Watch this space.

Customer News - The Fresh Green Bag and Wendy Paulucci (see press article here)

An opportunistic introduction by an Australian supporter led us to Sydneysider Wendy Paulucci and The Fresh Green Bag Company (www.thefreshgreenbag.com.au). Wendy's CV includes the successful redesign of the famous Bond's underwear brand and the uniforms of the Sydney Olympics volunteers. Her wish to include a Fair Trade offering in her permanent shopping bag range lead to the WorldTote Collectibles design and our largest single order to date (and incidentally the order that tipped last year's sales over the one million baht mark). We couldn't be more grateful.



We are of course pleased to work with such a sympathetic and good-hearted distributor but then Wendy decided that she had to guarantee that her product was not secretly produced in a Third World sweatshop and she came for a five day visit.



We can attest that this was not a 5 day tax write-off junket that was spent lying around a swimming pool being called work. Our apologies to Wendy that she didn't get much chance to be a normal tourist at all. For 3 of the days, we were travelling and meeting producers from about 7 of the groups and one day was spent in Tachailek, Myanmar (just over the Thai border at Mae Sai), visiting refugees.



During one producer visit, Wendy was easily press-ganged into doing a half day art workshop for the Lahu women who create our Pure Art collections (see the Hilltribe Art Project story that follows). The result is a great leap forward in their artistry as seen in the Third Collection, a tapestry created for a Women's Shelter in BC, Canada (story to follow).



The ever-generous Wendy also created a series of colour combinations for the Harlequin silk scarf range which should be ready in the autumn. These same combinations will appear on the Flattering Silk Tunic.

Elephant Story – Update

Elephant Polo: As readers of earlier Newsletters will recall, in March 2008, we were privileged to assist in the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, sponsored by and held at the Anantara Resort at the Golden Triangle, 65 km north of Chiang Rai.



In addition to showcasing our products as part of the merchandising at the event, we also designed elephant blankets as part of the opening ceremony as well as kit bags for the players.



For 2009, we supplied more of our specially designed blankets (you just can't trust those elephants to take care of their things) and a new design of kitbag for the players.

Izara in the Press

Spirituality and Health Magazine - Our eyemasks feature on a products page in the May/June 2009 edition of this US magazine. See products that make life better on page 35 (scanned copy here). Subscribe to or view details of the magazine at spiritualityhealth.com.

Embroidery Magazine - In July/August, a story about the Hilltribe Art Project will appear in this UK magazine. Click here to see an extract from the article.

Australian Village Voice - article on Wendy Paulucci and Fresh Green Bag Company featuring the WorldTote - click here.

Hilltribe Art Project (see a video here)

We collaborated with Wings of Peace International, an Orlando, FL, USA foundation in a project to try to get women from tribal groups in N Thailand to move beyond their usual handicraft styles and to express themselves and some part of their culture or history in their work. The resulting 20 pieces from the Shan, Lahu, Akha and Hmong tribes were exhibited at the Orland Museum of Art in Sep 2008. Fifteen pieces were sold for over US$1,300 and the other pieces are now exhibited in Millennia Fine Arts Gallery, Orlando, USA. The success of this pilot has encouraged us to commission more work from the same groups. The Second Collection was donated by us to a high-profile charity auction held in New York City in April (and a further similar event to be held in Los Angeles in December) for the benefit of the Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap, Cambodia.



We have also received a commission from BC, Canada for another work. This purchase came just before Wendy Paulucci delivered her art workshop (see Fresh Green Bag story). The resulting piece is another great leap forward for the women's self expression and they experimented with new designs and media but had only glued pieces onto the work. This led us to open the artwork to more of the women to create a collaborative work while we fixed the problem of pieces lifting.



We took it to the Akha to embroider the larger pieces down. Then it went to the Hmong to recreate the human figures in the distinctive long stitch they use in their storyboard tapestries. They will also quilt and finish the piece. The Mien are developing 4 cornerpiece pompoms or tassels.



Domestic abuse is unfortunately a common language of women everywhere. This work is a message of support from women to women suffering in abusive situations.



For more information on Izara Arts, please contact Patricia Solar:

Email: izaraarts@gmail.com

Tel: (Thailand) +66 (0) 8926 40380

Website: www.izaaraarts.com

Your Subscription: