Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya has conducted a research study on costumes of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother, created by Pierre Balmain, a well-known French designer.

The Princess left for Paris recently to conduct research at the Balmain archives, Balmain Fashion House, on 12 January 2026. The Balmain Couture House was founded in 1945 by Pierre Balmain, who was entrusted with designing Queen Sirikit’s costumes by blending traditional Thai clothing with Western styles. That was the starting point for the development of royal-inspired Thai costumes, later referred to as “Chud Thai Phra Ratchaniyom.”

In 1960, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit was preparing to accompany King Rama IX on long state visits to the United States and Europe. Realizing that there was a need for a modern national costume that both represented Thailand’s national identity and was suitable for formal wear, Her Majesty commissioned research into Thai women’s attire, and Mr. Balmain took care of designing royal costumes on many occasions.

After the passing of Mr. Balmain in 1982, Her Majesty continued to allow the Balmain Couture House to design her costumes, with Erik Mortensen as head of designers to oversee the work. This continued for more than two decades in connection with costumes in the Thai royal court.

Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari, Creative Director of the SIRIVANNAVARI brand, has played a vital role in developing and elevating Thai textiles to make them better known on both the domestic and global stages. Well aware of the great compassion of the Queen Mother, who inspired her to study arts and fashion design, Her Royal Highness intends to preserve and build on the Queen Mother’s work on promoting Thai textiles and Thai fashion design.

The research study at the Balmain archives by Her Royal Highness is also in preparation for the organizing of the exhibition “La Mode en Majesté, Haute Couture et Tradition à la Cour de Thaïlande,” to be held from May to November 2026 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, in celebration of the 170th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and France.