Minister of Culture Sabeeda Thaised, during her presiding over the opening ceremony of the World Ikat Textiles Symposium 2025, stated that the Government aims to preserve the wisdom of weaving mudmee silk fabric and promote it on the international stage.

The World Ikat Textiles Symposium 2025 is being held at the Avani Khon Kaen Hotel and Convention Center in Khon Kaen Province on 3-5 December, under the theme “TIES for TOMORROW: Weaving Heritage into Sustainable Futures.”

Jointly organized by the Thai Crafts Promotion Trade Association, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), and Khon Kaen Province, this international event brings together experts to discuss the past, present, and future of ikat textile traditions. It features international exhibitions, workshops, fashion shows, business-matching activities, and a craft market.

The Minister of Culture said that the World Crafts Council had named Khon Kaen a World Craft City for lkat (mudmee).  This recognition is based on the province's traditional textile art and has promoted Khon Kaen as a regional hub for textiles and handicrafts.

The organizing of this symposium, she said, would create greater economic value, contribute to the regional economy through business negotiations, and promote local tourism in Khon Kaen, which is recognized as a meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) city.

Mudmee, using the weft ikat technique, is a specialty of northeastern Thailand, where cloth weaving is a traditional folk craft. Pha mudmee is a kind of hand-woven fabric with patterns in weft ikat through a process of “wrapping to pattern” the yarns before dyeing and weaving.

In the tie-dye process, natural dyes that are commonly used are indigo and lac. Though mudmee can be woven from cotton yarn, the resulting mudmee does not look as gorgeous as mudmee silk. 

This kind of textile is woven in almost all provinces in the northeastern region, such as Khon Kaen, Roi Et, Surin, Buri Ram, and Si Sa Ket.

Thanks to the encouragement and support of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother, mudmee is now in wide use and is popular for its intricate patterns and unique characteristics.