A team of lecturers and designers from Phuket Rajabhat University (PKRU) — Ms. Chanathinat Chaiyapoo and Ms. Chutima Changphum, from the Creative Product Innovation Program, Faculty of Science and Technology — with support from the Research and Development Institute, have created a fashion collection rooted in community heritage. The project, titled “I am /Root”, transforms local identity and cultural roots into inspiration, using fashion as a storytelling language to express the voices of local communities.

The designs incorporate local materials and are the result of collaboration with six communities across the Andaman region: Karon (Phuket), Ban Khian (Phuket), Ban Na Tai (Phang Nga), Koh Yao Yai (Phang Nga), Thung Talay (Krabi), and Hat Yao (Krabi). The collection is based on the concept that “our roots hold stories worth telling,” and that fashion can be a voice for the community.

The I am /Root project is supported by the Contemporary Art Promotion Fund under the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture.

Presented by: Change Art

The project builds on the initiative “The World, the Thread, and Time: Weaving Andaman Communities Together through Textile Art and Design,” which is part of a broader strategic community development program.