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Jing

"My name is Supaporn Laohang and my nickname is Jing. I am from the Hmong hilltribe. I was born on June 5, 1963, the seventh child of eight. Once the Public Welfare people came to my village and selected children to go and study in Bangkok. I luckily passed their criterion and was one of those selected. I left for Bangkok where I lived 13 years until I graduated with a vocational certificate, majoring in domestic science. I then came back home and studied two more years to receive a diploma.

"When I studied in Bangkok, I learned cooking, sewing and other home crafts. I naturally liked sewing because I sewed clothes for my mother and myself when I was a young child. It was my mother who initially taught me and, although I was already quite skilled, I learned new techniques. When I got my diploma I sewed and embroidered clothes and bags. But I also got interested in local handmade products, and this led me to create my own designs. My specialties are bags, purses, clothing, jewelry pouches and various ornaments such as those used during Christmas to decorate trees. I make products I love everyday. I create the patterns following my imagination, what I would like my designs to look like and be used for. I embroider Hmong patterns on utilitarian and decorative items. I want them to radiate the culture, traditions and way of life of the Hmong tribes.

"I live with my elder sister and her family. When I have time, I visit my parents back in my village. I love them very much. Because we are Hmong, our culture and traditions are different from those of city people. For example, the first day of the year is spent cleaning the house the whole day – it's a big cleaning party! The second day is spent making ceremony with chicken and eggs. Because many Hmong people work in places located away from home, a shaman performs a special ceremony so that their minds won't forget about home. On the third day, everyone dresses in traditional clothes and the children entertain themselves with Hmong games and activities.

"In the future I would like to own a small shop where I would create new products. For now, I would like to thank Novica for giving me the opportunity to present my creations. I would like also to thank the shoppers who select my designs. I hope you will be very happy and satisfied with my handcrafted products."