The Thai Silk Company continues to be inspired by its founder’s values. The Jim Thompson brand presents fabrics, personal goods, and fine Thai cuisine to the world’s most demanding customers, particularly those in search of authenticity, originality, and refinement, who share our aesthetics sensibility, and who are fascinated by the mysteries of the brand and of the region.
It was 7:15am, I was exhausted after a 16 hours flight and time change. As I approached customs at JFK International, I couldn't imagine what was about to happen.
US Citizens and their baggage are usually waved through with a smile and a "welcome home" from the customs inspector, but this morning I was stopped with a "please open your bags".
After examining 2 duffels with more laundry than contraband the inspector asked me to open my briefcase, sitting inconspicuously on the floor near my feet.
I had completed the form stating I had not been on a farm thinking that silk yarn production was more process than farming.
As I clicked the latches on my briefcase, in those days we carried hardcover leather cases with locks, not the ubiquitous nylon backpacks of today.
As I opened the cover, three white moths flew out and attacked the inspector's head. He waved his arms defensively, and muttered something that sounded like "wherein the hell did these come from?"
When on that farm, I had taken a few silkworms thinking I'd dry them out, and put them in a zip-lock bag to include with my contact report.
I'd forgotten they were in there until that morning in customs, silkworms turn into moths after their gestation period.
I claimed total surprise and told the inspector I had no idea where those pesky moths had come from. He didn't know a thing about silk production and accepted my explanation with a shrug and while noting I was lucky those moths weren't feeding on my wool sweaters.
Thai Silk is exquisite, generally considered the finest in Asia, the Chinese notwithstanding.
The Jim Thompson stores in Bangkok sell the best silk fabrics in the region, they have a long and mysterious history going back to their founder, James Thompson, an American Army Captain who after the war remained in Thailand as an American spy living undercover as a silk merchant. At the height of his career, he mysteriously disappeared during a trip to Malaysia. The stories are endless but, probably, local insurgents had been tipped off that he was an American spy and assassinated him; his body was never found.
Jim Thompson is a legend in Thailand, his silk products, restaurants, and stores are a testament to his dedication to luxury and quality.
I was in Thailand for 3 months organizing the raw silk fiber producers into cooperatives, i.e. trade associations, to leverage the collective strength of small farmers when they managed as a single business unit, like marketing coops in the US. They improve market prices for their yarn and reduce the cost of inputs through collective purchasing.
I quickly learned that Jim Thompson had created a value chain from farm to retail with specific requirements for each link in the chain. His suppliers, the ones who signed an LOU ( letter of understanding), agreed to meet certain quality standards in return for a guaranteed price known in advance with a ratchet clause allowing the producers to share in market increases but not decreases. The standards were high, but the rewards were worth the extra effort. Thompson provided consultants to help his suppliers meet the standards.
This was one of the first supply chain "brands" in textiles, as a result, Thompson built a reputation for unmatched quality.
I never met Jim Thompson, but his story inspired me, he was a visionary. He embraced the world where he found himself and made it his own.
Being exposed to stories like Jim Thompson is just one of my life-changing experiences as I traveled around the world in 23 years.
Next stop Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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