Meaning LA SOIE DU PARADIS - THE SILK FROM PARADISE

                    

The production of silk, weaving and embroidery are ancestral riches of traditional Laotian art and deserve to be better known.

Because everyone has the right to live with dignity from their work, Mai Savanh Lao, which means Silk from Paradise, works with underprivileged populations to support and promote their crafts, while respecting the principles of fair trade.

This product "handmade" in Laos may represent some irregularities which are the hallmark of craftsmanship and thus recall its uniqueness.

The beginning was difficult, people showing little interest in these new looms but once the first weavers conquered, the response was very fast and in less than 2 years, 200 weavers were trained and as many looms placed in families.

Almost all openly say they pride themselves on having a regular income, being able to provide security for the family, and to better dress their children to send them to school. These women express their satisfaction at being better regarded in the village, of being valued by their work.

Our ambition is that more young Laotians enter this project and actively participate in this modest adventure today but which has the potential to expand and assert itself. Training agronomists, dyers, designers, sericulture experts, is surely the most difficult element, but it is also the most promising for the future of this country which ranks at the bottom of the list of countries in developing.

We have opted for a “Non-profit” type structure and all the profits are reinvested in the activities.

Mai Savanh Lao was awarded the “Fair Trade” label by the WFTO in 2009.