At Aspara Silk we work closely with individual artisans and weaver groups to build viable businesses that can sustain families and communities in developing countries.

Every one of our producer organizations is unique, with some set up specifically to support disadvantaged groups, or help a particular community.

Each season we introduce our visitors to one of our talented artisans so you can meet the people behind our products.

Thanan's Story

Disabled from birth, Thanan grew up in a climate where those with a disability were routinely singled out for extermination during the Khmer Rouge era. When relative peace came in 1993, Cambodia was the most disabled country on earth with no functioning healthcare system and 35,000 landmine amputees. With the influx of foreign aid, Thanan saw an opportunity to help her fellow Cambodians and joined the National Centre for Disabled People. For nearly a decade, Thanan developed and managed the retail arm of the charity, which now supports 750 families and operates with no external funding.

In 2003, Thanan and her husband Pirum started their own organisation without any grants or donations. They worked two jobs each and all hours of the day in order to get it going. By the time Aspara Silk's Founder stumbled across her small retail shop in 2005, whilst out Christmas shopping for friends back home, Thanan was already working with more than 30 weavers, many of them also disabled.

From there Katy and Thanan's friendship grew and they could often be found sharing mangoes along the banks of the Mekong and swapping sewing tips from their late grandmothers. When Katy left Cambodia in 2008 Thanan was pregnant with her second child and the idea of Aspara Silk was born.

Thanan has a wonderful sense of humour and a deeply caring nature. In addition to paying a regular income, her organisation provides ongoing emotional and financial support to dozens of weavers who in many cases have no other means of help.

Thanan is not only a savvy businesswoman and caring employer, she’s also a tremendously talented weaver and designer in her own right. She designed Aspara Silk's bestselling Titania Hobo Bag and Scalloped Silk Clutch, which are among our personal favourites of this season’s collection.

We are humbled and inspired everyday by women like Thanan who, despite all they have been through, remain warm, caring and generous.