The Prime Minister attended a historic exhibition celebrating 170 years of Thai-French diplomatic relations. The "Royal Thai Dress from Tradition to Modernity" exhibition conveys the value of Thai heritage through clothing design and exquisite craftsmanship.
On 26 May 2026, reporters reported that on Monday, 25 May at 6:00 p.m., at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD) in Paris, France, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his wife, along with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anek Laothamatas; Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachai Sutthumphand; Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkaew; Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Minister Yotchanan Wongsawat; and Culture Minister Sabida Thaiset, attended the exhibition “Royal Thai Dress from Tradition to Modernity” held under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya. The event celebrated the 170th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the French Republic.
This historic exhibition is a collaboration among key partners including the Ministry of Commerce, the Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACIT), the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in France. It showcases the value of Thai heritage through garment design, ancient brocades, fine handicrafts, and contemporary works by Thai designers, totaling over 200 items. The exhibition is curated by Béatrice Quette, curator of the Asian and Islamic Art collection at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
The exhibition is divided into seven galleries, beginning with “The Beginning of 170 Years of Thai-French Relations,” which tells the close relationship between the two nations through the role of clothing as a medium of cultural and diplomatic exchange. Next is the gallery “Eight Royal Thai Dress Styles,” recognized as the national costume, featuring royal garments worn by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother.
It also displays garments of Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana, the Queen, and Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, reflecting the continuation and enhancement of the beauty of Thai traditional dress through various eras.
Another important gallery is “Royal Thai Textiles: The Value of Handicrafts,” which presents the intricacy of Thai handicrafts through accessories and decorative items such as bags, hand-painted fans, and Benjarong porcelain. A highlight is the gallery “Royal Outfits of Her Majesty the Queen Mother by Balmain and the High Embroidery Institute Lesage,” marking the first time the process and research collaboration with the French fashion house and the Handicraft Promotion Foundation are exhibited through sketches, fabric samples, and exquisite embroidery.
The exhibition also highlights the beauty of the “Brocade and Regional Woven Textiles” gallery, reflecting the weaving wisdom from various Thai regions, as well as the “Silk Ikat in Haute Couture” gallery, which reveals how Thai textiles have entered the French haute couture world through collaborations with the high embroidery institute Lesage.
Visitors can also admire contemporary Thai designers' works, who inherit and reinterpret Thai art and culture in new dimensions, in the gallery “Embroidery Art from the SIRIVANNAVARI Brand,” founded by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya. It also features works by contemporary Thai designers including TIRAPAN, ASAVA, VATIT ITTHI, WISHARAWISH, and MESHMUSEUM, creatively expressing Thai identity through modern fashion perspectives.
Experience the beauty and exquisite cultural heritage at the exhibition “Royal Thai Dress from Tradition to Modernity,” open to the public from now until 1 November 2026 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, France.