Deep, Authentic, Organic Beauty That Speaks to the Soul from Sawang Boran Fair Trade Silks and Anthropologist Dr. Roseanne Trottier

Anthropologist, TEDx Speaker and Director of Sawang Boran (sponsor of this post) Fair Trade Silks, Dr. Rosanne Trottier

When I think of Anthropologist, TEDx Speaker and Director of Sawang Boran Fair Trade Silks, Dr. Roseanne Trottier,  I am reminded of the line in Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

"We are surrounded by an epidemic of ugliness: concrete, pollution, garbage, noise.  I mean all of our senses are being attacked by this epidemic of ugliness that seems to go hand in hand with development." 

"Beauty is going down the drain."

"Beauty is something that, we run the risk of losing."  - Dr. Roseanne Trottier

Dr. Roseanne Trottier feels like many of us feel, that beauty is in nature - like the indescribable and unmeasurable beauty in landscapes that we see and are in awe of.  But she also feels that beauty can be found in the intertwining of nature with the traditions that human beings have utilized in civilizations over centuries to craft portable artifacts of the beauty of nature.

Roseanne Trottier believes that this type of deep, authentic, organic beauty, speaks to the soul and is a necessary ingredient for humankind.

Take for example, this raw silk found in nature straight from the cocoon...

Raw silk, straight from the cocoon

 intertwined with human ingenuity...

Sawangboran Project – Old Craft + New Life = Beauty

to create beautiful artifacts we can take great joy in.

Sawang Boran stands for truly artisanal fair trade silks from Isan, North-East Thailand. Like Sawang Boran on Facebook

"When I came to Thailand I was basically picked up by a group of silk weavers who said, "find us a market."  I said, "I'm not a business woman, don't know how to do that."  But I had this hunch that, okay,  if you are going to go back to the natural colors that your ancestors used to do, or rediscover them, yea, I think there is a market for that and if you do that, it's gonna be fair trade and I'm gonna work for you." - Roseanne

Dr. Trottier and the Sawang Boran artisans

TEDx - Rosanne Trottier - "Rediscovering the Right to Beauty"

Sawang Boran is a group of artisan, Isan women who, with the help of anthropologist Dr. Trottier, have been reconnected with the roots of their deep and spiritual knowledge of the beauty of nature.  They create authentic, traditionally processed (yet newly labeled "organic"), one of a kind fair trade silks (including beautiful clothing) in Isan Northeast Thailand for sale throughout the world.

Sawang Boran Organic Silk Postcards

Sawang Boran fair trade silk products are beautiful reminders that we humans are here not only to take and use Earth's resources until they are gone, but we are here to share in the spirituality of this beautiful planet, her people and her wealth.

"This kind of truly authentic silk is not only good for people and nature on the production side, for it is also beneficial to human health and well-being (in addition to being beautiful) as well as a low maintenance fibre that requires infrequent washing (so saves water and detergents)." - Dr. Roseanne Trottier

Sawang Boran has demonstrated its staying power and commitment to the weavers – whose daughters can now be seen helping (and thus learning the tradition from) their mothers

Sawang Boran offers us the beauty of nature through:

• Unadulterated local silkworm varieties
• Unique hand-made creations of local cultural ownership
• The richness of chemical-free natural colors
• The safety of fully organic processes for the creators, consumers and planet

Organic Silk Knitwear Top

Looking at the beautiful collection, you can see what I mean when I say the silk pieces the women of Sawang Boran create, are truly wearable pieces of art taken from the beauty of nature.

Organic Ikat Shoulder Bag

To see the full collection of beautiful, fair trade silk pieces including shawls, scarves, apparel, purses, postcards, Ikat sarongs, organic silk fabrics and silk treats, please visit Sawang Boran's shop.  And remember that with each purchase, you are you are also buying into a tradition and its ethical revitalization.

"This is a human, not a mechanical, transaction. We do not view our customers as anonymous buyers, but as friends, and ‘fair trade’ is also about restoring something of the market-place where producers and consumers know each other." - Sawang Boran Website

 Get to know Sawang Boran and you will get to know true beauty.