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This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks.Read more
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About
For an original look, try Alaya Cholprasertsuk's cheongsam dress, a high-collar style of Manchu origin. Crafted from 100% cotton by Thai artisans, the short-sleeved dress features two side slits, a zipper closure on the back, and a hand-painted floral batik motif on a beautiful jade-colored base.
Product details
- 100% cotton
- Features a zipper closure
- Do not bleach
- Use a warm iron
- Hand wash separately in cold water
- Handcrafted batik art--colors and pattern placement will vary
- Dry flat in the shade
- 0.40 kgs
- 0.9 lbs
- Size: S,M,L,XL
- Size: S,M,L,XL
Meet the artist
"This craft is my pride and my life and I think I have found my way."
"My parents worked as professors for the university but are now retired. I was brought up with a loving younger brother. I was introduced to arts very early. When I was a child, I had the chance to study drawing and painting with artists. At home I would constantly practice what they taught me. I also used to participate in Siang Dek (Children's Voice), a newspaper whose writers, artistic directors, and journalists are children. It is a free tabloid-size newspaper issued with the famed Ying Yook Mai (Modern Women) newspaper. I had such a good time there that I then set my mind on becoming a journalist. But after graduating from high school, I decided to study architecture and arts media at at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology.
"After graduation I got a job as a designer for an advertising company. Two years later, I worked for another advertising company; I thought it would be more of an interesting job for they worked with all the media: magazines, newspapers, radio, and television. However, after eight years of hard work, I felt like I could not take it anymore. Not only the routine, but everything was exactly the same, our customers ran exactly the same kinds of business and were always asking for exactly the same concept – it sort of dried up my creativity. My husband, whom I met while still working for the first advertising company, left to his hometown in the country in order to work in a ceramic factory. I decided to move and live with him there and this move changed my life greatly.
"We have been living in a small rural village for three years. Here I wanted to do something that I loved and to feel free. One day I got the opportunity to learn the process of batik and kept practicing at home afterwards. I thought it was fantastic because I could create anything on the cloth with a free mind. What I wished to create, well I would just create it! I would go for a walk near my home and look around; I would look at things that impressed my mind and feelings and think about them. Once back home, I would use this inspiration and get down to work with concentration and patience. At first I could not really sell anything until I joined an artistic fair where I used my husband's company stand to display my work on its walls. Unbelievably, I could sell. What really made me happy was to know that people I didn't know bought my work because they loved it, and not only to please me or out of friendship. It encouraged me to continue, which was a good thing since some shops later placed orders.
"I love to design my batik with earth tones. I think most of the batiks found on the market these days are made with too many bright colors. I admire dull colors, which tells about my simple, easy, and free character. I also enjoy mixing colors and creating my own tones. Sketching with a pencil releases my mood, my feelings, and my thoughts on the cloth. This craft is my pride and my life and I think I have found my way. My dream is to see my works displayed in the decoration magazines. Yes, that's it, my works would hang on somebody's walls, somebody who loves my batik and bought it because it appeared in the magazines. I presently employ one worker who lives near my house and to whom I taught the process. But I would also like to have a little workshop where I would work and hire people who want to learn and work with me. That's what I would like to do."
This item was handmade in Thailand by NOVICA artisan borrowers. Kiva lenders have helped these artisans stock up on materials, buy more tools and grow their businesses.
This item qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!
- Only valid on the Normal shipping option for shipments to 48 Lower US states.
- Discounted shipping price may not be applied to previous orders.
This item ships with a free artist storycard, so you can remember who you impacted today. Customized gift messages are also available with every order.
![](https://www.novica.com/2015/assets/images/storycard/modal-storycard.jpg)
We want you to be 100% satified with your order, so if you are not completely happy with your item, you can return it within 60 days of receiving it.
Return instructions
We pack, ship, certify and 100% guarantee the quality of this item. Watch this video to see how.
This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 4 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.
Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.
If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.
This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).
Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!
DOWNLOAD
![](https://www.novica.com/2015/assets/images/sizeChart/ringsizeSample.jpg)
We refer to these items as "discounted wholesale". Such items carry a deeper wholesale discount than other items, and have greater potential to provide your business with healthier resale margins.
Triple 'Win' Pricing
Kiva Store offers triple win pricing, where YOU the consumer, Children from around the world, and Artisans all benefit.
WIN # 1 You Save!
Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. The U.S. Fund for Kiva partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from Kiva Store to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.
WIN # 2 Children Benefit!
Each item purchased from Kiva Store will benefit Kiva's programmes that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.
You can learn more about Kiva's work, on About Kiva.
WIN # 3 Artisans Profit!
Kiva Store artisans set their own prices and control their own businesses. Kiva Store offers artisans a free platform to sell their work throughout the United States.
Turn your gift-giving into an art form with our new premium gift wrapping service!
Delivering a beautiful handmade treasure, wrapped by hand in exquisite packaging will make your gifts truly unforgettable.
Above all, it's EASY! Just select the premium gift wrapping option during checkout and we do the rest. No more last minute worries about presentation - your gifts will be the best dressed every time!
Most premium gift wrap is only $3.95 - $5.95 per item.
Triple 'Win' Pricing
Kiva Store offers triple win pricing, where YOU the consumer, Children from around the world, and Artisans all benefit.
WIN # 1 You Save!
Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. The U.S. Fund for Kiva partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from Kiva Store to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.
WIN # 2 Children Benefit!
Each item purchased from Kiva Store will benefit Kiva's programmes that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.
You can learn more about Kiva's work, on About Kiva.
WIN # 3 Artisans Profit!
Kiva Store artisans set their own prices and control their own businesses. Kiva Store offers artisans a free platform to sell their work throughout the United States.