A visit to remote weavers in Sop Moei and other Northern Destinations

Name: A visit to remote weavers in Sop Moei and other Northern Destinations
Start: 2026-01-29T07:15:00+07:00
Location: Sop Moei, Mae Hong Son

Schedule

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026 at 07:15 am

UTC+07:00

Location

Sop Moei, Mae Hong Son | Chiang Mai, CM

Sop Moei textiles are woven by the Pwo Karen, a sub-group of the larger Karen hill tribe who live in remote villages in Mae Hong Son Province, at the confluence of the Moei and Youm Rivers. Isolated for years, their story unfolds like a fairytale. It began with Kent Gregory, born and raised in Thailand, who took interest in their work and has been working with them ever since. To improve the Karen’s living conditions and to generate funds for the villagers, Kent began marketing the textiles and baskets that were woven locally. Over the years, the quality of the materials improved as new and attractive designs emerged. Today, Sop Moei is well known in Thailand with a shop that helps sustain the Pwo Karen.
We will have the opportunity to visit the weaving village, where outsiders generally don’t enter, as the Karen try to preserve their way of life. Masako has been working with them for decades on volunteer basis, and managed to arrange a visit there for the Thai Textile Society. The village is a modest place with few amenities. In addition, we will visit another weaving village in the rural area to see backstrap loom weaving and natural dyeing, some small textile museums, and enjoy being in the mountains of northern Thailand, ending with a short visit to Chiang Mai.