Thailand · Embroidery / Costume Making
การทำเครื่องแต่งกายโขน (Kan Tham Khruang Taeng Kai Khon)
Khon is the Thai classical masked dance-drama depicting the Ramakien — UNESCO inscribed in 2018. The Khon costume and headdress tradition — distinct from the mask-making tradition (CRAFT-0037) — involves the production of the most elaborate performance garments in Southeast Asia. A full Khon costume set consists of a structured jacket (suea), pants (khangkeng), skirt panels (pha nung), shoulder pieces (bangkhon), arm ornaments, and the mongkut (tiered headdress) — each piece covered in dense hand-sewn glass bead embellishment, metallic thread embroidery, sequins, mirrors, and gold leaf applications. A single full Khon costume set requires 6–18 months to produce and costs THB 100,000–500,000. The Fine Arts Department's Khon costume workshop in Bangkok is the primary production center and one of the last places where the full traditional technique is practiced.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Covered under UNESCO Khon inscription (2018); costume-making is an integral component
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