Her Works is a textile studio dedicated to showcasing the artistry of women artisans.
“All our production and management teams are also women, which inspired the name of our business, Her Works, as we wanted to showcase their work,” says founder and managing director Douangmany Heuangkhamsene (Toukta).
The business launched in 2016 in Laos and expanded into Thailand in 2023. At the start of Her Works Toukta mainly focused on cotton that the artisans grow themselves to create bags, shoes and apparel.
“I was travelling a lot and would see artisans with these amazing weaving skills and techniques. Not many people outside Laos and Thailand know about them, so I wanted to showcase the beautiful textiles they create to people who might have never seen their products before.”
However, while attending seminars overseas Toukta noticed a rising concern for the environment and sustainability as well as an increasing interest in natural materials. She wanted to apply those same principles to her products by improving production to become more sustainable and focus on raw materials such as banana trees.
“Nearby our workshop in Laos there are many farms where they grow bananas for export. After harvest they burn down the trees which is bad for the environment, so I found a way to reuse and upcycle this agricultural waste.
“Also, many artisans have to move to the city for work so we wanted to create work opportunities for them and preserve the local culture, so they can stay home with their families but also earn money using the skills that they have.
“That’s how it all started really, we wanted to use the raw materials that we have locally and providing artisans with work opportunities while creating products that are more contemporary for the export market,” she adds.
Her Works collaborates with 10 different communities in both Thailand and Laos, however, for the export market she focuses on the communities near the workshop in Laos, so the team can monitor and quality control the processes.
While this is Her Works’ first time exhibiting at STYLE Bangkok, the brand participated in Maison&Objet in Paris a few years ago.
“We did receive some interest from buyers, but we weren’t quite ready yet for the European market.
“In the years following we learned how to manage the production and how to be more sustainable as well as be mindful of the safety of the workers and their working conditions to improve our overall rating and get us ready for the European market.
“We are currently looking for global export opportunities including Asia and Australia.”
