Jim Thompson Boutique to open its doors at Empire

The boutique will also feature many lifestyle and home products.

It's a name that needs no introduction - Jim Thompson, a designer brand name that stands for the finest designs in the best of Thai silk.

It's befitting then, that two names - both of which are synonymous with elegance, luxury and quality - are coming together on September 1. That's when the Jim Thompson Boutique opens at The Empire Hotel & Country Club, Brunei.

The boutique will offer the extensive range of Thai silk products and fashion that have made the Jim Thompson name such a legend - scarves, handbags, textiles, apparel and accessories for the home - all exquisitely designed and available in an array of dazzling colours.

The Jim Thompson boutique at The Empire is its 56th store worldwide; however, Brunei has the distinction of being its new concept store, which stocks - apart from the usual products sold elsewhere - silks and gift items.

Said William Booth, Managing Director of Jim Thompson, "We are delighted to have been invited to open a shop in Brunei at this very exclusive Empire Hotel & Country Club. Our shop will also be the first of our newly conceptualised designed stores. Apart from silk for which the Jim Thompson name is famous, our store will be featuring many lifestyle and home products."

Jim Thompson is an international household name. It all began in 1948 when the Thai Silk Company was formed, the initiative of a then young American, Jim Thompson, who had arrived in Thailand on a wartime mission that never materialised. Overwhelmed by the beauty of the country and the friendliness of the people, he stayed on in Thailand after his military discharge.

Of all his Thai encounters, none was to make an impression as great as Thai silk, an ancient handicraft threatened with extinction because of cheaper, man-made fabrics. With a conviction that the beauty and quality of this precious fabric would appeal outside Thailand, he showed some samples to friends in New York, and with their support, established the Thai Silk Company.

Through talent and sheer dint of hard work, Jim Thompson almost single-handedly revived the art of silk-weaving in Thailand. In fact, he made it even more appealing with improvements such as introducing colour-fast dyes, vibrant colours and innovative ways to use the fabric.

So wonderful was the quality of Thai silk as transformed by Jim Thompson that Thai royalty and celebrities took to wearing it, propelling it to even greater heights of recognition.

Thai silk was used for costumes in 'The King and I,' both on stage and in the film version and in other productions such as Ben Hur. World-class hotels like The Savoy and The Hong Kong Hilton used Thai silk for furnishing its suites.

The finest accolade for JimThompson was perhaps the decoration of The Order of the White Elephant, given by the Thai government in recognition of his contributions to Thailand.

In March 1967, Jim Thompson was on a holiday with friends in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. He went for a stroll in the surrounding jungle and was never seen again. Nearly 40 years later, his legend still lives on. The silks and designs that are the hallmark of Jim Thompson and the Thai Silk Company are as alive as ever.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin