This scarf has been handmade by Phontong Handicrafts Cooperative, a network of traditional Lao artisans which spans 35 villages and connects over 450 people. The cooperative is committed to increasing and stabilising the livelihood of Lao villagers through the renewal and support of traditional Lao handicrafts. It provides training and aims to promote environmentally and culturally appropriate practices in the communities where they work.
Phontong Handicrafts was founded in 1976 by Kommaly Chanthavong, who was then one of many internally displaced people living in Phontong. Kommaly’s vision is to expand the benefits of the PHC to poorer areas of Laos (Kommaly herself came from the poorest region in the North). She wants to see the rural farmers engaged in the whole cycle of production from silk thread to finished handicraft products.
In 2011 Kommaly Chanthavong was one of 10 recipients of the International Women of Courage Awards, presented on International Women's Day.