Unique and One of a Kind Handmade Bags
"Malooma" is an Akha language meaning Mom Maloo. My name is Ploy. I was born and raised in Akha in the mountains of Chiang Rai, Thailand. The Akha are one of several ethnic hill tribes living in small villages throughout Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, and the Yunnan Province of China. The Akha speak Akha, a language in the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman family.
MaloomaHandmade was inspired by Maloo, my mom. My mom is my first-hand embroidery teacher; she taught me how to sew, embroider, and choose colored threads. When she was young, her needlework was amazing and gorgeous. She used to be one of the best Akha artisans in our village. She was trusted to be our village representative to present local hand embroidery to visitors and tourists.
Around 2020, a lot of small businesses in many countries went out of business due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including my hometown in Thailand. At that time, I just wanted to help and support local businesses. I started with designing my own bags by using traditional Akha patterns and making a bunch of shoulder bags and fanny packs to give away as Christmas gifts to my family and friends in the US. However, every time I use my bags for hanging out, shopping, walking, dinner, etc., I notice there are always friendly strangers looking at me and my bags with a smile. Some people even gave me a nice compliment and asked me where I bought my bag. All those smiles and good compliments make me feel proud of myself for being Akha. They encourage me to follow my own dream and my passion of having my own small hand embroidery business and selling it to people around the world.MaloomaHandmade sells handmade products online in Thailand and the US and at local farmers' markets. We offer 100% hand-embroidered products which are especially unique and one-of-a-kind handmade bags that are embroidered by local people in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Each bag tells a different story and an artisan's inspirations through a needle and colored threads. To improve our products, we modify and feature traditional Akha patterns with other Thai hill tribe embroidery, such as Lisu, Mien, Hmong, Lahu, and Karen.
Pattern design may vary slightly from bag to bag. Each bag typically takes 5 days to several weeks to complete, depending on the complexity of the pattern. The majority of our artisans are seniors, housewives, and anyone who enjoys embroidery as a hobby and as a way to make extra income.
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