The Eastern Weft story

Kaisy Sophabmixay was born in Hua Phan province in north eastern Laos—a region well known for its weavers, exquisite fabrics and tapestries—and was taught to weave by her mother. In 1968 her mother and brother were killed while in the rice fields during an American bombing raid and Kaisy and her sisters turned to fabric weaving to clothe her family and sell at the local market. The family moved to Vientiane and produced traditional Lao skirts. After a decade of extreme hardship, Kaisy was sponsored by relatives to go to Hawaii where she worked on a farm and sent money home to her husband and two children. In 1996 Kaisy returned to Laos and set up a stall at the ethnic markets.

Samorn Sanixay was born in Laos but grew up in Australia.

In 2002, Samorn returned to Laos where she worked as a volunteer English teacher. In the Lao workplace women wear clothing of traditional patterns and bright colours. Roaming the markets searching for fabrics to make clothes for herself, Samorn met master weaver Kaisy Sophabmixay who had a small stall selling antique clothes and fabrics. Kaisy agreed to become Samorn’s weaving instructor.

As part of work that Samorn undertook with UNICEF she traveled to remote areas and was exposed to real poverty. At this time the tourism industry in South East Asia was hit by the SARS virus and Avian influenza. Kaisy and many others who relied on tourists for their income were soon forced to close their businesses.

Deeply affected by these events, Samorn wanted to help Kaisy and keep links with her own birth place, so she approached Kaisy about starting a weaving cooperative. Combining Kaisy’s magnificent weaving skills and Samorn’s links to western markets, the women set out to create hand-woven silk of the highest quality and at the same time create employment for disadvantaged yet highly skilled weavers. With very little money they built a boarding house for the weavers and purchased old looms from a rundown weaving factory.

Eastern Weft is committed to improving the social and economic progress of the weavers through fair pay for labour and is a member of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand.