Mekong Blue Scarves

10/02/2021

We just posted some new silk accessories on our website! They are perfect for gifts Valentine's Day - for yourself or your loved ones! 💕

08/05/2020

As some of you may know, Mekong Blue has been affected pretty harshly by the current pandemic. We've closed down the center and have lost most of our income from the sales of our scarves.

We are, however, still paying our weavers and employees so they can still have an income to support themselves and their family during these hard times.
We are adding some face masks to our online store. All of the masks are handmade and 100% of the proceeds go to support the women at Mekong Blue and also the women who made these masks at another local organization in Cambodia called, Women for Women.

Dont forget to share it with your friends!

Link to our online store here:

Our products are hand-woven and dyed in Cambodian traditional techniques using 100% natural silk and the highest quality non-toxic German dyes. From dyeing, spinning, and washing of the silk to the weaving, and finishing of the scarves, each process is conducted by hand. As testament to the skill in...

05/05/2020

During the wars, revolutions, and occupations of the 1970s and 80s, the ancient Khmer art of silk weaving was almost lost forever. Traditional sericulture (silkworm cultivation and silk production) nearly died out in those years, as mulberry trees were cut down and a generation of skilled farmers and weavers was lost. Only a handful of master weavers survived; one of them trained the first women who enrolled in SWDC’s weaving program in 2001.

Those first trainees at SWDC have now become master weavers in their own right. They have traveled around the country and helped train other women, doing their part to help restore a vital part of our cultural heritage.

04/05/2020

The perfect mother's day gift! Shop our products at www.mekongblue.com

03/05/2020

Stung Treng women who apply for our six-month vocational training say they want more choices. More skills and knowledge. More control over their own lives. A strategy for supporting themselves and living independently. They don’t want to leave their families to work in distant garment factories; they opt for a livelihood that keeps them closer to home

01/02/2020

Mekong Blue will be at the Javits Center for the NYNOW show today until Feb 4th!

24/11/2019

Stung Treng, in northeastern Cambodia, is among the nation’s poorest—and loveliest—provinces. Vivid blues and reds swirl together at the confluence of the Mekong and Sekong Rivers, and riotous greens tangle along the banks. In Stung Treng town, vegetable and fish vendors arrive by long-tail boat at sunrise and climb the bank to ply their wares at the bustling town market, rich with the aromas of delicious Khmer and Lao street food.

Stung Treng’s painful history lies buried in the lush greenery; its remote location near the Lao border made it a hotbed of communist insurgent activity—and a target for U.S. bombs in the 1960s and 70s. Today, the province is tranquil, but the nation’s economic gains have been slow to reach Stung Treng. Most families survive on subsistence farming, literacy rates are low, and infrastructure (such as roads, clean water, and electricity) is poor.

At SWDC, we strive to address the specific needs of Stung Treng’s vulnerable population, by providing a livelihood to women and their families, free health care for the village, and schooling for area children. Where others see only poverty, we see strength and resilience. Again and again, the women of SWDC have proved to us that a woman with no education can learn many things: to count threads on a loom and weave a masterpiece, and also to weave a life of independence for herself and her family.

23/11/2019

Ikat is a tradition dyeing technique that has been passed on from generations in Cambodia. Threads are tied in a small warping board, tied by sections with a plastic strings, the bundles are then removed for the dyeing process. They are air dried and the process is repeated until the design is ready for weaving. A piece of wall hanging called, Pidan, takes 80-90 days to finish the dyeing process and 14 days to finish weaving.

22/11/2019

Beautiful Mekong Blue scarf at the Angkor Wat temple. You can purchase this scarf from our website at www.mekongblue.com

21/11/2019

Beautiful wedding dress made from Mekong Blue silk.

20/11/2019

Did you know that silkworm's diet only consists of mulberry leaves?

19/11/2019

FUN FACT:
Cambodia imported the white variety of silk from China and Japan, due to the worm’s higher productivity. The cycle of a golden silkworm lasts for 45 days, so silk can be produced throughout the year, compared to the white variety that only produces silk twice a year. However there is a big difference between the amount of silk they produce, golden silkworms produce enough for 300 meters from one cocoon, whereas the white variety produces 1400 meters.



The rise in demand for silk meant that many white breeds had been artificially improved to meet the needs of mass production. While these 'improvements' increase the worm’s productivity, it also affects the fibre. Silk was once known for being a strong and durable fibre; however, these changes have made it significantly weak and fragile. Cambodia’s golden silkworms have not been tampered with in this way and keep their original qualities.

Source: Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles