Thailand seeks UNESCO Heritage status for royal dress

Thailand’s Ministry of Culture is spearheading a major campaign to promote the eight styles of the Chud Thai (Royal Thai Dress) and traditional Thai textiles, with the ultimate goal of achieving UNESCO recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This nationwide initiative honors the enduring legacy of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. The Queen Mother, who conceived and developed the Chud Thai to give Thai women an elegant, authentic national costume.In 1960, Her Majesty collaborated with experts to blend ancient Siamese court traditions with modern tailoring, personally wearing the eight distinct designs—including the formal Thai Chakri and the ceremonial Thai Boromphiman—during landmark state visits to Europe and the US.

These dresses, now exhibited at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, became the definitive symbols of Thai national identity and grace.