A few weeks ago I found this little bag in a second hand store that I really like and get lost in. The name tag made me buy it and it’s worth to tell the story about the man, who designed it:

The ones of you who travelled to Thailand, Bangkok: do you know the legend of Jim Thompson?  He was an American Architect, Designer and Businessman, who helped revitalise the Silk Industry in Thailand. After years in the army he went to Thailand in late 1946 to join a group of investors to buy the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. During this time he found a deep interest in silk.

Thai Silk that was until then mostly produced in family businesses, for private use and in a small scale. Thompson helped to build up  a manufacture, the Thai Silk Company Limited and made Thai Silk world famous and precious.

Then suddenly he got missing in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands in 1967. His body was never found and nobody had an idea why  and how he disappeared. The mystery about his disappearance is unclear until today and there are many legends around it. Maybe he got eaten by a tiger, he got lost in the highlands, was murdered or he disappeared into another life and identity.

Most likely we will never know, but if you are in Bangkok, visit his Silk Museum and the Thompson House.

More to read on Wikipedia life of Jim Thompson