As Rand, the two Tonys and I walked around Vientiane yesterday, we popped in to Lao Textiles, a company run by an American woman named Carol Cassidy. I mistakenly thought it was a weaving workshop, and I wanted to see whether we could all take a class. Rand, a self-proclaimed interiors junkie, had read about Cassidy and said it was the only “don’t miss” on his list of things to see here. Serendipity brought us to her doorstep!
When we first arrived, her assistant gave us a quick tour and some background information. When Cassidy showed up, she absolutely fell in love with fellow creative spirits Rand and Tony N.
Nursing a broken foot, she plopped down in a chair and chatted with us as though we were neighbors or longtime friends. It soon became clear that she was not some idealistic do-gooder who breezed in to Laos and produced a few scarves. Although her relief work has created jobs and changed the lives of Lao villagers and landmine victims in Cambodia, she has also built a wildly successful textile empire in Southeast Asia.
Her staff use modified looms that Cassidy designed to combine European and Lao weaving techniques, enabling them to create longer and wider lengths of silk fabric with stunning traditional and contemporary patterns. She still sells scarves and wall hangings in her restored Vientiane mansion and upscale U.S. boutiques, but she also has contracts with several haute couture houses, the Guggenheim Museum, and some very wealthy American socialites. For one rich family, she produced gold silk wallpaper! As we walked through her studio, she pointed out various projects underway on the looms, including solid fuchsia silk for a Yves St. Laurent sofa and creamy silk with a gold and silver pattern destined to be Chanel curtains.
Cassidy told us that some big projects can take more than a year to complete, and I read on her website that only two centimeters per day are woven on the most complex designs.
She clearly enjoyed discussing the design world with Rand and unpretentiously asked him questions about different artisans and designers who might appreciate her creations. Tony N flipped through iPhone images of their furniture designs, and she gleefully inquired about their work. As we were leaving, she practically begged for their contact information.
My Tony and I felt so fortunate to be participants in this conversation. We obviously wouldn’t have been able to engage Cassidy so much on our own! Note to self: Always take Tony N and Rand along when you visit artsy destinations.
For more information on Carol Cassidy, check out her website at www.laotextiles.com.
Here are some photos of her workshop. I don’t know why I didn’t get a shot of HER or any of her finished work. Duh.
