Paris Peace Accords 23 Oct. 1991

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

From Angelina Jolie's jewellers to Cambodia's most exciting haute couture designer, the best boutiques and artisans in Siem Reap

Eric Raisina
Eric Raisina, whose work is heavily inspired by Cambodia's ancient culture and crafts

From Angelina Jolie's jewellers to Cambodia's most exciting haute couture designer, the best boutiques and artisans in Siem Reap 

The Telegraph | 20 February 2017


In Cambodia’s Siem Reap - home to Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious complex - there is a new wave of skilled artisans who are combining modern design with Khmer traditions and materials. A shopping tour of their ateliers and workshops provides a fresh take on Cambodian craftsmanship beyond the antique carvings of the temples.


Eric Raisina 

Haute Couture


The king of Khmer couture, internationally acclaimed fashion designer Eric Raisina has been the toast of Cambodia’s temple town since he opened his original haute couture outlet close to Siem Reap’s royal residence in 2005. The consistently high quality of his work has contributed towards the transformation of the town from a service stop for Angkor Wat to a fashionable destination in its own right.

The designer was inspired to set up shop in Siem Reap after a visit in 1996 to Angkor Wat introduced him to local silk weavers who used techniques “as old as the temples”. Today his team of 40 is entirely local and his designs draw heavily from temple architecture and Cambodia’s tropical trees and plants.
Eric Raisina scarf
Eric Raisina's silk waffle scarf


Customers interested in learning more about his work can observe his team in action at his atelier: “When you see my ladies crochtecting it helps you understand the nature of couture”. In a new initiative the Park Hyatt Siem Reap hotel is also offering visits to Eric’s atelier as part of its Haute Couture tours package. The hotel will also stage a Eric Raisina fashion show later this year.

75-81 Charles de Gaulle Avenue; +855 63963207; and FCC Angkor, Pokambor Ave; +855 63963208


Park Hyatt Siem Reap half-day Haute Couture Tour includes a visit to Eric Raisina's premises and costs $182 for two people; see siemreap.park.hyatt.com  or telegraph +855 6321  1234​ for more details.

Angkor Wat
An unmissable local tourist attraction, Angkor Wat also provides an enduring source of inspiration for Siem Reap's growing community of designers Credit: Fotolia


Ammo

Contemporary Jewellery


Managed by British-born jeweller Madeline Green, Ammo sells fine jewellery made from recycled brass ammunition. The symbolism of making beautiful trinkets from neutralised bullets resonates with anyone familiar with Cambodia’s trouble past. The stunt crew from Angelina Jolie’s new film on the Cambodian conflict First They Shot my Father commissioned 10 pendants from Madeline. And to thank the Hollywood star for her work Ammo made Angelina an intricate brass hair pin made from bullets.

Ammo Jewellery
Jewellery made from bullets at Ammo



But Ammo is also keen to look to the future and has recently launched a Temple range of jewellery, drawing inspiration from the plans of Angkor Wat. It also provides apprenticeships to young Cambodians who train in their workshop in central Siem Reap. Clients are encouraged to visit the studio to see the jewellers in action, buy from the collections and even have a lesson in making bullet jewellery for themselves.

120 Wat Bo Road; +855 96 678 87 31; craftsiemreap.com


Siri Van

Fashion


The most interesting new artisan district in Siem Reap is in the quiet city-centre enclave of Kandal Village. Barely more than a main street of French colonial  buildings it features a range of upscale interior design shops, art galleries, coffee shops and the odd spa. Right in the middle of the main Hap Guan Street is Sirivan Chak Dumas’ fashion boutique Siri Van.

Within the jasmine-scented shop she displays a tasteful collection of accessories, home decor and her own menswear and womenswear collection. Stripped-down, elegant tailoring and quality fabrics are her signature style. Upstairs is her workshop that creates everything from her smart linen shorts to a range of hand-tailored beanie hats.
10 Hap Guan St; +855 17731 107


Eric and Thierry Stocker  

Natural lacquerware


The tradition of extracting sap from lacquer trees was dying out in Cambodia until French craftsman Eric Stocker and his brother Thierry helped to revive it. They needed the dark, smoky sap to build up the many layers of their highly polished lacquer artefacts. The duo has improved on the traditional technique and passed on their knowledge to teams of local apprentices. The skill level in the original workshop is extremely high - the eggshell-coated Buddhas produced by deaf craftsmen are a wonder to behold.
Currently the brothers are busy producing a range of lacquer and gilding commissions for design houses and private collections all around the world. They welcome visitors to their open workshop and verdant garden 10 minutes from the centre of Siem Reap. A range of original pieces are for sale at the on-site boutique, including new textured boxes in parchment and stingray skin. Stunning artistry.
498 Sala Komroeuk Road; +855 (0) 12 327 680

Onyx

Tailored linen fashion

NoteKo is a Thai-born fashion designer who set up her stylish shop Onyx within the narrow passages of the Old Market in central Siem Reap. Her carefully chosen collection of homeware, jewellery and linen clothing caught the attention of the new luxury resort Phum Baitang - a country hotel composed of individual villas, all laid out to resemble a traditional Cambodian village complete with rice fields. The hotel, a favourite of Angelina Jolie, asked NoteKo to stock their boutique and the result is a resort retail space that feels like a cross between a curated exhibition and a fashion salon.
Clothign by Onyx
Clothing by Onxy

Brad Pitt purchased one of Noteko’s made-to-measure linen shirts during his visit to the hotel and her tailored dressing gowns are popular with female guests. All her linen clothing is made in a small workshop above her market shop where clients come for alterations and to say hello to her talented tailors .


Boutique and workshop,  Onyx , The Passage , Old Market; +855 63 7992




Artisan Lunetier

Handmade eyewear and sunglasses


After his apprenticeship in Paris, Jacques Danger set up his own workshop making bespoke eyewear for the Parisian elite. Now settled in Cambodia, at his Artisan Lunetier he is offering a a new range of  glasses and sunglasses made with natural black buffalo horn and specialist material such as diamond, snakeskin and sharkskin. The easy access to raw materials is the main draw of his new Asian home. The buffalo horn is lightweight and the grain makes each pair of glasses unique.
Artisan
The design process at Artisan Lunetier

To understand his craft you can take a trip to his tiny workshop beyond the main market on the outskirts Siem Reap. Or if you require a more traditional shopping experience he works closely with a Cambodian optician Nony Huor who is based in the aforementioned Kandal Village.  

Just beyond Psar Leu Market on the main National Highway 6 - phone for directions; +855 096 673 9728; or visit Eye See, 626 Hap Guan St, Kandal Village

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