AN AKHA DESIGNER REIMAGINING THAI SYMBOLS
Nichanan
A-Ngi
Contemporary Thai design.
From a little village in the mountains of Chiang Rai to the luxury world.
01THE DESIGNER & HER VISION
Nichanan A-Ngi brings a new expression of Thai design to the luxury world.
Nicha creates contemporary Phuang Malai, fragrance objects and ornaments deeply rooted in Thai beliefs, history and art.
Nicha grew up in a small Akha village in the mountains of Chiang Rai, learning sewing and embroidery from her mother. Her journey later took her to Bangkok and a career in luxury hospitality. Today, her work connects those two places: the village she calls home and the hotels that commission her designs.
She wants to give a new dimension to the symbols her country holds dear. A garland offered in gratitude, a fish hung above a cradle, a lotus leaf: each carries a story she hopes to bring into people’s lives in a new way.
02PHUANG MALAI
Carrying the Phuang Malai’s meaning further:
a Thai way to honour achievement.
The Phuang Malai reimagined as a distinctly Thai celebration of someone’s achievements.
The Phuang Malai is a cherished expression of Thai culture, recognisable far beyond Thailand. Traditionally offered to show respect and gratitude, it already carries a meaning close to people’s hearts.
Nicha’s contemporary interpretation carries that meaning further: a Malai that celebrates someone and honours what they have accomplished, in a way that feels distinctly Thai. Colours and symbols connect the piece to its recipient and the moment being recognised.
She imagines it displayed with pride, a reminder of a meaningful moment. Her ambition is to honour this Thai symbol while opening another way for people to recognise one another.
To explain that idea, she draws a comparison with the medal: a familiar way of recognising achievement, expressed here through a symbol of her own country.
Explore the collections
“We use the medal, but we have more than that, we have the Malai”
SELECTED DESIGNS
The Malai already carries Thailand’s floral scents.
Now it becomes a Thai diffuser.
People buy Malai for their fragrance too: jasmine, champa and the other flowers woven into them. Their scent is part of the pleasure of bringing a garland home. For Nicha, the Malai embodies this Thai history of fragrance. Giving it a new life as a diffuser continues a relationship that is already there: a familiar Thai form carrying scent into everyday life.
Malai Serenity — When the Malai holds the Phan (พาน), instead of the other way around.
Traditionally, a garland rests on a phan, the raised tray used to present offerings. Nicha reverses that relationship: here, the Malai holds the phan, which carries a stone for fragrance oil. Two hidden feet free the garland from needing to hang. It can move beyond the spirit house to a desk or bedside table, bringing its wish for peace and protection closer to the person it was given to.
Baan Bua — The Lotus Home
For generations, Thai families have hung Pla Ta Pian fish woven from palm leaves above a baby’s cradle as a wish for good fortune. With Baan Bua, the Lotus Home, Nicha extends that wish to the whole family. A lotus leaf becomes a roof; beneath it, each fish represents someone dear. Fragrance fills the space around this small portrait of a household.
03THE MAKING
She draws on traditional Akha hand skills to create original designs for Thailand’s most prestigious hotels.
Nicha develops the designs. Akha women bring the precision and dexterity needed to make them.
The women she works with have a practiced command of detailed handwork. Their dexterity, patience and precision allow her to explore intricate forms and achieve the finishes expected by luxury hotels.
Hotel commissions bring her creative vision and the women’s skills into some of Thailand’s most demanding hospitality settings.
SELECTED HOSPITALITY CLIENTS
Aman Nai Lert · Park Hyatt Bangkok
The Athenee · 137 Pillars
04AKHA MA-DE
Through Akha Ma-De, women earn from skilled work without leaving their children and village behind.
THE DESIGN BUSINESS
Macrame by Nicha
Nicha’s original collections and commissions, developed under her creative direction.
THE COMMUNITY PROGRAMME
Akha Ma-De
Skilled paid work for Akha women in their own village, close to their children and families.
For a young mother, earning a living should not mean missing her child growing up.
Nicha recognised the skills of the women around her and saw a way to create paid work in the village itself. Through Akha Ma-De, young mothers can put those skills to use while staying close to their children.
Work can fit around family life and farming. It gives women another option beside leaving for a distant city or another country to earn an income, and allows them to earn within their own village.
Earning in their own village also brings pride: the chance to show the world what they are capable of. Their work reaches beyond the mountains, and their contribution becomes visible.
The name Akha Ma-De carries that pride in two readings. In English, it suggests “made by Akha people.” In Akha, it can be read as “I am Akha.” It is an affirmation of who they are, and an invitation for the world to recognise their abilities beyond the village.
WORK & FAMILY
Abu Jor makes ornaments with her daughter beside her.
Abu Jor, working with her daughter beside her.
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