Malai Supreme Flowers: The Full Expression of a Thai Garland
Malai Supreme Flowers is the step up from our Malai Petite Flowers model, worked in a larger size and finer detail, with real dried flowers set through the length of the piece.
White evokes purity and inner peace, while the golden detailing, more elaborate here than on the Petite, carries sacredness and prosperity.
In Thailand, the work put into a garland is the measure of the respect behind it. Hours of threading say what words would overstate: that this person matters to you.
Product details
- Handmade in Asha village, Chiang Rai, Thailand
- Made from white cotton and real dried flowers, no plastic
- Size: 10 x 25 cm
- Wooden box included
- For custom colours, a specific theme or bulk orders, please contact me for a quote
Made by Akha women
- These pieces are handmade by Akha women under the AKHA MA-DE social programme
- Every time you buy from us, you directly support and create opportunity for these women
Bulk orders and workshops
- For bulk orders, please contact us.
Contact me
- You can reach us any time through Messenger, Instagram or the "Contact Us" page
Delivery:
- During the Mother's Day period, delivery within Thailand takes around 5 to 7 working days
- Outside the Mother's Day season and pre-order campaigns, delivery takes 10 to 20 working days
- Because our products are handmade, delivery times can vary with the number of orders being processed
- For urgent orders (a birthday, a wedding, a religious celebration), please reach us on Facebook, Instagram or by email here
- For international delivery, please contact us
Returns and exchanges:
We accept returns and exchanges:
- Please contact us within 7 days of delivery
- Send the item back within 14 days of delivery
Return conditions:
- The buyer covers return shipping when the reason for dissatisfaction is not caused by a third party. If the returned item does not arrive in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for the loss in value of the item.
* Product photographs are for presentation purposes and may differ from the actual product. Because screens vary, product colours may appear different from those shown on your display.
** Please allow a difference of 1 to 2 cm, as each piece is handmade and measured by hand.
When size is part of the message
In Thai ceremony the scale of a garland is read, not just its beauty. A larger, more worked piece signals that the occasion carries weight and that the giver understood it did.
That is what this size is for:
- Ceremonies and openings, where the garland is presented in front of others.
- Honouring someone senior, when the gesture needs to match their standing.
- Weddings, offered to parents and to the elders whose blessing is being asked for.
- Corporate and diplomatic occasions, where a small piece would read as an afterthought.
For a gift given quietly between two people, the Malai Petite Flowers is the right size and the right price.
The flowers of a Thai garland, and what each one says
A traditional phuang malai is not assembled from whatever is in season. Each flower was chosen for what it means, and the choice is the message:
- Jasmine for pure love. Its white colour, its lasting scent and its inward-curling petals are read as a mother's arms around her child, which is why it became the flower of Mother's Day.
- Dok rak, whose name means love outright.
- Dok phut for a calm and steady heart.
- Marigold for prosperity, which is why it appears in almost every Thai offering.
- Rose for gratitude and admiration.
- Orchid for refinement and strength, and the flower most associated with Thailand itself.
At this size there is room for more of that vocabulary in a single piece, which is what the extra detailing is doing.
Why white and gold
White is jasmine's own colour, and jasmine is the flower Thailand reaches for first, which makes white the choice that is never wrong.
Gold carries prosperity and honour, and it is the safe and correct colour for a retirement, a long-service award, or any celebration of a career in the Thai way. Together they suit the occasions this size is made for.
If you want a colour with a more personal meaning, every day of the week has one in Thailand, and it belongs to the person born on it for life. We make that version too.
See our garlands in the seven day-of-birth colours
Dried flowers or fresh
A fresh garland is the tradition and its scent is the point. It costs between 35 and 100 baht at any flower market, and it is finished within a day. For a ceremony that ends at lunchtime, buy fresh.
This one is for the occasion meant to be kept. It holds its shape and colour for years, it travels by post, and it spares the person you just honoured the job of throwing your gift away.
How to care for it
- Handle it gently. Dried flowers and cotton are delicate. Keep handling to a minimum.
- Keep it out of direct sunlight. Direct sun fades both. Somewhere dry and cool is best.
- Keep it dry. Damp causes mould, which damages dried flowers and cotton alike.
- Dust it regularly with a soft brush or a cloth.
Cared for properly, it stays beautiful for many years.
See our other garlands
Meet our Malai Petite Flowers, the smaller version of this piece, and our Malai Delicacy, in which every flower is woven by hand.