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Explore how Thailand’s traditional Mother’s Day gift, the malai garland, is reborn into an artful keepsake
12 August marks a special day in Thailand, Mother’s Day to celebrate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. It is a day filled with love and gratitude, honouring the bond between children and their mothers. This date is a beautiful reminder to pause, reflect, and celebrate the nurturing spirit that shapes families and communities across the country.
Traditionally, a garland has been the go-to gift, a delicate loop of blooms that says “I love you” in the most elegant of ways. More than a beautiful gift, it carries layers of meaning, a symbol of respect, affection, and devotion. Once a simple token, the garland has blossomed in creative ways.
Below, we wander through today’s reimagined garlands, where every petal is a note in a new melody of craft from today’s florists. Each arrangement is a quiet whisper of tradition retold through the hands of inspired artists. Let your gift be a garden of emotion, where beauty takes on new form. An ode to mum, as radiant as the flowers themselves.
1/7 1000.Malai
Made Not Just to Wilt, But to Wear
At 1000.Malai, the garland, a timeless symbol of gratitude, is reimagined beyond its fragile blossoms. Traditionally strung with jasmine and faded by dawn, it now lives on in fabric and lace, made to drape around the neck as a scarf, knot into a tie, or hang like art on your bag or wall.
This is gratitude stitched with intention, embracing silhouettes and texture over scent. Each creation balances past and present, equal parts homage and rebellion, where tradition is rethreaded through modern design, and beauty lingers long after the ritual fades.
2/7 Wake Up In The Garden
Hand-beaded, Sparkling, and Elegant Keepsake
Wake Up In The Garden brings the malai into a new dimension by replacing natural petals with hand-crafted ones, and stringing crystal beads that catch the light like a disco ball. The beading is intricate with meditative-like threading of memories into a form that echoes with the language of jewellery. It’s made to be kept, a piece for the mum who cherishes permanence in fleeting things, who sees sparkle as a state of mind. It’s a garland redefined—not to wither by morning, but to stay and shimmer on.
3/7 Heartmade by Kigpcn
Spices, Needles, Matches: A Personalised Tribute to a Mother’s Favourite
The heart of Heartmade’s Mother’s Day collection blooms from a mother’s passions and the details she holds dear. Whether she finds joy in the kitchen, in soil, in pages, in yarn or in the soft eyes of a pet, there’s a bouquet that speaks her language. From matches and dried spices to needles and beads, every arrangement feels personal and thoughtful. These elements in addition to the florals add a modern touch and speak of Heartmade’s out-of-the-box approach to tradition.
4/7 Flower in Hand by P
A Letter Laced with Delicate Pressed Petals
Dried blooms are given new breath at Flower in Hand by P on a card that opens to reveal your words held tenderly among the petals. Crafted from upcycled dried flowers, each petal is arranged into the shape of a garland, becoming an emblem of love that is gentle yet unyielding, just like a mother’s care. Meant to be kept, displayed, or revisited like an old letter. A reminder that some kinds of love remain, no matter the season, and doesn’t come with a heavy price. Another creation features a garland made with hand-picked globe amaranth and coral vine, bringing a feminine touch and a fresh, playful twist to the traditional malai.
5/7 Brunchflower
Lilies, Carnations, Orchids in Brush-painted Hues
Full of meaning, Brunchflower hand-paints shades on dried-flower garlands, and transforms tradition into art. Crafted from artificial blooms and brushstrokes, each petal becomes a tribute by using carnations for gratitude, phalaenopsis for beauty, lilies for pure love. This garland is a symbol honouring mums that combine timeless sentiment with a fresh, artsy vibe.
6/7 Oneday Wallflowers
Tradition Twined with Vintage Western Grace
Wallflower offers a twist on the traditional garland, crafting it from a scarf and adding floral touches. What sets this creation apart is its design, which combines vintage Western aesthetics. The flowers, shaded in soft sepia tones, are muted yet elegant. They provide a contrast against the deep navy scarf adorned with botanical prints. By adding branches, this combination evokes the charm of a classic European wreath, yet it is reimagined here as a contemporary garland, graceful, wearable, and imbued with a sophistication. Wallflower transforms the familiar into something unexpected, making it perfect for those who appreciate tradition with a worldly edge.
7/7 Bonne Casa
Garlands from Layered Fabric and Stone Beads
A sculptural creation by Bonne Casa designed as an additional gift in Panpuri’s Mother’s Day 2025 gift set. Layers of fabric mimic petals, suspended by moody purple stone beads, coming together to form a minimal yet striking garland. The gold detailing channels a sense of heritage, while the use of artificial hues like purple keeps the garland from feeling overly nostalgic.
