In 2003, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand, requested permission to use a then-vacant building on the grounds of the Grand Palace to house a new museum of textiles. The 1870 Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building was graciously granted for this purpose by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The office building—for many decades the Ministry of Finance—was completely remodeled into a state-of-the-art museum; its modern facilities include a new lobby, galleries, storage, an education studio, library, lecture hall, and Thailand’s first dedicated textile conservation laboratory. Nonetheless, its past is still very much present, in the preservation of its original façade and many internal architectural details.

The museum’s mission is to collect, display, preserve, and serve as a centre for all who wish to learn about textiles, past and present, from Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia, with a special emphasis on the textiles of, and related to, the royal court and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

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