"Making Elephant Pants Remind You of Thailand"... Everyone Joins the Pants-Wearing Campaign

Cabinet Members Attend Meeting Wearing Pants Symbolizing Each Region
Recommendation to Wear Elephant Pants During Songkran Festival in April

The Thai government has launched a promotional campaign for the Thai specialty product 'Elephant Pants,' which is popular among both foreign tourists and locals.

According to local Thai media such as the Bangkok Post on the 20th, the government is positioning Elephant Pants as a form of Thai soft power and will conduct a campaign encouraging people to wear Elephant Pants during Songkran, Thailand's biggest holiday and festival.

Thai Cabinet Wearing Elephant Pants. Prime Minister Pattongtan's SNS

Elephant Pants are loose and cool, making them a favorite souvenir for travelers visiting Thailand. They are mainly produced in the northern Chiang Mai region, but each province creates Elephant Pants with unique designs. The elephant is an animal symbolizing Thailand. The Thai government, which is promoting the strengthening of soft power as a national agenda, is marketing Elephant Pants as a form of 'fashion soft power.'

Prime Minister Pattongtan Chinnawat proposed at the National Soft Power Strategy Committee meeting the day before that people wear Elephant Pants featuring unique patterns reflecting the cultural identity of each Thai region during Songkran from April 11 to 15. Prime Minister Pattongtan and ministers from various departments attended the meeting wearing Elephant Pants representing their respective regions and took commemorative photos. Choosing sky-blue Elephant Pants, Prime Minister Pattongtan said, "I hope everyone wears Elephant Pants during the upcoming Songkran festival and widely promotes the designs of each region."

Elephant pants sold in the Thai market. Bangkok Post SNS

Elephant Pants sparked controversy last year when it was pointed out on social media that Chinese counterfeit Elephant Pants were dominating the Thai market. The wholesale price of Chinese-made Elephant Pants is 30 baht (about 1,100 won) each. Thai merchants import these Chinese Elephant Pants and sell them at five times the price, 150 baht (about 5,500 won). In response, the government at the time stated, "The copyright for Elephant Pants is registered in Thailand," and restricted the import of Chinese counterfeit products while preparing copyright protection and marketing measures. Additionally, the government is working with manufacturers to add logos or stamps indicating Thai origin to domestic products.