"Some of the most elegant dresses are crafted from fine silk, but more and more women are choosing fabrics that have been coloured by natural dyes, with very different patterns. A new style of lady’s fashion has emerged, the so-called “eco-printed” dress. It is created with more pastel colours and floral or leaf-patterning. Ma Phyu Ei Thein, owner of Sunflower Art, an organic dye textile and crafts gallery, has been interested in Myanmar silk and cotton fabric since around 2006. She has noticed a change in the market, with an increased demand for the new designs and fabrics. During the early 2000s she spent some time overseas, exploring the fashion and production processes in other countries, before returning to Myanmar with some designs from Japan. Her idea was to introduce similar fabrics to local consumers, with a more local take on the designs. “We used a lot of poor quality chemical dyes before 2006 and, as a result, our products just weren’t up to international standards. The Japanese clients didn’t give us very good feedback,” said Ma Phyu Ei Thein..."