Thailand's capital boasts garment makers ranging from bespoke tailors to sweatshops, but for a truly divine frock, you have to look a little harder.

In a Catholic preparatory school, seamstresses from the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters of Bangkok are studiously snipping and sewing. They've been working tirelessly, running up the ceremonial garments Pope Francis will wear during his four-day visit to Thailand later this month.

Using Thai silk, the nimble-fingered outfitters have made two full sets of custom robes, in gold-and-white and in vivid red, to grace the pontiff at two public Masses before tens of thousands of the faithful.

They are also stitching almost 200 robes for accompanying bishops, though no silk for them: Theirs are made of polyester.

The strong colors of the pope's two robes, known as chasubles, are not just to ensure he's visible from a distance — they also convey meaning. The visit's organizers say the gold and white symbolize innocence and joyfulness, while the red represents love and the blood of martyrs.

An air of quiet concentration pervades the high-ceilinged room where the 11-member team of sisters have been racing the clock, 10 hours a day, ever since the 82-year-old pope's measurements arrived from the Vatican in September.

Despite nervousness over the approaching deadline, they say they're on track. Soon they'll send the chasubles to the Vatican's embassy in Bangkok for final approval.

"I felt that we didn't have much time, but I wasn't worried that we wouldn't finish them," said Sister Sukanya Sukchai, a member of the tailoring team.

"I knew that God would help. I knew that his help would come in time so that we would finish the job — despite our stress about not being able to complete the task."

The pope's robes often incorporate designs relating to the country he's in. Two years ago in Myanmar, his green chasuble bore the country's national flower, the bright yellow padauk.

For Thailand, an ancient motif known as a "kranok" emblazons the cloth. The intricate design is frequently seen carved in the stone or wood of Thai temples.

The priest behind the idea, the Rev. Naruenat Pankrod, said by phone from Italy that he worried the kranok might be too elaborate for a pontiff who favors simplicity, but it's received the seal of approval.

The tailors hope the same will go for the garments themselves.

Gaysorn Srihera, who leads the tailoring team, said she can't wait to see the fruits of their labor before a worldwide audience.

"I am very excited. I want to see how good the vestments that I made could look. I am very excited and happy," she said.

Pope Francis will arrive in Thailand on Nov. 20 before heading off to Japan three days later, where a new set of tailor-made robes will await him.

The fourth Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival will be held in Quanzhou, east China's Fujian Province, from Nov. 22 to 27.

The event will feature art performances, a forum on art development and an online arts festival, organizers said in a press conference in Beijing.

Jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the government of Fujian Province, the festival has attracted over 1,200 artists and 130 troupes from more than 40 countries and regions, including the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia.

The event was initiated in 2014 and established a biennial festival a year later in 2015.

During this year's festival, visitors will be invited to immerse themselves in the arts with a series of public activities around the ancient city of Quanzhou, as well as in local universities and businesses.

Daraz Bangladesh, known as the country’s biggest online marketplace and shopping hub, is going to host world’s biggest sale campaign “11.11” in the country on Monday.

Bangladesh National ODI Cricket Team Captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is set to inaugurate the campaign through Facebook Live at 11:30pm on Sunday.

The daylong campaign will create the most worthy vibe of 24-hour online shopping experience when lots of fascinating deals will be unblocked.

The campaign was first launched by Daraz’s parent company Alibaba Group in 2009 worldwide.

Daraz first hosted the international campaign in Bangladesh in 2018 - on both its website daraz.com.bd and their official app.

During the last year’s “11.11” campaign, Bangladeshi customers bought products worth Tk 45 crore with 1.20 lakh orders.

This year, Daraz will celebrate the campaign with even bigger arrangement with the collective efforts of 3,500 employees and 15,000 sellers.

The mega sale event will provide a great shopping experience with more than 70 lakh products and lucrative offers. The special attraction includes Tk 11 Deal, Pre-sale Discount, Tk 1 Game, Double Tk Voucher, Shake-Shake Voucher, Happy Hour Voucher, Big Sale Time from 9pm to 12am and free deliveries on specific products.
 

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg is staring down at pedestrians in the heart of San Francisco where an artist is painting a massive mural of the Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

Argentine muralist Andres Iglesias, who signs his art with the pseudonym Cobre, is set to finish the artwork of the Swedish 16-year-old in Union Square by next week, SFGate reported Friday.

Iglesias told SFGate that he's donating his time to complete the work and that he hopes the mural helps people realize "we have to take care of the world."

He had also painted a mural of Robin Williams in downtown San Francisco that has since been demolished.

Cobre said he was searching for a building for a new mural when environmental nonprofit oneatmosphere.org approached him about the project.

Paul Scott, the nonprofit's executive director, said he believed the artist would be perfect to create the first of what his group hopes will be a series of works honoring climate-change activists.

If you have crossed Gulshan 1 circle or got caught in its signal this week, you have surely noticed the colorful rickshaw hoods installed on the north-east triangular island. As a means to promote the ARCASIA Forum 20 taking place in Dhaka this month, Architecture Department of different Universities were asked for installations at different nodes of Dhaka. “Experience Dhaka by Rickshaw” is BRAC University’s Architecture Department’s take on the City Branding Installation.

Installation at Gulshan 1 circle, Source: Sadequl Saif

Ever since the beginning of its use, rickshaws have always been people’s favorite choice of transportation mode. “Perched on the back of a rickshaw, cruising through the lanes and labyrinths of the city is undoubtedly the best way to experience the bending pot of culture and the sheer vibrancy of this town.” To remind the people of this experience, BRAC University’s team began working on planning the installation since October. After vigorous site survey and observing the present scenario of Gulshan, their mission was to introduce people to the most popular and convenient form of transportation that also symbolizes Dhaka city and reinstating its socio-cultural value.

After the preliminary concept was approved by Institute of Architects, Bangladesh (IAB) the students started working to bring their concept to reality. Using bamboo and colorful fabrics and painting on them, the students prepared the elements of this installation.

Concept of using the viewports of Rickshaw, Dept. of Architecture, BRAC University

The spaces in the installation were inspired from the openness of the rickshaw and its human scale interaction, turning it into a part of the urban fabric. The colorful hoods are pieces that has already merged into the country’s folk arts. The eco-friendly transportation solutions have retained its position throughout time and acts as a perfect element to brand the city. A location where rickshaws have recently been banned, the installation helps rickshaws from becoming obsolete in people’s mind around this area.

Execution of the installation, Source: Samira

Installation at Gulshan 1 Circle, Source: Sadequl Saif

Besides BRAC University, other universities like AIUB (in front of IAB), NSU (inside Radisson), Stamford University (west corner of Bijoy Shoroni), BUET (West road of IAB and east Bijoy Shoroni), State University (Gulshan 2), SUST (Kakoli) also took part in the ARCASIA City Branding Installation.