A Casserole of Cambodian Arts

Style can be so simple, as exemplified by these two Cambodian monks – oh, the impact of their vivid orange robes.

It’s worth putting Cambodia on a bucket-list map for so many reasons.. Take fashion – there are some great designers, working hard to boost an industry worth over $7 billion a year (it supports nearly a million people, giving them jobs and the chance for social mobility). For native ‘ikat’ fabrics used for wearable gear, head to (h) A.N.D’s shop at #31, St. 240 in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.  For mainstream fashion, phnom Penh-based Natacha Van, a Chinese-Cambodian trained at The London College of Fashion, is international Ambassador of Cambodian Fashion (her designs are strikingly wearable). 

Now, until the 20th of February, Rosewood Hotel Phnom Penh has a pop-up art show, IKHONS, a creative twist on the word ICONS reimagined in the Khmer language. Curated by Nat Di Maggio of TRIBE Gallery, IKHONS features works by Carne Griffiths (UK), Hour Soben (Cambodia), Kanika (Cambodia), Lucas Varro (UK, based in Cambodia), Morrison Polkinghorne (Australia), Ngo Van Sac (Vietnam), Ponleu (Cambodia), Pure Evil (UK), and TUM (Thailand). 

And Tom Marchant, founder and CEO of US-UK global experience travel specialists Black Tomato, recommends learning about Cambodian food through a unique evening in a local home. The host, a fluent English speaker, shares the rich history of Cambodia and how the Khmer Empire flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. His wife prepares, and serves, an authentic Khmer meal.

For those who want a bit of wild after all this, let Black Tomato take you into the jungles of Cardamom National Park and on to Shinta Marni Wild, designed by that eclectic and Leonardo-like American, Bill Bensley.

Written by Mary Gostelow

Internationally renowned luxury travel & lifestyle influencer