Kamonrat Mali Chayamarit: Woman of the future
SFN Industry Advisor Kamonrat Mali Chayamarit (Mali) has become one of 2024’s “50 Leading Lights” demonstrating kindness and leadership in the Asia Pacific. The prestigious list is developed by British organisation Women of the Future.
Mali joined forces with the SFN this year. As our only advisor in South East Asia, her unique perspective (and generous nature) enables the SFN to continue developing a truly global understanding of floristry.
The award is well deserved, because it was kindness that led Mali to floristry.
In 2010, Mali began helping Khmu villagers in Laos develop their education infrastructure and programs, water access, and nutrition. When it became clear they would need more funds, she supported the villagers in switching from food production to the more profitable flower cultivation.
To ensure it would be a success, Mali made a remarkable promise – she would open a flower shop and buy all the flowers herself.
She was true to her word. Her flower shop, Malibarn, opened in Laos in 2015.
It was the beginning of yet another journey, as Mali realised how the flower industry can negatively impact both the environment and people working in it.
Mali helped the villagers in Laos cultivate cut flowers – and to ensure they made a profit, she bought them all!
All photos supplied by Kamonrat Mali Chayamarit
The business eventually closed. Mali continued in her day job as a Culture Programme Officer at UNESCO. In her spare time, she dedicated herself to learning as much as she could about sustainable floristry.
Then, in 2023, Mali created a new Malibarn in her native Thailand.
The shop serves as a more sustainable model for the Thai flower industry. Mali only buys Thai flowers to reduce her carbon footprint, and looks for farms that value the environment and ensure workers receive a fair wage.
Malibarn is not just a flower shop. Coming from a botanist family, Mali was inspired to create a herbarium, which simulates a forest ecosystem. The herbarium brings nature closer to the city, promotes biological diversity, and gives children a chance to learn and explore. Malibarn also offers workshops in arranging for the local community.
As if all that isn’t enough, Malibarn is also part of a project in the Pgakenyaw community forest in Northern Thailand, which aims to integrate botanical and indigenous knowledge in the identification of tropical plants.
Young Thai botanists join a Pgakenyaw youth group to share knowledge.
Kindness: an essential part of sustainability
To Mali, kindness and compassion are “an art of living”.
“I believe that only when we can relate our lives with all living beings, we shall learn to care about one another.”
Researchers at UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development agree that kindness is integral to a peaceful and sustainable mindset – and therefore to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. “Imagine a world where it is intuitive and easy to be kind to each other, to all beings and the planet; where individual and collective action is informed by this simple and natural secular ethic.”
The SFN also identifies kindness, patience and tolerance as key to a sustainable future. We incorporated it into our Design and Business Principles – the ideas and actions we believe can transform floristry.
The SFN congratulates Mali on her remarkable achievement.
Mali in the forest.
Malibarn's project with the Pgakenyaw community is supported by Flora of Thailand.
“Her kindness is visible in how she only follows sustainable practices and it is particularly visible in how she treats her staff, customers, and business partners – with respect and compassion at all times.”
John Pearson,
Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission, Wellington
