The Story Behind the Sok Sabai Sarong Tote Bag

I usually stay at Kanary’s homestay when I am in Phnom Penh, and on the ground floor in her house, CWSG has a small shop, where you can buy some of the things the group has made.

I noticed some tote bags in a beautiful fabric, that did not look like anything I had seen before, so I asked Kanary what it was, and she told me that it was sarong fabric.

In Cambodia, it is common, particularly among the older generation, to wear a sarong when at home. A sarong is a rectangular garment that you wrap around your waist, and it is typically made from cotton (for everyday use) or from silk (for special occasions).

Sarong fabric comes in beautiful prints and patterns, so I asked Kanary and the women, if we could make a tote bag from the sarong fabric, like the ones in the shop, but with Khmer letter embroidery, and they liked the idea.

We talked about what Khmer words to put on the bag, and finally decided on សុខសប្បាយ – sok sabai. Directly translated, sok sabai means peace and happiness, and you will hear those words all the time in Cambodia. Sok sabai is the Khmer way of asking how you are doing, but it is also the way to answer that everything is fine. Here it is, the sok sabai sarong bag!