In many tribal areas basket-making is one of the first crafts to vanish when villages become connected by roads to the outside world. In Sop Moei district, this decline coincided with the arrival of a new road in 1989. As plastic containers and synthetic bags began to replace baskets, Sop Moei Arts sought to reverse this trend by integrating basketry into its income-generating initiatives.
Sop Moei Arts artisans now weave both traditional Pwo Karen baskets as well as models collected from other tribal areas in Asia, where they have all but disappeared. Encouraging these craftsmen to continue to modify and enhance the baskets ensures that they will always find employment working this traditional craft.