Forbes Asia - June 2018

A

half-century ater Jim

hompson vanished in

the Malaysian jungle,

the American spy

turned hai silk baron

lives on—and not only in the ilms

and books that continue to appear,

rehashing or ofering new theories on

his perplexing disappearance. Eaten

by tigers? Killed by the CIA or Com-

munist rebels? Or did the 61-year-old

simply take a misstep and tumble into

a ravine?

It’s one of Southeast Asia’s great

mysteries, about one of its most color-

ful characters. hompson lived large,

an American bon vivant in old Siam,

where his signiicant art collection, in-

luential circle of friends and fabulous

parties earned him a Great Gatsby-

style reputation. Yet he was also an

astute entrepreneur who helped revive

the silk trade in Southeast Asia. And

now he’s going global.

hat’s the vision of father and son

Bill and Eric Booth, whose hai Silk

Co. is hompson’s legacy. With three

dozen stores across hailand, 2,600

employees and $90 million in an-

nual sales, it’s a hai institution. Jim’s

estate in Bangkok, where several old

wooden houses overlook ponds and

display his art, has become the famed

Jim hompson House, a cultural

32 | FORBES ASIA JUNE 2018

FORBES ASIA

TANGLED TALE

“He’s the future, I’m the past”:

Bill Booth and son, Eric, at the

Jim Thompson House in Bangkok.

The House

of Thompson

Bill Booth took over Thai Silk after the

mysterious disappearance of its founder.

Now his son, Eric, is ramping up plans to take

the company global.

BY RON GLUCKMAN

A GENERATION EMERGES

LUKE DUGGLEBY/REDUX PICTURES FOR FORBES