Inspired & Inspiring The Thai Silk Company and the brand Jim Thompson was founded by James H.W. Thompson in 1951 while undertaking the task to revive the Thai silk industry. The “King of Silk” was a man of multiple dimensions: a visionary entrepreneur, a great marketer, an art collector, an aesthete, a man of action and conviction. Above all, he was driven by a great love for Thai people and their rich culture.