Khmer Apsara dolls attracting attention

In Siem Reap, where you would be hard pressed finding a craft not exploited for souvenir-selling, Cheab Sibora, 21, has been turning the iconic plastic Barbie doll into bejewelled, ikat-clad Apsara dancers for friends and family since 2011 but is now hoping to turn them over for profit.
The enterprising arts-and-crafter designs his Apsara dolls with traditional-looking Khmer fabric and miniature gold headdresses made by hand. Transforming the typically blonde, blue-eyed dolls with pointed toes and inhuman proportions into dark-haired Apsara figures requires special attention to every aspect of the doll’s outfit