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A HEAD FOR FASHION
PICTURE: GREYHOUNDBANGKOK’S FASHION ELITE TELL EVA DEDESAND SIOUX SACHDEV WHY THAILAND IS SET TO STRUT ITS STUFF ON THE WORLD’S CATWALK
BANGKOK. The very name conjures up a myriad of impressions. Glistening temple tops among modern office buildings. Enticing smells of Thai food. Boutiques and market stalls filled with wares. Street cars lining the sois and a million people engrossed in a million things as the sticky-sweet air coats bare arms.
Catwalk shows and local designer fashion, however, are not usually part of these common impressions. However, the Th ai design scene has been enjoying growing international attention of late, with local fashion on the rise.
In the light of this, recent news of the closure of the Bangkok Fashion City (BFC) initiative – inaugurated by the Ministry of Industry in 2003 to boost the city’s style capital status – came as a shock to many Th ais. The good news is, however, it appears the design scene is all grown up and ready to stand alone.
The BFC’s objectives were to make Bangkok one of the provincial leaders of fashion, improve Thai fashion values, increase the export of local fashion and encourage those across the industry to unite in the promotion of these aims.
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WHO: Claire Stanton-Foo, model and Fashion Television presenter |
Partly as a result, the last few years have seen an amalgamation of royalty, investors, government officials and creative types coming together to shape the future of the Asian fashion scene. And with its natural resources, homegrown creative talent and tremendous enthusiasm for development, Bangkok has begun to catch the eye of international trendsetters.
ELLE Bangkok Fashion Week has swiftly earned respect in international circles since its first show in 1999 for its lively, festive approach – after all, the Thais can throw a party like no one else. And Bangkok has learnt from fashion industries around the world to quickly find its niche within the global market – a niche for quirky, wearable clothes that highlight avid attention to detail and natural resources.
Kai Boutique gets
glamNo longer content with being thought of as a bargain bazaar selling imitation goods and locally-produced but foreign-designed export garments, Thailand is thriving on offering clothing and accessories that are both designed and made at home. Greyhound, SODA, Good Mixer, Boudoir, Kai and Kloset are just a smattering of the design houses contributing to a respected fashion scene.
But in fact, modern Thai fashion has existed longer than most people realise. Some of the largest fashion houses, such as SODA and Good Mixer, have been around for over 20 years, yet only received mass local patronage in the last few years.
“The local scene has really exploded,” explains model and Chic Channel’s Fashion Television presenter Claire Stanton-Foo. “Even five years ago, it was more exclusive. Now fashion is more of a lifestyle. The average person on the street knows about these brands now, and is generally more fashion-conscious.”
INSPIRING THE DESIGN
Playground! makes a statement
The fashion scene started out rather small, with few designers and no common theme or goals. And while it is still difficult to pinpoint a unifying theme, one element that is special to Thai fashion and culture is the elaborate detail found in almost everything.
The next time you opt to visit a temple, take some time to examine the individual elements that come together to create the whole. It is this very same inspiration and workmanship that go into the production and design of uniquely Th ai products.
Stanton-Foo agrees: “Th ai designers have their own quirky style. There isn’t really one defining characteristic, but I would say that a lot of the designers pay particular attention to their individual fabrics, lines, and shapes.”
WHO:Sasiphen Chunsri, marketing and PR manager of Playground! and Manga |
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As the world shrinks, international fashion has become much more accessible. No one knows this better than Kuan Teo, 2 Magazine’s editor-in-chief, one of the only English-language men’s fashion magazines in Th ailand.
“Because of commercialisation and huge advances with the internet, the world has become smaller,” he says. “Today, someone in Thailand can see the clothes from a show that is held in New York instantly.”
This technology has been employed in Thailand to its advantage. However, the bombardment of creativity from abroad and instantaneous exposure to what’s happening a world away have not diluted the enduring Thai culture, and the Th ais still continue to reach out to the things closest to them for inspiration.
WHO: Chaichon Savantrat, fashion designer, Good Mixer |
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Sasiphen Chunsri, marketing and PR manager of the hugely successful lifestyle stores Playground! and Manga, elaborates: “These designers take inspiration from things around them like a simple flashlight in a market or people eating on the street – anything normal and ordinary.”
Butterfly style at Good
MixerAside from abstract, everyday inspiration, local influence is evident in the continued use of exquisite natural silks and linens, fine threading and embroidery, and a deep appreciation of detail that has been a key feature of Thai design for centuries. It is just the application and treatment that has changed with exposure from abroad.
“We all have Thai culture as our inspiration,” explains Chaichon Savantrat, one of the pioneers of men’s fashion in Th ailand, and the designer of Good Mixer. “It means that, whatever we create, we can put some eastern flavour into our work. Every Th ai brand has to find a way to be themselves and not be a copycat, because we know we have to be something different than other available brands. Only then can we survive in the fashion world.”
In addition to the internet, there has been a huge influx of western magazines, TV and movies. This keeps the Th ai consumer up to speed with current global trends and allows local designers to create collections that can compete in a global market.
WHO: Way Prinya, hip-hop artist, clothing designer, actor and producer |
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Way Prinya, hip-hop artist, clothing designer, producer and actor, shares his methods for staying current: “I’m exposed to a lot. I buy lots of magazines and do lots of travelling, so I’m able to pick up different pieces from around the world, and mix and match them all together. However, I still maintain my ‘Asian’ style.”
SETTING THE PATTERN
Fashion-forward 2
Magazine helps to
bring local Thai
designers to the fore
With the combination of a global outlook and a strong sense of identity, Bangkok could soon overtake the region’s other fashion hubs of Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. And who knows, in 10 to 15 years, perhaps it will become known as the Milan, New York or Paris of the East? It is certainly plausible.
Fashion has become a respected field of work in Th ai society, with top universities, such as Chulalongkorn University, now offering full-fledged fashion design and marketing programmes, a huge step in increasing the status of fashion as a career.
“Th e Thai fashion industry is full of new blood,” Kuan explains. “These new designers really believe in their craft . They are willing to pay for their own education. They travel abroad to study and then come back to Thailand to share their skills and help other Thais become more professional.”
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WHO: Kuan Teo, editor-in-chief, 2 Magazine |
| Even though the Bangkok Fashion City (BFC) initiative is due to end in September, Ithe website www.bangkokfashioncity.com features a number of useful links to other permanent sources of fashion information, events and networks. Log on quick! For visiting fashion fiends, the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale is an annual event running until 31 August that sees many stores slash their prices by up to 50%. Find out more at www.amazinggrandsale.com |
RAISING THE HEM
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| From left, Sretsis, Munchu’s and Headquarter | ||
Today’s fashionistas recognise this. Looking to the future, Nuttapol Linjaroen, head stylist for Fashion Television and one of the most sought-after stylists in Bangkok is positive about the local scene.
“Many Thai brands are already selling well abroad,” he says. “Bangkok is one of the biggest fashion stars in the Asian region right now. Th e difference is that other cities have more wealth to invest in fashion. Here, there are more boundaries in terms of budget, but I think eventually, with financial support, Bangkok will be one of the top fashion cities in the world.”
Although Bangkok’s fashion credentials are steadily gaining ground on other Asian cities, future success is not just dependent on money but on cultural-societal development as well. Fashion needs to become an innate part of Thai society, implanted as an art form on the platform of young minds.
WHO: Nuttapol Linjaroen, head stylist for Fashion Television |
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“I want there to be involvement with fashion and art for kids,” says Playground!and Manga’s Chunsri. “The new generation of Thais will realise that dressing up is an art. Even just thinking about what to wear for the day is an art.”
It is apparent that the vibrant Thai capital is teeming with creative, well-travelled, ambitious and educated individuals who believe in the fashion industry. There is still a long way to go, but through hard work, dedication and persistence, Bangkok fashion will receive the international acclaim its potential suggests – and the world will be dazzled with a wealth of creative couture.
Expressing his confidence in the Thai fashion industry, Way asserts, “Once one Thai designer makes it big in the West, Bangkok fashion won’t be taken so lightly.”
FASHIONISTA FAVOURITES
27 Friday, Level 3, Siam Centre, Rama 1, tel +66 (0)2 658-1703; Good Mixer, Level 3, Siam Centre, Rama 1, tel +66 (0)2 658-1119; Headquarter, Level 3, Siam Centre, Rama 1, tel +66 (0)2 658-1048; Manga by Playground!, Level 1, Central World Plaza, Ratchadamri Road, tel +66 (0)2 613-1177; Munchu’s, 337 Level 3, Siam Centre, Rama 1, tel +66 (0)2 658-1134; SODA, Level 3, Siam Centre, Rama 1, tel +66 (0)2 252-2124; Sretsis Boutique, Level 2, Gaysorn, 999 Ploenchit Road, Patumwan, tel +66 (0)2 656-1125, www.sretsis.com (also at Emporium and Siam Paragon); Theatre, Level 2, Central World Plaza, Ratchadamri Road, tel +66 (0)2 255-9545; Zenith, Level 2, Gaysorn, 999 Pleonchit Road, tel +66 (0)2 656-1064
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