By Ms. Hatsuyo Hashinaga
Over the past five years, Bangkok Fashion scene has been changed significantly, start jumping up as the fashion leading country of Asia.
Thai brand is fighting well to the offensive foreign fast fashion
The European & American and local brands has been leading Bangkok fashion scene.
Not only luxury brands, also the fast fashion such as ZARA, Forever 21, Topshop, Berushka, GAP are penetrating aggressively in the major shopping malls in Bangkok. The 1 st shop of UNIQLO will be opened soon.
In the high-end shopping mall "Siam Paragon" or "Central World", several famous Thai designer brands open their boutiques, the representative popular brand "Jaspal" is operating from Men's apparel shop to fashion accessory and also fashionable caf as well. They hold 30 shops.
The old standing shop "Greyhound" and fashion pioneer of Thailand "Flynow" stared at the age of 1980 are the Thai designer's brand. Also "Senada" started in 1992 develop the brand in the select shop in Asia. These leading brands open their boutiques in the high-end shopping malls in BKK and attract the middle class peoples with the reachable price.
The young designers are even noted by the Japanese buyers.
The most notable are young designers of new generation. Mostly they studied in Europe or USA, and set up their own brands. "Koi Suwannagate", "Sretsis", "Kloset" are the purveyors to Hollywood. "Thakoon" who has been presenting at New York Collection is Thai-American, but probably he is the target of those Thai young designers.
According to Mr. Masaei, Four Valley, who has imported the Thai designers products for 7 years. "The potentiality of Thai designers is high. From these period, design sense is high, there are interesting design with unexpected and color variation and cutting that we could find in the Japanese market. The Thai designers do not care if they can sell the item or not, so they can create their original one. Their size is similar to Japanese, then for the select shops who are looking for the new brand, the Thai young designer might be attractive".
Thai government has been supported the young designers actively by appealing them in local and overseas. They continue to strengthen on cultivation of excellent Thai designers and over 100 designers are trained and supported. In 2004, the designers association was set up by Thai designers. At the "Bangkok International Fashion Fair (BIFF)" opened every year, the young designers present their collection at the booth or collection show with big brand. In April, 2011 at BIFF, about 50 new designers brands gathered at "Designers Room"
[Kloset]
'Kloset', ladies brand with the back of rich people, started in 2001, and is growing rapidly. In May last year, because of the demonstration, they moved their shop from Siam, then there were a long line of the customers in front of the new location. 2200 units of original printed scarves were sold out within two hours. Young women who are interested in fashion visit next by next to the directly managed store in Siam Center.
They use a lot of original print and techniques like stitch. Their collection mixed feminacy, sophistication and street-style are sweet and feminine with retro atmosphere. They are high rank in Thailand brand; long dress is 12,000 baht, tops 2,200 baht, and skirt 4,600 baht
In this season, the concept is ' A letter from Mrs. Columbus.' They suggest their design inspired by Japanese popular comic 'One-Peace' , in Mix-Match styling which they are good at. They have two directly managed store at Siam Center, and one 'Kloset' shop at Central World. Recently they opened caf at Thong Lo. They are selling their commodities to U.S, Europe, Japan and each Asian countries through the agents.
Creative director Nat Mangkang was interested in fashion effected by his mother who was sewer, and learned technique of pattern. After graduated from the business training school, he opened a small shop. And he met Molika Ruangkritya, who is the owner and the designer, and started the brand together. He said he would like to expand the items such as lingerie, swim wears and shoes. He also would like to penetrate to oversea market like England and Japan.
[PAINKILLER]
This is Men's brand which spread out the collection inspired by the words of novel, poem and songs. In this season, Men's fashion which appeared in the short novels in 1950 was recreated and featured fruits' print imagined from a song which described the fruits plantation in rainy season. Their French style color and minimum romantic design are unique. They produce basically in small quantity and they are producing all commodities in an atelier in Bangkok.
They export in small quantity though, they are now trying to access to Japanese and Australian market. They already have two shops at Siam Center and Central World. Ladies bag brand 'Painkiller Mademoiselle' is on sale in Australia, Canada, Taiwan and Hong-Kong.
Designer Siriom Teankaprasith likes art and had been dreaming to be a designer. She went to Paris to study and started 'Painkiller' when she was in Esmode Paris.
After she graduated from graduate school, she had career as a designer assistant and establish a company in 2007.
[Headquarter] [Thirst]
Three designers studied in western countries and opened select shop in Siam Centre 3F in 2005. Each person has each brands;' Sunshine' 'Chai' 'Realistic situation' , and this shop is very popular with its unique view of the world. Their multi brand shop which is the first time in Thailand, collected attentions as new style shop-model which has the merit of expanding the customer character. From that, their sales increase. Even in 2010, with economic downturn and political worry, their sales increased 20 % over the previous year.
Two of the designers, Jirat and Pat planned the ladies brand 'thirst' with Fourvalley in Japan. Their design is simple and mode. They use Japanese materials and control quality stringently. Now they are managing shops in Japan and Hong-Kong.
"The commodities of 'headquarter' are on sale in Paris and Singapore, too. From now on, we want to strive to manage in abroad, and also we want to expand our each business."Pat, the designer said.
[TUBE GALLERY]
The next is 'TUBE GALLERY 'which have exhibited in Pret-a-Porter since 2007 and in this year, exhibited in 'Who's next' and popular among the foreign buyers.
In this autumn winter collection they deal elegant dresses inspired by the beauty of Notre Dame Cathedral and Gothic with the theme 'Midnight wing'
The colors are multi-colors; sky blue, midnight green, and mastered yellow which are used in church windows. They suggest glamorous fashion by using silk and feather such as silk satin, silk siphon, Thai silk and so on.
'Tube Gallery' target party favorite men and women. They are expressing the design with hand craft techniques and beautiful forms imagined by thai traditional dance, travel and culture.
[Wonder Anatomie]
The design, inspired by human anatomy and the books related to anatomy, is conceptual, decorative and unique. Their products are by complicated hand work like the jacket with decoration back bone on its sleeves and blouses with rib bone, and tops with sleeves of laser cut like the muscle. Their creativity make the unique designs.
In the directly managed store located in the 3 rd floor of Siam Center, they are expressing their brand's world view with the products based in black. In the future. they want to penetrate Japanese market, too.
Source : http://www.depthai.go.th