Weaving past with present

Weaving past with present

Rinao Dejudom's Urban Studio incorporates Thai textiles with modern designs

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Weaving past with present

Rinao Dejudom has always loved funky street fashion. It was a passion she recognised in herself at a very young age. Having spent a good half of her life in fashion capitals — she attended secondary school in Japan and studied product design at Central Saint Martins in the London — her love for street fashion is palpable in her role as a designer and manager of fashion brand Urban Studio at CentralWorld.

Rinao, however, is not a slave to foreign brands and Western trends. In a recent project with Central Group, she gave Thai textiles a modern spin, making the products more relevant to a younger crowd.

"A lot of people seem to think that Thai textiles look old and obsolete. They also think that they are hard to maintain. Those things are just not true. With the right colours and design, they can be just as fashionable as their Western counterparts. It's time to break that unfair stereotype," said the 24-year-old designer.

This social responsibility campaign, a partnership with Central Group, aims to preserve Thai wisdom and foster occupations for the communities involved — in this case, the Nameunsri weaving community, which is the largest producer of woven products in the southern province of Trang.

The group has 32 ancient designs in its possession, most of which will soon fade away if the demand continues to be so low. The community mainly produces woven cotton.

Rinao visited the community and spent several days learning about the skills required to produce to the textiles. She also learned about the community's problems and helped find solutions to them. For example, she specifically picked textiles that had been left in their stock for far too long and did not look like they were going to leave the shelves. Most of them were darker colours, which are not popular among Thai people.

After seeing the materials she had to work with, she was instantly inspired to turn them into fashionable items that resonate with Urban Studio's character but still pay tribute to such a valuable art.

"The first time I saw the texture and the design of Nameunsri woven cotton products, I had an idea to create a change from what other people have seen, that woven products had to be made into clothes. We wanted to be different, so we came up with an idea to design accessories like headbands, iPhone cases, pillows, beanbags and bags," she explained.

This special collection focuses on neutral tones such as black and white, dark blue and grey. The products will hit the store on Friday, and are priced between 490 to 2,590 baht, with limited availability. They feature modern designs that do not look like they were born solely from a forced attempt to save Thai textiles.

"Not everyone can weave such fine textiles, and it would be a shame to let something so precious go extinct. Some patterns are so difficult that only one person knows how to create them. I think a good design can increase the demand and raise awareness among younger consumers. I want them to see the beauty of Thai textiles and to feel that these materials can actually be a part of their modern urban lifestyle," she said.

The products blend seamlessly with Urban Studio's young and modern ambience. Rinao admitted that it is quite a challenge to break the stereotype of Thai textiles, but the results are worth the hard work.

"I added elements such as polka dots to make the items look younger. I also included the first letter of the Thai alphabet and the Thai number nine to portray Thainess in a younger, street-style sense. As you can see on the cap I'm wearing, it doesn't look so anciently Thai, but it still reminds you of Thai culture in a way," she said.

Through this collection, Rinao hopes that Thai people and foreigners will want to get to know more about the art of cotton weaving by hand.

"These textiles have history and an interesting background story, so they are not just meaningless pieces of fabric. If you get to know more about how they were made, you will see the value of both the fabric and the people who make it. You don't have to be Thai to appreciate something so meticulous," she said.

She also hopes that the products from this collection will serve as a reminder of how beautiful Thai arts can be.

"I chose to design the beanbags because when they are placed at your home, you will see them every day and think about how Thai products can actually be a part of your life. A good product does not have to be from a foreign brand or imported, and can give your home unique character," she said.

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