A look back at 2014's local fashion scene
Sirinya Burbridge for Sirivannavari SS14.
Supermodel status
If we talk about the hottest supermodel on the local scene, it's still pretty hard to avoid Phitsinee "Si" Tanwiboon. The 26-year-old has been turning heads since 2006 after she won the Thai Super Model contest and strutting down the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week year after year, scoring the coveted shows by Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood and Louis Vuitton in the past. Of course anything that "goes-inter" become a permanent darling in Thailand, as we can see in Phitsinee's continuous presence on local magazine covers and catwalks. Even after all these years, she's still gracing a notable amount of finales in a handful of shows under famed spotlights such as Elle Fashion Week, among other events.
Otherwise, the other face we see as the last one to own the catwalk is usually Sirinya Burbridge. The seasoned beauty queen is still a hit thanks to her regal posture and scandal-free slate, making it no surprise that designers choose her to showcase flamboyant final numbers that requires someone with an imposing and empress-like aura. Sirinya herself says: "In Thailand, [being a model] is somewhat like a celebrity thing and the age-span of a model is much longer compared to other parts of the world." Perhaps that, coupled with a model diversifying into other businesses and entertainment positions, is what contributes to their long life-span. Or in Phitsinee's case, having a high-profile boyfriend, one that is a society staple like Prakarn Raiva, S&P heir and lead singer of Getsunova, also ensures all lights still shine on her.
Phitsinee Tanwiboon at Elle Fashion Week 2014.
Instafashion scene
It's been a year of innumerous monochrome-washed Instagram fashion brands, though we aren't too keen on it. Instagram has emerged as a solid shopping alternative, possibly more popular than shopping on the web. Hundreds of aspiring brand owners are increasingly choosing to debut on Instagram for the obvious reason that it is a free platform, rather than opting for the conventional bricks-and-mortar. An exponential growth of Instagram markets has burgeoned in the past year, setting up from Ari and Sukhumvit to Sathon. These gatherings where sellers of clothes, jewellery, accessories and shoes on Instagram get together to showcase and sell their products usually take place during long weekends at community malls.
Too bad quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality. While shoppers may be spoiled for choice, the choices they have vary about as much as flipping through a washing machine catalogue. Done-to-death black and white looks are flooding the small screen and it's becoming harder and harder to find any original and novel brand that has any distinct characteristic. Many of the brands on Instagram offer clothes trying to cash in on the minimal and simplistic trend, meaning they all more or less look like each other's. If they aren't that, then most seem to be watered-down versions of either Vickteerut, Disaya, Milin or Asava, as the minimal, dreamy and girly, revealing and classy sophistication tendencies still dictate the direction of Bangkok's fashion identity.
Anisha Attaskulchai, founder and designer of Lovebird.
Heir-head designers
Vatanika Patamasingh, founder and designer of Vatanika.
There's nothing as yawn-inducing as another heiress that decides to start a mediocre fashion brand. No doubt that fashion in Thailand is a game that's still largely dominated by rich kids that decide to start a clothing line. With the benefit of their last names or privileged backgrounds, a lot of high-society lasses and heiresses have made a hobby out of creating clothes, although many fold within a few seasons. The uninspiring and unsurprising fact that some just hire other people to design and do every single thing while their name is just slapped on it makes our eyes roll so hard we can see the back of our brains. But if anything, it's a shame that their bad stain leaves hesitation and doubt for those that do take it seriously and hope to be in the industry for the long run.
We can maybe pin our hopes on Commit a Sin, a newcomer which just launched this year and will finally be opening a flagship store at Siam Center in the coming weeks. The non-eponymous brainchild of Pattamon Techanarong, heiress of Bonanza Resort Khao Yai, strives to be known for it's sleek invisible stitching and masculine yet sophisticated direction for the tough and dapper femme. The stylish designer and founder is usually caught on camera in a classy suit, which is also what her brand seems to do best, out of all the things they offer. We've only had two seasons of her collection so far, but if what she told us during an interview in May is anything to go by, Pattamon definitely designs everything and is dead serious about selling clothes, not herself.
Worth commending are also Lovebird and Vatanika, two other hiso-backed brands that have had a really strong year. Anisha "Pam" Attaskulchai's Lovebird solidified a clearer brand character this summer, growing to be known on the scene as the sexy romantic name which offers sexy-fitted long pants with slits in all the right places and fluttery tops. Vatanika, on the other hand, has pumped out so many shows this year we can hardly keep track. She's getting there as one of the hottest go-to gown providers — if it's glam and black-tie, we're thinking about Vatanika Patamasingh's creations.
Pattamon Techanarong, founder and designer of Commit a Sin.
Sretsis Little Sister line.
Survive or die trying
A fashion brand's gotta do what a fashion brand's gotta do in order to keep their legacy going. Expanding and diversifying are usually the answers. Even the cream of the crop cannot cease to be affected by the economy and 2014 has seen big players making significant changes or additions to their empire.
In July, food and restaurant operator Sub Sri Thai (SST) successfully acquired Greyhound Group with a 1.8 billion baht investment. SST and its subsidiary Mudman have bought up most of the shares in both the cafe and clothing business, which did send many loyalists of the brand into panic attacks. In truth, Bhanu Inkawat, founder and creative director of the Greyhound kingdom, did not release all control and continues to oversee management and creative processes. Think of it as a joining of hands with a partner, in order to expand into an international, global brand. In an August cover story, Bhanu told Life: "The changes are on board of committee level. They understand who we are and they're not here just to throw money at us. They believe in us enough that we can become a global brand when at first we were only aiming at regional level." Even minimalist king Teerut Wongwatanasin, who enjoys a strong fan-base, evolved with the times in order to survive on the ever-changing fashion landscape. Vick's, the younger sibling brand to his Vickteerut, was launched in August to capture the youth market with more price-friendly, less glam and casual collections. Although the collections feature cheaper material such as linen, sweats and denim, Teerut's sartorial touch of clean and simple lines are still there and continue to be delightfully versatile. Teerut says: "People change according to economy. They look for cheaper stuff, so we changed according to that. Their lifestyle also changed: they do more activities outdoor and care for their health so we had to come up with things to support that."
The fangirls of local superbrand Sretsis were also able to dress their little ones in the same attire they wear for the first time this year. The little sister of the Sretsis sisterhood, Matina Sukhahuta, headed the designing of the Little Sister line, which are mini-Sretsis outfits made for children between the ages of two and eight. Another milestone worth mentioning is their first flagship store to open outside of Thailand, namely in Japan. Wondrous and whimsical in all its fairy-tale-like glory, the Sretsis Inn is in Aoyama, Tokyo.
Vick’s new flagship store in Ari.
The same team still manages the Greyhound side of clothes: Jitsing Somboon, Bhanu Inkawat and Vitchukorn Chokedeetaweeanan.
