Those outside the fashion loop may not have heard of Dry Clean Only. The fashion capitals of the world have long been shopping their embellished pieces by the wardrobe, and it would be a shame to miss out on one of the hottest local designer brands of the moment, as seen in US Vogue and other notable places.
Founder and designing wunderkind Patipat "Best" Chaipukdee did not even graduate from university, jumping right into the world of clothes by interning for no pay after attending Bangkok University for two years. Having opened his first store in Chatuchak Market 10 years ago with 30,000 baht, it is no small feat that today, his lush clothes, the sort decked with embroidery and a mishmash of excess, have found a place from the US all the way to the Middle East, China, Korea and the land Down Under (Europe's broke for now, Patipat says).
Although based in Thailand, Patipat is on the road endlessly for trunk shows in Asia, in addition to maintaining his own showroom in Paris come fashion season. As he works to elevate his brand to an even higher level, with interest being shown by department bigwigs Barneys and Nordstrom, he is also in collaboration with Siam Paragon to direct all their holiday campaigns, gift-wrapping, in-store decorations and exclusive gifts with a Dry Clean Only touch.
The spring/summer 2018 campaign was shot at Bang Saen amid songtaew, from the founder's love of all things Thai.
As the designer and shopping mall share the trait of having made it internationally, the defining thread is showcased on the beautiful gift-wrap and bags that illustrate Bangkok with a modern, luxurious, sassy vibe. If you can't quite afford his statement tops, here's an opportunity to own a piece of Dry Clean Only -- as a line of limited-edition Bangkok bags, in seven colours, are also being created for the "Paragon Gift Of Bangkok" campaign.
We spoke with the fast-talking founder about Thai designs making it abroad, and his thoughts on the local fashion scene.
Do you usually do collaboration work?
Never. It's my first time, so it's a bit hard. But when I heard the brief, it was interesting how they want to play with the word 'Bangkok'. Our clothes are doing that too now, but in an international way. In our past collections, we did reinterpret the meaning of being Thai, but it's Thai-contemporary. It's not all about the chada [crown], tuk-tuk, tom yum, pad Thai, so foreigners can know there is more [to Thailand], because there aren't any clear lines anymore. We want to present Bangkok for the West to know -- we need to be proud of Bangkok and being Thai.
What exactly is Thai-contemporary?
I don't think there are any boundaries, I think Thainess can be the clutter and chaos of our city that has no order, which I see as the charm of Thailand. It's stuff like this that the West doesn't have: something that isn't perfect, that may be lacking or over the top. I see it as extremely charming. The colours, culture, food, people -- it's something we're very strong in. Like the hashtag #ThailandOnly has both good, weird and bad things. But things that they don't see as a good thing, we see as a good thing because we're using what they don't have as a strong point to sell back to the Western world.
How would you describe your brand to someone who has never heard of Dry Clean Only?
It started from craft work on T-shirts and shirts because we focus on the upper pieces. Its essence is second-hand reworked and redecorated into something new. We use something that is close to us and not special, but we make it special in our own way. Things near and easy to find still drive how we work today. With us, there's no need to try hard. In Thailand, we sell at the Exhibit multi-label store. We position ourselves that way because we don't want you in a total look -- we want you to mix and match with other brands.
The spring/summer 2018 campaign was shot at Bang Saen amid songtaew, from the founder's love of all things Thai.
How did you become interested in fashion?
I liked to watch it and admired it. It's the only thing I thirst for in the morning -- when I want to read news in the morning, it's all fashion news. I could remember all the model's names and such so my passion for it is probably like people who are into football and can remember all the players' names. I wasn't interested in other subjects at all and thought that if I were to take money from others, this is one thing where I'm not conning anyone. I'm shocked, too, looking back to see that I'm still here after 10 years.
How has your brand evolved in the past decade?
Now it's a lot more about business and management. It's not just about designing, because nice tops are only half the battle for the world of fashion. For me, fashion is a business and not an art. It needs to be able to sell no matter how pretty that shirt is. I don't think show pieces are effective -- I get more excited when I see them on a person. And it can be a normal person -- it doesn't even have to be a star or anything. As of late, we're designing with our emotions more and throwing out all those rules where you need to have a particular number of dresses or shirts or whatnot. This collection is inspired from 80s and 90s embroidery, gold and the age of Yves Saint Laurent with gold. Our motif is the race car reworked onto old scarves. Emotion is more important than rules now. Brands like Balenciaga or Vetements all need to break and find their own way to stand out. Don't say what others say if you want to have your own standpoint. You need to find your own voice in order to be heard.
You sell so well abroad, but do you hope to catch the Thai market as well?
It's hard because Thais don't really appreciate our work. People abroad are more interested in my work because they value craft work more. It's hard also because consumers don't have a style and they just follow trends. In the past it was Milin's age and now it may be Vatanika, so it changes according to the celebrities wearing them. Thais just change according to whatever Chompoo wears, and there's still not that many stylish people out there. There's still some limitations when it comes to truly understanding fashion here.
Pornprom Satrabhaya
How well do you think fashion from our country fares against international brands?
We can easily. It's just that we don't have someone supporting this business seriously. Internationally, there's the system where investors invest in you if you want to be bigger or more famous, because it takes a lot of money to conduct PR and build your brand. When there's a fashion show, it needs to have buyers, not just people who come and watch and that's it. Thai people do have the talent, but there just isn't support in the right places. When you go to fashion trades with the government, they all think the Thai pavilion needs to be a sala or tuk-tuk. It's hard, but you need to find ways for yourself to shine through amid all that so we're a bit more underground. We're not saying, 'Hey, we sell pad Thai', but the government likes to go that way. And it's wrong, because it gets to another group of consumers but not the fashion group.
So many Thai fashion brands come about and fold just as fast. What advice do you have for future fashion designers?
I think designers/owners need to ask themselves if they truly love it or if they just like it because everyone else seems to. There are those who like it because it's trendy and they happen to have the money. They may do it with one boom and will be gone because it's not a glamorous job -- it's a big struggle. In our country, if a trend is coming, all brands do that and everyone is the same already. They don't think of creating something of their own, just try to catch on with what's hot at the moment. That's a waste of resources and space for the people who do take it seriously. Don't play around, if you really want to do this -- be serious about it.
The "Paragon Gift Of Bangkok" campaign will run until Jan 7. Those who spend at least 8,000 baht will receive the limited-edition Bangkok bag for free.
The campaign mood board at Dry Clean Only's office. The wrapping technique for gifts is designed to look like the dessert kao tom mudd.
The Bangkok bag will be offered exclusively at Siam Paragon.
The Bangkok bag will be offered exclusively at Siam Paragon.
The Bangkok bag will be offered exclusively at Siam Paragon.
