If anyone had a name perfectly suited for an eponymous fashion label, it would be Shone Puipia. Short, catchy and intriguing, the 25-year-old's brand has been rising quickly through the Thai fashion world within the past two years.
It doesn't have much to do with the fact that he is the son of two major contemporary Thai artists, Chatchai Puipia and Pinaree Sanpitak, but it's been his distinctive and daring garment designs which have people curious for more.
Recently graduated with a master's degree from Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts -- one of the oldest art and design institutes in the world, which churned out the likes of Martin Margiela, Haider Ackermann, Demna Gvasalia and Dries Van Noten -- Shone has been designing collections using unusual techniques, contrasting and rare materials, and bold colour combinations. Inspired by the likes of Wes Anderson, Peter Weir, David Hockney, Georgia O'Keefe and Kate Blacker, Shone's made-to-order pieces are unlike anything other Thai designers are making.
His master's collection "The Wild Bunch", full of wild yet beautiful avant-garde pieces, was selected to be exhibited in Chiang Mai's MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum last year. And recently, he launched his newest collection "Dawn Chorus, Dusk Calls", displayed at his newly established studio, shop and archive "Soi Sam".
Shone Puipia 2018 Collection 'Dawn Chorus, Dusk Calls'.
"What I think stands out in my work is that it has a narrative aspect," he said, sitting in Soi Sam's spacious and sun-drenched 3rd-floor studio. "It's a story about women. It's building a woman that is complex and has a lot of angles. They have femininity, delicateness, yet they're strong and have a presence. And the main element in the pieces are craftwork, colours and experimenting with materials."
Growing up in a creative environment, Shone was immersed in art from a young age. He would attend gallery openings with his parents and go museum hopping whenever abroad, always with a sketchbook in hand.
"I liked to draw cartoons -- similar to what I'm doing now, which is creating a world and a story that's quite fantasy-like. What I like about fashion is the narrative aspect of it. It's like creating a new character. That's why I like to do it. It's not ready-to-wear pieces. I want to create special pieces and let the wearer feel special and create a new feeling for them."
In "Dawn Chorus, Dusk Calls", Shone continues his narrative from "The Wild Bunch" -- which was inspired by 1975 film Picnic At Hanging Rock. The collection features stunning pink pants made from shiny mawata silk (more on that later), an abstract feather patterned coat, a raw and wild looking dress with bird feather details, and a patterned denim jacket with raw edges, just to name a few.
"[Picnic At Hanging Rock] is a movie about a Victorian girl that went missing in the forest," he explains. "The collection continues that story and creates an alternate ending of that story. It shows the girl's transformation: innocence has become wildness and bravery. It plays with Victorian elements like frills and ruffles, but it's used in a way that's quite raw like raw edges and torn fabrics."
His collections experiment with little used materials such as mawata silk (discarded silk fibres found in silkworms) as well as elaborate production processes, such as the extremely difficult warp-printing (printing the pattern directly onto the silk thread before it goes into the loom) or creating faux fur out of needle felting techniques.
"I like mixing many things together," he said. "Like newer fabrics and more traditional fabrics or something strange like mawata which isn't used in clothing. I tried to find a way to use it. Thai fabrics are beautiful, but they're hard and challenging. They have a special character of their own. They're not like flowy Italian silk, but there's a structure that's quite characteristic. I wanted to find ways of interpreting it and creating clothes that look more contemporary. Many people go at it in a way that is extremely structured. But I wanted to find a softness to it. I wanted it to look modern."
Shone's passion and fresh take on fashion could stem from his years at the Royal Academy of Arts -- an extremely strenuous institution which focuses on both art and the philosophy of it.
"Studying there was even harder," he said, when asked if it was hard to get enrolled. "It's the only school where we have drawing classes. They still give importance to drawing and that we're able to express our works through our hands. It has to be expressed as an artwork as well, apart from the clothes itself. It's a school that doesn't focus on commercial interests and they push us to find our own identity in our design. They focus on creating an atmosphere and building a character into each collection."
Out of the 60 students that enrolled in Shone's year, only six graduated with a master's degree.
"It was a bit quiet," he said with a laugh.
Now permanently back in Thailand, Shone hopes to expand his brand and introduce Thais to his bold and creative fashion pieces.
"If it goes well and there's a production that I think is satisfiable to me, there may be ready-to-wear pieces," he said. "Right now I want Thais to know the brand and this type of work. I want to continue to create works that are special -- walking the line between fashion and art. I want to see if it can exist and on what level it can exist."
To get a viewing of Shone's works at Soi Sam, call 097-172-3873, email info@soisam.com or visit facebook.com/soisam.bkk.
Adult's 'Monkey Business' Platform Boots.
Shone's studio and archive on the 3rd floor.
