Polo Ralph Lauren Corp,designer of Chaps and Club Monaco clothing, plans to open as many as 15 stores annually in Hong Kong and China as US sales slow.
"We are going to come at this business aggressively anyway but now its even more of a reason as the businesses in the US and Europe have flattened,"George Hrdina, president of Ralph Laurens Asian business, said in an interview in Hong Kong.
Demand for luxury goods in China,the worlds most populous nation, remains unabated, according to a survey published last month by communications consultants Ruder Finn Asia.
New York-based Ralph Lauren has been changing its strategy to operate more of its own shops as it seeks to compete with LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA and Gucci owner PPR SA.
"The Chinese market for luxury products is still growing very well," Shaun Rein, the Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group,said in a phone interview yesterday."The consumers in China are still spending money, although some are hit by the financial crisis."
"We're probably a little behind the other luxury retailers in entering this market," Hrdina said.
"The company's new stores in China will probably be in Beijing, Shanghai and surrounding regions," he added.
The clothier is taking back the Asian distribution rights for its Polo and Ralph Lauren brands from Dickson Concepts (International) Ltd on Jan 1. The move is part of the company's efforts to retool its image in Asia, moving away from selling products in department stores to focusing on setting up its own retail outlets.
"So we will now control the product,the quality, the branding," Hrdina said,as the company seeks to change the perception of Polo and Ralph Lauren from casual sportswear labels to luxury brands.
"The brand has also been hurt by piracy," he said.
"I dont think they did a very good job at marketing positioning and store development for the Chinese market, and they also probably were hit fairly hard by piracy," China Market Research Group's Rein said."The problem for Polo, people don't know what's real and what isn't."
"Luxury brands, facing ageing populations in Europe and North America are turning to Asia," Joe Wong, managing director for PPR SA's Gucci Group in Hong Kong, China and Macau, told an industry meeting on Aug 28.
"Asia, particularly China, is possibly the solution," Wong said. China has a very big base of consumers and lots of up- and-coming young executives and middle class.
Ralph Lauren ought to be cautious about growing too fast because they dont have the brand positioning, Rein said."While Chinese consumers are still buying luxury goods, they're looking for better value, they're starting to buy products like bags that can be used everyday rather than a shirt that can be worn once a month."
Monday, August 31, 2009
COLOUR, RIPS AND THE "BORROWED" LOOK DEFINE THE NEW STREETWEAR
Pre-washed jeans and a bright shirt or T-shirt: Street wear styles are colourful. Tops should have some flash and shirts canb e plaid, but no matter what ther has to be some colour.
Designer Stefan Dietzelt observes a parade of trend-crazy people every day through the shop window of his streetwear clothing store in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg.
"Th item that has sold really well is this short-sleeved shirt for men," he says, referring to a shirt with white watering cans on a red background.
Red as in fresh, orange-red. It must have somethign to do with the hue, he adds.
Other T-shirts hav large colourful shapes overlapping one another. The shades are frequently neon. Graphic print patterns also are in style.
All are being combined with ragged jeans that "must look destroyed", says Karl-Heinz Mueller, director of Berlin's streetwear trade fair Bread and Butter.
"And the more beat-up the material, the more expensive the jeans. The expensive brands have the destruction done by hand," he explains. This achieves an impression of authenticity.
He describes the current street style as "masculine". Young men are selecting worn jeans combined with plaid shirts or T-shirts. An example can be found in the Forvert collection.
Young women, meanwhile, are wearing jeans and shirts in "boyfriend style', says Mueller, who also runs a streetwear shop in central Berlin.
This is when jeans look too big, as if they've been borrowed from a friend. As a counter trend, there also are leggings and tube jeans. A jersey dress, such as one found in the Dickies line, looks flattering with them.
Marc Lohausen of the online streetwear store Frontline in Hanover has an answer to the "boyfriend look" trend: clothing for women intentionally cut not to fit properly.
It's the way a woman would look if she just rolled out of bed and put on her boyfriend's pants and shirt befor heading out to get breakfast. The clothes are loose, wide and sit low on the hips. Nikita jeans are an example.
The collection also demonstrates the colour tred: Bright, happy colours are the Nikita trademark. yellow, coral and light mint are listed in the collection's description.
Worn with it are walking shoes in 1980s styles or ankle-high basketball shoes in hip-hop style, syas Lohausen. The colours can lso mimic those that were pouplar in the '80s: purple, yellow, light blue and pink.
A lot of the shoes are in cotton or canvas and look a little square at first glance, as if they were somethign taken from an American college movie. But the spirit of the style is different because of the cool colours they have, syas Lohausen.
They match the bright neon colours that highlight outfits that have been specially selected. There are light, sun-yellow jersey clothes, for example, from bench. Ther also are neon-grphic printed T-shirts and sky blue training jackets.
"Very strong at the moment is something called Adicolor by Adidas Originals. These are basically training suits from the 1970s in neon yellow, green and light blue," syas Lohausen.
With these, trend-conscious people have to get used to very old tailoring that has become new again.
Designer Stefan Dietzelt observes a parade of trend-crazy people every day through the shop window of his streetwear clothing store in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg.
"Th item that has sold really well is this short-sleeved shirt for men," he says, referring to a shirt with white watering cans on a red background.
Red as in fresh, orange-red. It must have somethign to do with the hue, he adds.
Other T-shirts hav large colourful shapes overlapping one another. The shades are frequently neon. Graphic print patterns also are in style.
All are being combined with ragged jeans that "must look destroyed", says Karl-Heinz Mueller, director of Berlin's streetwear trade fair Bread and Butter.
"And the more beat-up the material, the more expensive the jeans. The expensive brands have the destruction done by hand," he explains. This achieves an impression of authenticity.
He describes the current street style as "masculine". Young men are selecting worn jeans combined with plaid shirts or T-shirts. An example can be found in the Forvert collection.
Young women, meanwhile, are wearing jeans and shirts in "boyfriend style', says Mueller, who also runs a streetwear shop in central Berlin.
This is when jeans look too big, as if they've been borrowed from a friend. As a counter trend, there also are leggings and tube jeans. A jersey dress, such as one found in the Dickies line, looks flattering with them.
Marc Lohausen of the online streetwear store Frontline in Hanover has an answer to the "boyfriend look" trend: clothing for women intentionally cut not to fit properly.
It's the way a woman would look if she just rolled out of bed and put on her boyfriend's pants and shirt befor heading out to get breakfast. The clothes are loose, wide and sit low on the hips. Nikita jeans are an example.
The collection also demonstrates the colour tred: Bright, happy colours are the Nikita trademark. yellow, coral and light mint are listed in the collection's description.
Worn with it are walking shoes in 1980s styles or ankle-high basketball shoes in hip-hop style, syas Lohausen. The colours can lso mimic those that were pouplar in the '80s: purple, yellow, light blue and pink.
A lot of the shoes are in cotton or canvas and look a little square at first glance, as if they were somethign taken from an American college movie. But the spirit of the style is different because of the cool colours they have, syas Lohausen.
They match the bright neon colours that highlight outfits that have been specially selected. There are light, sun-yellow jersey clothes, for example, from bench. Ther also are neon-grphic printed T-shirts and sky blue training jackets.
"Very strong at the moment is something called Adicolor by Adidas Originals. These are basically training suits from the 1970s in neon yellow, green and light blue," syas Lohausen.
With these, trend-conscious people have to get used to very old tailoring that has become new again.
Friday, August 28, 2009
AESTHETICS IN THE SOUTH
It's been hoped for, aspired to even, but has never materialised despite long, enduring attempts from the various involved parties. While many of us take pride in the traditional craftsmanship and peerless skills of our nation's artisans, we have never successfully maximised their potential in the realm of modern fashion design. To be more precise, a large number of successful designers are reluctant to use materials bred and brewed in local craft houses, and it's not their fault either. The skilfully crafted pieces, exquisite as they are on their own with a technical mastery that craftspeople of other countries could only envy, lack the modern edge that would make them a suitable choice for contemporary fashion design. Bringing together traditional Thai craftsmanship and contemporary fashion had thus long been an unachieved goal set by various government departments in the past.
Sombatsara Teerasaroch and ‘Elle’ Thailand editor-in-chief Kullawit Laosuksri during a workshop with batik manufacturers from the southern provinces.
Such is the mission that brought together three of Thailand's fashion supremos: fashion organiser Sombatsara Teerasaroch, Elle Thailand editor-in-chief Kullawit Laosuksri and stylist/designer Jirat Subpisankul.
"I was contacted by the Department of Export Promotion [DEP] to help use the existing craft skills of people in the South to make a product that would be competitive in the contemporary fashion market," said Sombatsara of his role in this DEP-initiated project, Southern Culture and Fashion (SC&F).
After travelling to the Songkhla, Satun, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces to meet with local offices of commercial affairs and manufacturers, it was agreed that the project should focus on enhancing the batik designers' understanding of modern looks and trends by creating fabrics of batik prints that can be used in modern fashion design.
"We decided to combine what we know with what they have - fashion trends with traditional techniques - to create something more contemporary than what they had been making," said Kullawit.
Designer-stylist Jirat Subpisankul assists batik artists in developing the designs.
The team travelled to the South to conduct workshops for local manufacturers and guide them as to how their creations, made with meticulous skill, can increase their commercial viability when they incorporate modern designs and trends. Relying on autumn/winter 2009/2010 trends, Kullawit combined monochrome and bright pink shades for participating batik artists to ensure their final products would have the colour unity of a fashion collection. However, he insisted the project's aim is to enhance the value of existing skills, and not ask the artisans to do what is not their forte.
"Batik incorporates various techniques and styles and what we did was to match graphic lines and designs with the batik techniques each artist was skilled at. For example, one entrepreneur is good at freehand drawing, so we used fabric with an organic design. For other manufacturers who are good at line drawing, we chose modern graphic lines for them," he explained.
Recruited to handle graphic design for the batik artists is Jirat, who is known for his use of graphics and geometric prints.
"Batik has its own distinctive appeal because it's handmade. The only problem is that it always revolves around the same designs and colour patterns: gaudy shades, seascapes, coconut trees and large images," he said.
"I showed them examples, such as Dries Van Noten's work, and gave them guidelines on how to transform a beach fabric into real prints."
Both Kullawit and Jirat agreed that another aspect that required modification was the scale and proportion of the design. Normally, batik cotton used as beach fabric is produced on a large scale, as it is cheaper and faster to manufacture in that form. Also gone are low-quality cotton and heavy silk once commonly used, now replaced by finer materials such as silk crepe, silk chiffon and Japanese silk, while cotton canvas and cotton twill are now also used for shoes and bags.
Issue
vHowever, since the finished fabrics will serve as materials for Thailand's top designers, the ability to see the potential of each piece of cloth and match it with the right designer plays a crucial role. Jokingly claiming it is his natural gift, Kullawit said he could see, even before they are finished, which designer each piece would get.
Sretsis
"I saw this scarlet/black-patterned chiffon and I knew it had to go to [Issue's designer] Roj, and he would make it into a kaftan dress! And well, it was! There's another batik artist who has a very strong brushstroke - there's a real energy in his work and Vatit Itthi has made a stunning evening dress out of one of his fabrics. There's one artist that I asked to do two separate designs, each on one-and-a-half yards of fabric knowing it would go to Disaya and she would use one design on the top and the other on the bottom half of a mini-dress."
And the participants are no less enthusiastic. Some literally couldn't wait to show what they had learned in the next session, which was weeks away, so they returned home to create something to show to the team the following day.
Vatit Itthi
"The first time I saw the finished piece, I cried," said Sombatsara.
"I didn't only see the beautiful work but also the determination of these manufacturers to improve their work. I see our job as forming a bridge between these material manufacturers and the designers and I'm glad we can successfully connect them. It may not culminate in large orders from the designers but it's a good pilot project that can help develop not just these batik artists but also artisans in other regions."
Sombatsara Teerasaroch and ‘Elle’ Thailand editor-in-chief Kullawit Laosuksri during a workshop with batik manufacturers from the southern provinces.
Such is the mission that brought together three of Thailand's fashion supremos: fashion organiser Sombatsara Teerasaroch, Elle Thailand editor-in-chief Kullawit Laosuksri and stylist/designer Jirat Subpisankul.
"I was contacted by the Department of Export Promotion [DEP] to help use the existing craft skills of people in the South to make a product that would be competitive in the contemporary fashion market," said Sombatsara of his role in this DEP-initiated project, Southern Culture and Fashion (SC&F).
After travelling to the Songkhla, Satun, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces to meet with local offices of commercial affairs and manufacturers, it was agreed that the project should focus on enhancing the batik designers' understanding of modern looks and trends by creating fabrics of batik prints that can be used in modern fashion design.
"We decided to combine what we know with what they have - fashion trends with traditional techniques - to create something more contemporary than what they had been making," said Kullawit.
Designer-stylist Jirat Subpisankul assists batik artists in developing the designs.
The team travelled to the South to conduct workshops for local manufacturers and guide them as to how their creations, made with meticulous skill, can increase their commercial viability when they incorporate modern designs and trends. Relying on autumn/winter 2009/2010 trends, Kullawit combined monochrome and bright pink shades for participating batik artists to ensure their final products would have the colour unity of a fashion collection. However, he insisted the project's aim is to enhance the value of existing skills, and not ask the artisans to do what is not their forte.
"Batik incorporates various techniques and styles and what we did was to match graphic lines and designs with the batik techniques each artist was skilled at. For example, one entrepreneur is good at freehand drawing, so we used fabric with an organic design. For other manufacturers who are good at line drawing, we chose modern graphic lines for them," he explained.
Recruited to handle graphic design for the batik artists is Jirat, who is known for his use of graphics and geometric prints.
"Batik has its own distinctive appeal because it's handmade. The only problem is that it always revolves around the same designs and colour patterns: gaudy shades, seascapes, coconut trees and large images," he said.
"I showed them examples, such as Dries Van Noten's work, and gave them guidelines on how to transform a beach fabric into real prints."
Both Kullawit and Jirat agreed that another aspect that required modification was the scale and proportion of the design. Normally, batik cotton used as beach fabric is produced on a large scale, as it is cheaper and faster to manufacture in that form. Also gone are low-quality cotton and heavy silk once commonly used, now replaced by finer materials such as silk crepe, silk chiffon and Japanese silk, while cotton canvas and cotton twill are now also used for shoes and bags.
Issue
vHowever, since the finished fabrics will serve as materials for Thailand's top designers, the ability to see the potential of each piece of cloth and match it with the right designer plays a crucial role. Jokingly claiming it is his natural gift, Kullawit said he could see, even before they are finished, which designer each piece would get.
Sretsis
"I saw this scarlet/black-patterned chiffon and I knew it had to go to [Issue's designer] Roj, and he would make it into a kaftan dress! And well, it was! There's another batik artist who has a very strong brushstroke - there's a real energy in his work and Vatit Itthi has made a stunning evening dress out of one of his fabrics. There's one artist that I asked to do two separate designs, each on one-and-a-half yards of fabric knowing it would go to Disaya and she would use one design on the top and the other on the bottom half of a mini-dress."
And the participants are no less enthusiastic. Some literally couldn't wait to show what they had learned in the next session, which was weeks away, so they returned home to create something to show to the team the following day.
Vatit Itthi
"The first time I saw the finished piece, I cried," said Sombatsara.
"I didn't only see the beautiful work but also the determination of these manufacturers to improve their work. I see our job as forming a bridge between these material manufacturers and the designers and I'm glad we can successfully connect them. It may not culminate in large orders from the designers but it's a good pilot project that can help develop not just these batik artists but also artisans in other regions."
FASHION FAIR IN FOCUS
Unlike the elaborate spectacle of a runway show, the Bangkok International Fashion Fair 2009 and the Bangkok International Leather Fair 2009 (BIFF & BIL) may not offer non-industry/business media any spicy material for publication; neither nipple slips nor dressed-to-kill front-row luminaries. However, such an international-calibre trade fair is nothing but meat and potatoes to the long-term development of any industry. And fashion is no exception. Held at Impact Challenger Hall, Muang Thong Thani, earlier this month, the event - organised by the Ministry of Commerce's Department of Export Promotion - incorporated a traditional form of brand booths, seminars, shows, workshops as well as various exhibitions that offered visitors an across-the-board spectrum of Thai fashion; both in terms of creative design, potential and business strategies for future direction.
One role that all trade fairs need to fulfil is to bring manufacturers closer to buyers, which is particularly pivotal to budding brands that strive to survive through expanding their customer-base in both the domestic and international markets. The Designers' Room, mostly serves as a springboard for up-and-coming designers to test the market, a place deserving of close inspection to ensure that the section has functioned to its full capacity as the meeting point for designers and potential customers.
Of the vast and diverse range of activities the fair offered, the Southern Culture & Fashion section came closest to reflecting the most interesting future direction of the local fashion design scene. Bringing trend, style and quality materials to highly skilled craftsmen in remote areas while bringing their own artistic touch back to top designers in the form of fabrics of exquisite prints, the programme successfully bridged the gap between contemporary fashion design and traditional craftsmanship - a promising direction for the future of the Thai fashion industry.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS No sooner than the exclusive launch of their new collection had just premiered last month, the collective of hard-working designers, Bangkok Fashion Society, were busying themselves once again for BIFF & BIL 2009, where they participated in several programmes to represent the image of contemporary Thai fashion. But was their celebrated appearance and special sales campaign sufficient to ensure the aspired number of visitors during the four-day event? 'Muse' talked to designers of various generations about their participation in Thailand's biggest fashion trade fair.
Looking back eight years ago when BIFF & BIL first unleashed a new zone to serve as a space for the next generation of designers, the Designers' Room has not only become a shortcut for young fashion entrepreneurs, but it is also now a centre of origin for all Bangkok fashion hot lists-to-be - one role you can say the Designers' Room has been filling successfully.
"I also started from here," said T-ra Chantasawasdee of T-ra, who is among the first generation of designers to emerge from the Designers' Room and was again a representative there this year in its "Next" section.
"It's like a stage where a spotlight is directed at us before we develop other elements of our fashion careers such as brand building and manufacturing for the export market. However, I think there still remains some ongoing problems that prohibit the fair from doing more for the Thai fashion scene."
Propelling the local fashion industry is the goal of the government sector, which undoubtedly had this in mind when they initiated the fair. However, the problems the fair presents aren't due to the lack of potential of the designers or the limitations of production infrastructure as much as many might think. Instead, the organisation of the fair and the lack of strategy standards to provide visitors with accurate and useful information is more to blame.
"I think the zoning, public relations approach and the format of the fair may not yet be clear and attractive enough," pointed Kloset Red Carpet's Nat Mangkang, who has become an international fashion fair regular thanks to Kloset's popularity overseas.
It's undeniable that this year's Designers' Room received special attention compared to previous years, with all participating brands being divided into three groups: 20 in "New", designers who have just started their brand; 32 in "Now", the brand is firmly founded and developing; and 12 in "Next", brands with potential to expand to the international market. Joining these 60-plus brands were BFS members to give the event an added attraction.
Despite incorporating participation from diverse players in the fashion industry, including the textile sector, BIFF & BIL somewhat received less attention than expected. "This is probably due to the current economic crisis and social problems as well as the location. This year's fair is quite quiet," said Prachaya Chaikeeree, a designer from Phil who participated in the "New" section. In addition, he further pointed out that many saw the fair as more of a market for picking up good, simliar to a factory outlet, rather than a fashion showcase, which it was intended to be.
"Of course we have some good interaction from investors and buyers, but in general many people see it as a sales fair," he said.
In agreement with Prachaya's remarks, Nat elaborated that more brands and better categorisation are essential in giving the fair a boost. "Big brands alone cannot attract the general public. And it's necessary to have a clear and strong image that encapsulate the essence of Thai fashion in order to trigger their interest."
Problems aside, participating brands - both regulars and newcomers - could see a bright path ahead. "I think it's one channel for us, where we can meet new groups of customers who have no opportunities to visit our shops. This is where they can meet us," said Saitarn Karncharanwong of Papercuts and The Pencil Sharpener, a participant in the "Now" section. "Whether they come here for the sales or to really check out our collections, we still regard it as one important way to increase customer's awareness of our brand."
But is simply boosting the level of brand awareness sufficient to propel the fair into becoming an international trade fair in the long run?
"It's not that [Thailand] receives little attention from international buyers. Take Chatuchak Weekend Market, for example. A large number of international buyers visit there to find stuff to sell in their own shops," Nat explained.
"And that's because Chatuchak is truly an all-in-one centre for goods. There needs to be a vast diversity of products to promote a buying atmosphere instead of being just an exhibition and fashion showcase."
But in the end, everyone seems to agree that the potential of Thai designers and the number of quality brands in the Kingdom are sufficient enough to propel the Thai fashion scene to a better level, hopefully assisted by an extra shot in the arm from the government sector.
"We also have the opportunity to participate in a fair in Paris, which is such great support from the government," said T-ra, who also revealed that the 12 brands in the "Next" section will participate at the Pret-A-Porter trade fair in a few weeks time - certainly a good attempt at pushing the Designers' Room to become a strong project that contributes to designers more than just a one-off appearance at BIFF & BIL.
Despite the small number of visitors and low amount of orders placed, one thing all the designers agree on - even during this economic slump and political mess - is that they are confident of a better future for the Thai fashion industry so long as the government continues its ardent support.
"Every fair has both good and bad points. But what we all gain is experience, which accumulates every year and enables us to move slowly forward as we intend to," T-ra concluded.
One role that all trade fairs need to fulfil is to bring manufacturers closer to buyers, which is particularly pivotal to budding brands that strive to survive through expanding their customer-base in both the domestic and international markets. The Designers' Room, mostly serves as a springboard for up-and-coming designers to test the market, a place deserving of close inspection to ensure that the section has functioned to its full capacity as the meeting point for designers and potential customers.
Of the vast and diverse range of activities the fair offered, the Southern Culture & Fashion section came closest to reflecting the most interesting future direction of the local fashion design scene. Bringing trend, style and quality materials to highly skilled craftsmen in remote areas while bringing their own artistic touch back to top designers in the form of fabrics of exquisite prints, the programme successfully bridged the gap between contemporary fashion design and traditional craftsmanship - a promising direction for the future of the Thai fashion industry.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS No sooner than the exclusive launch of their new collection had just premiered last month, the collective of hard-working designers, Bangkok Fashion Society, were busying themselves once again for BIFF & BIL 2009, where they participated in several programmes to represent the image of contemporary Thai fashion. But was their celebrated appearance and special sales campaign sufficient to ensure the aspired number of visitors during the four-day event? 'Muse' talked to designers of various generations about their participation in Thailand's biggest fashion trade fair.
Looking back eight years ago when BIFF & BIL first unleashed a new zone to serve as a space for the next generation of designers, the Designers' Room has not only become a shortcut for young fashion entrepreneurs, but it is also now a centre of origin for all Bangkok fashion hot lists-to-be - one role you can say the Designers' Room has been filling successfully.
"I also started from here," said T-ra Chantasawasdee of T-ra, who is among the first generation of designers to emerge from the Designers' Room and was again a representative there this year in its "Next" section.
"It's like a stage where a spotlight is directed at us before we develop other elements of our fashion careers such as brand building and manufacturing for the export market. However, I think there still remains some ongoing problems that prohibit the fair from doing more for the Thai fashion scene."
Propelling the local fashion industry is the goal of the government sector, which undoubtedly had this in mind when they initiated the fair. However, the problems the fair presents aren't due to the lack of potential of the designers or the limitations of production infrastructure as much as many might think. Instead, the organisation of the fair and the lack of strategy standards to provide visitors with accurate and useful information is more to blame.
"I think the zoning, public relations approach and the format of the fair may not yet be clear and attractive enough," pointed Kloset Red Carpet's Nat Mangkang, who has become an international fashion fair regular thanks to Kloset's popularity overseas.
It's undeniable that this year's Designers' Room received special attention compared to previous years, with all participating brands being divided into three groups: 20 in "New", designers who have just started their brand; 32 in "Now", the brand is firmly founded and developing; and 12 in "Next", brands with potential to expand to the international market. Joining these 60-plus brands were BFS members to give the event an added attraction.
Despite incorporating participation from diverse players in the fashion industry, including the textile sector, BIFF & BIL somewhat received less attention than expected. "This is probably due to the current economic crisis and social problems as well as the location. This year's fair is quite quiet," said Prachaya Chaikeeree, a designer from Phil who participated in the "New" section. In addition, he further pointed out that many saw the fair as more of a market for picking up good, simliar to a factory outlet, rather than a fashion showcase, which it was intended to be.
"Of course we have some good interaction from investors and buyers, but in general many people see it as a sales fair," he said.
In agreement with Prachaya's remarks, Nat elaborated that more brands and better categorisation are essential in giving the fair a boost. "Big brands alone cannot attract the general public. And it's necessary to have a clear and strong image that encapsulate the essence of Thai fashion in order to trigger their interest."
Problems aside, participating brands - both regulars and newcomers - could see a bright path ahead. "I think it's one channel for us, where we can meet new groups of customers who have no opportunities to visit our shops. This is where they can meet us," said Saitarn Karncharanwong of Papercuts and The Pencil Sharpener, a participant in the "Now" section. "Whether they come here for the sales or to really check out our collections, we still regard it as one important way to increase customer's awareness of our brand."
But is simply boosting the level of brand awareness sufficient to propel the fair into becoming an international trade fair in the long run?
"It's not that [Thailand] receives little attention from international buyers. Take Chatuchak Weekend Market, for example. A large number of international buyers visit there to find stuff to sell in their own shops," Nat explained.
"And that's because Chatuchak is truly an all-in-one centre for goods. There needs to be a vast diversity of products to promote a buying atmosphere instead of being just an exhibition and fashion showcase."
But in the end, everyone seems to agree that the potential of Thai designers and the number of quality brands in the Kingdom are sufficient enough to propel the Thai fashion scene to a better level, hopefully assisted by an extra shot in the arm from the government sector.
"We also have the opportunity to participate in a fair in Paris, which is such great support from the government," said T-ra, who also revealed that the 12 brands in the "Next" section will participate at the Pret-A-Porter trade fair in a few weeks time - certainly a good attempt at pushing the Designers' Room to become a strong project that contributes to designers more than just a one-off appearance at BIFF & BIL.
Despite the small number of visitors and low amount of orders placed, one thing all the designers agree on - even during this economic slump and political mess - is that they are confident of a better future for the Thai fashion industry so long as the government continues its ardent support.
"Every fair has both good and bad points. But what we all gain is experience, which accumulates every year and enables us to move slowly forward as we intend to," T-ra concluded.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Fabrics of the future
While fashionistas look forward to the new design collections for each season, there are a number of talents who focus more on developing natural fabrics and even experimenting on new materials with the aim to produce the hitech textiles of the future.
Have you ever wondered what kind of outfits you and the new generation will have a chance to put on in the near future?Do you wish to witness for yourself how technological developments can turn the world of textiles to a new light?
Now running at Jim Thompson Art Centre, Soi Kasem San 2, off Rama I Road, is
the "Futurotextiles: Surprising textiles, Design & Art" exhibition,which will take visitors on a journey beyond time to discover the future world of textiles.
Presenting today's visionary fabrics that could turn into future reality, this travelling exhibition merges science,technology and art with all kind of tetiles. The objects, applications, and works are inspired by the wildest dreams and invent today our hopes for tomorrow.
After the success of the exhibition in France, Turkey and Belgium during the past three years, the touring module presents a significant selection of these concrete visions of tomorrow's textiles which modify our relationship to the world, to our environment and ourselves.
Visitors will discover the world of tex-tiles - to appropriate for themselves their incredible diversity, from fibre to weaving and mesh, to composites and non-woven textiles.
Besides showing how today's textiles are becoming technical, innovative and intelligent, the touring module also provides visitors with an artistic, playful and poetic voyage with the creations of the greatest designers of recent years.
The main themes include:Discovery of textiles showcases the new fibres, what the world of textiles means and what the fabrics of tomorrow will be.
Hometex sees textiles in furniture and the creations of designers' integrating textiles and composite materials.
Clothtex features interactive clothes and haute-couture designs with a futuristic accent.
Mobiletex discovers the use of composite materials in the transport sector.
Protex presents the textiles used in the area of protection - high-resistance to fire, heat and external damage.
Buildtex displays architectural projects integrating textiles.
Geotex shows textiles used in basements or in agriculture.
Medtex is devoted to the uses of textiles in medicine such as prostheses and implants.
Held in collaboration with the Embassy of France and Alliance Francaธise, the exhibition is open daily from 9am-5pm, until Oct 16. Admission is free of charge.RT
For more information, call 02-219-2911 or email artcenter@jimthompsonhouse.com.
Have you ever wondered what kind of outfits you and the new generation will have a chance to put on in the near future?Do you wish to witness for yourself how technological developments can turn the world of textiles to a new light?
Now running at Jim Thompson Art Centre, Soi Kasem San 2, off Rama I Road, is
the "Futurotextiles: Surprising textiles, Design & Art" exhibition,which will take visitors on a journey beyond time to discover the future world of textiles.
Presenting today's visionary fabrics that could turn into future reality, this travelling exhibition merges science,technology and art with all kind of tetiles. The objects, applications, and works are inspired by the wildest dreams and invent today our hopes for tomorrow.
After the success of the exhibition in France, Turkey and Belgium during the past three years, the touring module presents a significant selection of these concrete visions of tomorrow's textiles which modify our relationship to the world, to our environment and ourselves.
Visitors will discover the world of tex-tiles - to appropriate for themselves their incredible diversity, from fibre to weaving and mesh, to composites and non-woven textiles.
Besides showing how today's textiles are becoming technical, innovative and intelligent, the touring module also provides visitors with an artistic, playful and poetic voyage with the creations of the greatest designers of recent years.
The main themes include:Discovery of textiles showcases the new fibres, what the world of textiles means and what the fabrics of tomorrow will be.
Hometex sees textiles in furniture and the creations of designers' integrating textiles and composite materials.
Clothtex features interactive clothes and haute-couture designs with a futuristic accent.
Mobiletex discovers the use of composite materials in the transport sector.
Protex presents the textiles used in the area of protection - high-resistance to fire, heat and external damage.
Buildtex displays architectural projects integrating textiles.
Geotex shows textiles used in basements or in agriculture.
Medtex is devoted to the uses of textiles in medicine such as prostheses and implants.
Held in collaboration with the Embassy of France and Alliance Francaธise, the exhibition is open daily from 9am-5pm, until Oct 16. Admission is free of charge.RT
For more information, call 02-219-2911 or email artcenter@jimthompsonhouse.com.
Prostitutes take to catwalk for one-night fashion show
Prostitutes became models for a night in Rio as they paraded the latest collection of their Daspu brand,founded four years ago to fight discrimination against their profession in Brazil.
The voluptuous mannequins cheerfully exhibited the colourful wear during a nighttime catwalk of sorts, showing off the summer 2010 collection -"Farofa (fried manioc flour) caviar!"- inspired by bar and nightclub culture.
They swaggered, hips jutting forward,on a red carpet laid in the middle of Tiradentes Square, in the heart of a decaying historic neighbourhood where about 300 prostitutes still work.
"When my hooker girlfriends parade pretty and proud, they are speaking about themselves and become revolutionaries,"said Gabriela Leite,57, after the show.
The former prostitute launched the Daspu label - a play of words on das putas (for the whores) and the posh Daslu department store in Sao Paulo.She also heads Davida, a nongovernmental group for Aids prevention and the protection of prostitutes' rights.
The new collection, created in collaboration with designers from the southeastern Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte,sought to show that prostitutes feast on farofa - a dish popular among the poorer classes - but also caviar, champagne and cachaca, a sugar cane liquor.
The clothes sported inscriptions like "Daspu a la carte","Whore serving" or "Puta libre", a reference to the Cuba libre rum cocktail.
This year, the fashion show closed an event organised by the city to "celebrate health and citizenship" that was supported by artists and circus dancers.
Daspu was launched in 2005 as a way for prostitutes to gain regular income while also fighting preconceptions of people affected with Aids. Sales revenues are reinvested into initiatives combating sexually transmitted diseases.
The voluptuous mannequins cheerfully exhibited the colourful wear during a nighttime catwalk of sorts, showing off the summer 2010 collection -"Farofa (fried manioc flour) caviar!"- inspired by bar and nightclub culture.
They swaggered, hips jutting forward,on a red carpet laid in the middle of Tiradentes Square, in the heart of a decaying historic neighbourhood where about 300 prostitutes still work.
"When my hooker girlfriends parade pretty and proud, they are speaking about themselves and become revolutionaries,"said Gabriela Leite,57, after the show.
The former prostitute launched the Daspu label - a play of words on das putas (for the whores) and the posh Daslu department store in Sao Paulo.She also heads Davida, a nongovernmental group for Aids prevention and the protection of prostitutes' rights.
The new collection, created in collaboration with designers from the southeastern Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte,sought to show that prostitutes feast on farofa - a dish popular among the poorer classes - but also caviar, champagne and cachaca, a sugar cane liquor.
The clothes sported inscriptions like "Daspu a la carte","Whore serving" or "Puta libre", a reference to the Cuba libre rum cocktail.
This year, the fashion show closed an event organised by the city to "celebrate health and citizenship" that was supported by artists and circus dancers.
Daspu was launched in 2005 as a way for prostitutes to gain regular income while also fighting preconceptions of people affected with Aids. Sales revenues are reinvested into initiatives combating sexually transmitted diseases.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thai bikinis rule!
With the Miss Universe Contest 2009 all wrapped up, ICC International PCL can give themselves a pat on the back for their contribution to the success of the event. After all, they provided the BSC swimsuits for all the contestants during the sunshine days in the Bahamas.
This is a source of pride for BSC, a local Thai company, whose swimsuits and bikinis have adorned the Miss Universe set for the past five years. This year, they sent almost 600 swimsuits for the 84 contestants. The design theme this year was "Natural and Environmental Conservation" with the colour theme being turquoise and coral, the hot colour trend for 2010, which also reflected the beauty of the Bahamas.
Highlight of the swimsuit collection was the hand-embroidered coloured stones and coral beads to add to the luxury look.
Two different designs were provided for the event: the Competition Suit in coral and the Fun Suit in turquoise.
The competition suit was available in both one-piece and bikini. The bikini had a white embroidered top while the onepiece suit was coral with embroidered stones. Needless to say, all the contestants chose the bikini for the competition.
The Fun Suit in turquoise was worn during activities and photo shoots.
Apparently, the swimsuits were so attractive that even Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe pageant, asked to take one back with her as a memento of the event in the Bahamas.
This is a source of pride for BSC, a local Thai company, whose swimsuits and bikinis have adorned the Miss Universe set for the past five years. This year, they sent almost 600 swimsuits for the 84 contestants. The design theme this year was "Natural and Environmental Conservation" with the colour theme being turquoise and coral, the hot colour trend for 2010, which also reflected the beauty of the Bahamas.
Highlight of the swimsuit collection was the hand-embroidered coloured stones and coral beads to add to the luxury look.
Two different designs were provided for the event: the Competition Suit in coral and the Fun Suit in turquoise.
The competition suit was available in both one-piece and bikini. The bikini had a white embroidered top while the onepiece suit was coral with embroidered stones. Needless to say, all the contestants chose the bikini for the competition.
The Fun Suit in turquoise was worn during activities and photo shoots.
Apparently, the swimsuits were so attractive that even Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe pageant, asked to take one back with her as a memento of the event in the Bahamas.
Textile focus is on eco-friendly fibres
The future of the Thai textile industry is likely to lie in functional and eco-friendly textiles that fit with growing environmental awareness, said the Thailand Textile Institute.
"If we take a look at past consumption trends, consumers tended to look at design. However, nowadays they look at the overall function of clothing and whether it helps protect the environment," said THTI executive-director Virat Tandaechanurat.
"They [customers] want function,fashion and eco-textiles. Nowadays many people are crazy about the environment."
Natural fibres for commercial use that the institute has developed are now ready to be introduced to the market.
Under partial funding by the Office of Industrial Economics, the THTI has been researching functional textile for commercial purposes since last year.This year, two of the fibres - banana fibre and coconut charcoal in polyester fibre - won the Design Excellence Award 2009.
Burnt coconut shells, when turned into activated carbon charcoal and mixed with polyester fibre, create a textile with 1% moisture absorption that can resist up to 80% of bacteria.
Clothing made from coconut charcoal fibres would improve wearers' comfort and reduce odour from bacteria in garments such as socks.
The innovative coconut charcoal in polyester fibre was developed in only six months through a collaboration between the THTI and researchers from educational institutions and manufacturers such as TTL Industries Plc, Salee Colour Plc and Sunflag (Thailand) Ltd.
"Thailand has a lot of coconut shells lying around and people do not benefit from them. We can make use of the carbon function," said Mr Virat.
The institute focuses on exploring materials that can replace widely used synthetic fibres made from chemical polyester.
"The textile industry looks at benefits and functions as well, not only fashion.Therefore raw material will play a very significant role. In the future, people will be asking whether this shirt causes harm to the environment," he said.
So-called functional textiles have special properties due to fibre and fabric technologies. For example, comfort, endurance and lack of odour are desirable in garments.
"In children's clothing, for instance,people have been asking whether it is fireproof or not. Therefore, we, as manufacturers, need to prepare and study the market closely," said Mr Virat.
SET-listed People's Garment recently introduced the CoolMode fabric label,initiated by the Thai Textile Institute to encourage operators toproduce environment-friendly fabrics.
Thailand's pioneering of coconut charcoal in polyester fibre will encourage manufacturers to invest both in producing the fibre and clothing, he said.
The fibre is environment-friendly,as activated carbon from the process can be used in other industries, and polyester can be used as bioplastics in the future.
"This way, we will be using plants instead of petrochemicals," he said.
The new fibre could also offer cost savings. Thailand produces little natural fibre but imports almost 400,000 tonnes of cotton and silk per year at a cost of almost 50 billion baht. Ninety percent of cotton used in the country is imported,he said.
"Therefore if there are other fibres that can be used with them [cotton and silk], it will lower production costs," he said.
Of the 17 factories in Thailand producing synthetic fibres,90% produce polyester.
The THTI also plans to develop natural fibres from plants such as hemp or kanchong ."We have been in the right direction in our research over the past five years.We don't receive any money, but I consider it to boost the industry's competitiveness, since it will create product differentiation in the market," said Mr Virat.
"In the fashion industry, differentiation and variety are the most important components, but we also have to have a quick response to customers, which comes from a strong supply chain. This is then integrated with creating products that answer consumers' demands."
"If we take a look at past consumption trends, consumers tended to look at design. However, nowadays they look at the overall function of clothing and whether it helps protect the environment," said THTI executive-director Virat Tandaechanurat.
"They [customers] want function,fashion and eco-textiles. Nowadays many people are crazy about the environment."
Natural fibres for commercial use that the institute has developed are now ready to be introduced to the market.
Under partial funding by the Office of Industrial Economics, the THTI has been researching functional textile for commercial purposes since last year.This year, two of the fibres - banana fibre and coconut charcoal in polyester fibre - won the Design Excellence Award 2009.
Burnt coconut shells, when turned into activated carbon charcoal and mixed with polyester fibre, create a textile with 1% moisture absorption that can resist up to 80% of bacteria.
Clothing made from coconut charcoal fibres would improve wearers' comfort and reduce odour from bacteria in garments such as socks.
The innovative coconut charcoal in polyester fibre was developed in only six months through a collaboration between the THTI and researchers from educational institutions and manufacturers such as TTL Industries Plc, Salee Colour Plc and Sunflag (Thailand) Ltd.
"Thailand has a lot of coconut shells lying around and people do not benefit from them. We can make use of the carbon function," said Mr Virat.
The institute focuses on exploring materials that can replace widely used synthetic fibres made from chemical polyester.
"The textile industry looks at benefits and functions as well, not only fashion.Therefore raw material will play a very significant role. In the future, people will be asking whether this shirt causes harm to the environment," he said.
So-called functional textiles have special properties due to fibre and fabric technologies. For example, comfort, endurance and lack of odour are desirable in garments.
"In children's clothing, for instance,people have been asking whether it is fireproof or not. Therefore, we, as manufacturers, need to prepare and study the market closely," said Mr Virat.
SET-listed People's Garment recently introduced the CoolMode fabric label,initiated by the Thai Textile Institute to encourage operators toproduce environment-friendly fabrics.
Thailand's pioneering of coconut charcoal in polyester fibre will encourage manufacturers to invest both in producing the fibre and clothing, he said.
The fibre is environment-friendly,as activated carbon from the process can be used in other industries, and polyester can be used as bioplastics in the future.
"This way, we will be using plants instead of petrochemicals," he said.
The new fibre could also offer cost savings. Thailand produces little natural fibre but imports almost 400,000 tonnes of cotton and silk per year at a cost of almost 50 billion baht. Ninety percent of cotton used in the country is imported,he said.
"Therefore if there are other fibres that can be used with them [cotton and silk], it will lower production costs," he said.
Of the 17 factories in Thailand producing synthetic fibres,90% produce polyester.
The THTI also plans to develop natural fibres from plants such as hemp or kanchong ."We have been in the right direction in our research over the past five years.We don't receive any money, but I consider it to boost the industry's competitiveness, since it will create product differentiation in the market," said Mr Virat.
"In the fashion industry, differentiation and variety are the most important components, but we also have to have a quick response to customers, which comes from a strong supply chain. This is then integrated with creating products that answer consumers' demands."
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
THE SUBTLE SIDE OF THE SEAM
When the word "fashion" is uttered,most people jump immediately to thoughts of design elaborations, overthe-top couture,deconstruction garments or screaming, sharp-tongued individuals prancing around. But JBB*by Jirawat "Bote" Benchakarn revels on the more subtle side of fashion aesthetics. The 2-year-old menswear brand has been gradually establishing a solid reputation as a forerunner of poignant simplicity and detailed cuttings with a meticulous penchant for definitive styles. Without any hoopla or unnecessary hype, JBB* has made its name through word of mouth, which has reached far and beyond. Snuggled up a tiny corner of the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok, fashionistas,trendsetters, designers and musicians have fallen under JBB*'s understated charms and timeless designs that come with little twists. The brand has turned into a must-have for less showy men who appreciate clothes.
With one man at the helm, JBB* offers basic items - shirts,pants, shorts, suits, jackets - to stylish men. Not taking cue from other menswear brands, Jirawat's designs are to be worn on a regular basis. At first glance, the clothes might come off as another formal, office inspired affair, but a closer inspection will reveal their intricate, precise finesse that is hard to come by these days. The modern classic designs are accompanied by comfort, fine materials and crisp patterns that call for point-topoint tailor-made construction from cutting, interlining, interfacing and stitching to hemming, right to the very last details. The sizing is also adjusted to fit regular Thai men.
"I don't really have a brand philosophy. I just want to offer people what I like. I can only hope that others will like it to. It began out of frustration. I couldn't really find what I wanted in Thailand, so I could see that there was a gap, and I wanted to fill that. My clothes are plain and simple but never conservative,"said Jirawat.
"No matter how out there you are in terms of fashion, you still want to have simple things in your closet. The simplicity that my brand conveys also allows wearers to be imaginative and to accessorise,appropriating the item as their own. Fashion-minded individuals would know how to match my clothes with other things while regular guys can also wear them and go about their usual business," he added.
Jirawat "Bote" Benchakarn has a certain je ne sais quoi that puts people at ease. His genteel manners when coupled with his soft, polite tones are in contrast to his speech, which speeds up when he gets going.Jirawat can discuss his passion for fabric sourcing at
length without boring an audience, for his enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge has been garnered first-hand.Jirawat's baby face and porcelain skin could knock a decade off his 31 years, and his attitude verges on being both a bright-eyed youth who wants cotton candy and a wise businessman who understands what it takes to endure -amost welcomed mix in the fashion industry. If judged solely by his crisp designed and prim work desk, it's almost automatic to assume his personality would be the same.
"I guess I'm messy sometimes," he said."Take a look inside my tote! I'd like to think of myself as easy going, but people around me would beg to differ. They always say I'm meticulous with my stuff ... from eating to personal items. There's a contrast in the mix, I'd say."
His attention to details is so deep-rooted that he refuses to use the same tailors and seamstresses for everything. Jirawat has located specialists for each type of clothing. Pant- and shirt-makers will only stick to pants and shirts,and suit or jacket masters will handle nothing else.
"There are people who can do everything,but the people that I chose are craftsmen and craftswomen. Those who are experts with shirts usually don't do as well with pants. They're totally different arts. If they excel in one thing,they should stick to it. It wasn't easy finding them," said Jirawat.
Surprisingly, Jirawat wasn't interested in fashion as a child. He said he had no sense of style, and didn't know what to wear. He became enamoured once he hit high school.
"I have to say the fashion in Thailand in the '80s was rather sad, so there was nothing that captured my interest. I didn't really care. But when the '90s rolled around, and minimalist designers such as Helmut Lang or Prada got my attention, I became very interested and eager. I'd never seen anything like it before.The forms were so pure. I began to follow closely."
When the times came for him to choose his college major, his family advised against a full-blown fashion designing degree since back then it wasn't so en vogue to take up fashion or design studies as it is now. So his seniors suggested to compromise and enroll in a fashion merchandising and marketing degree at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.
"During the first year, everyone had to do foundation courses which included designing and pattern-making. I wasn't so good at sewing,but I did quite well when it came to drawing.A professor somehow spotted something in my drawings, and asked me to switch my major to fashion design. He spent a semester convincing me, and at the end I told my parents about his persistence, and they became convinced too that I should switch,"he said.
But it wasn't all rosy after he finally got to study what he wanted."I wasn't very good at pattern-making. That was my weakest point. I
stayed later than classmates to catch up. I worked harder to compensate for my lack."
The effort has definitely paid off. Until today, Jirawat said the handiwork skills he was taught in school helps him spot flaws and sharpened his eyes even if he doesn't do his own patterns. But a more immediate reward during his school days was receiving a year-long scholarship to study at the Chambre Syndicale De La Couture Paris School, where they specialise in couture crafts.
"It was a great experience. The school stresses on technical aspects rather than being design driven. I learned so many skills from there. They teach you to do everything by hands. Even the pattern is not done on paper. They call it 'moulage'. It's using cloths to drape them on mannequins to make patterns. Of course, my head was spinning, but it was a good learning curve. When I went back to the US to finish my degree, I was among the top of the class when it came to pattern!"
After graduation, Jirawant experienced emotional turmoil that left him confused. Instead of looking for a job abroad where the fashion industry would have been more thriving and aggressive, Jirawat chose to return home.
"I was going through a lot of things. I didn't know how I felt, but I knew I had to come home. And back then the Amerian fashion industry was rather conservative and commercialised unlike now. There weren't people like Thakoon, Alexander Wang or Phillip Lim. I thought about it, and I came to the conclusion that I could work from wherever I was, and I also could be happy anywhere in the world as long as I was happy inside. I still feel the same way."
Upon his return, Jirawat took on made-to-order jobs from his social circles. He remembers being full of fresh ideas and having a tendency to deconstruct clothes for his buyers. The homegrown business went on for almost two years, and Jirawat began to feel like launching his own brand. But a lack of business stronghold prevented him from going ahead full steam. He considered furthering his education in business, but another opportunity beckoned. He learned that Club 21 was looking for an assistant buyer. He jumped at the chance and applied for the coveted position.
"When I went for an interview, I told them honestly that my real aspiration was to have my own brand which they accepted, and they gave me a chance.It was a great job. I learned a lot from it. I learned the business side of things.It's the kind of job that you must be well rounded. You must be able to monitor and forecast trends as well as understand demands and buying statistics. I had fun."
Jirawat spent three years at Club 21, and two years ago, he quit to pursue his dream. He simply set up a small outlet that required no one in the company but himself. Trusted tailors and seamstresses are retained and paid accordingly. The business now, he said, is going rather well with his customers, who understand the brand and its footholds. Asked if he faced any initial obstacles when first starting up, Jirawat paused to ponder.
"I'd say it's still the same problem as in today. It's so hard to find skilled,trained workers. The really good ones either have passed away or are quite old. I've tried to analyse why Thais are lacking in this area. I guess it's because the art of tailoring is from the West, and it doesn't pay well here. They get paid per piece while their Western counterparts get paid for each hour they put into a creation. In order to make ends meet, a lot of workers cut out a lot of aspects of the process - the kind of aspects that pay attention to details and address complication. So you end up getting short-changed. The ones I'm working with now are great. It took me a while to locate them, but it's worth it."
Jirawat also pays no heed to staging a fashion show. Not that he's taking a grand stand against the industry, but he feels that his clothes must be looked upon closely rather than from a distance. The international market will also have to wait as he won't venture overseas until he's sure-footed.
"I don't have any big plans at the moment. I just want to expand my suiting line, and have more clothing categories in the shop. I'd like to see the sizing more standardised," he said.
"I'm looking for more clarity."
With one man at the helm, JBB* offers basic items - shirts,pants, shorts, suits, jackets - to stylish men. Not taking cue from other menswear brands, Jirawat's designs are to be worn on a regular basis. At first glance, the clothes might come off as another formal, office inspired affair, but a closer inspection will reveal their intricate, precise finesse that is hard to come by these days. The modern classic designs are accompanied by comfort, fine materials and crisp patterns that call for point-topoint tailor-made construction from cutting, interlining, interfacing and stitching to hemming, right to the very last details. The sizing is also adjusted to fit regular Thai men.
"I don't really have a brand philosophy. I just want to offer people what I like. I can only hope that others will like it to. It began out of frustration. I couldn't really find what I wanted in Thailand, so I could see that there was a gap, and I wanted to fill that. My clothes are plain and simple but never conservative,"said Jirawat.
"No matter how out there you are in terms of fashion, you still want to have simple things in your closet. The simplicity that my brand conveys also allows wearers to be imaginative and to accessorise,appropriating the item as their own. Fashion-minded individuals would know how to match my clothes with other things while regular guys can also wear them and go about their usual business," he added.
Jirawat "Bote" Benchakarn has a certain je ne sais quoi that puts people at ease. His genteel manners when coupled with his soft, polite tones are in contrast to his speech, which speeds up when he gets going.Jirawat can discuss his passion for fabric sourcing at
length without boring an audience, for his enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge has been garnered first-hand.Jirawat's baby face and porcelain skin could knock a decade off his 31 years, and his attitude verges on being both a bright-eyed youth who wants cotton candy and a wise businessman who understands what it takes to endure -amost welcomed mix in the fashion industry. If judged solely by his crisp designed and prim work desk, it's almost automatic to assume his personality would be the same.
"I guess I'm messy sometimes," he said."Take a look inside my tote! I'd like to think of myself as easy going, but people around me would beg to differ. They always say I'm meticulous with my stuff ... from eating to personal items. There's a contrast in the mix, I'd say."
His attention to details is so deep-rooted that he refuses to use the same tailors and seamstresses for everything. Jirawat has located specialists for each type of clothing. Pant- and shirt-makers will only stick to pants and shirts,and suit or jacket masters will handle nothing else.
"There are people who can do everything,but the people that I chose are craftsmen and craftswomen. Those who are experts with shirts usually don't do as well with pants. They're totally different arts. If they excel in one thing,they should stick to it. It wasn't easy finding them," said Jirawat.
Surprisingly, Jirawat wasn't interested in fashion as a child. He said he had no sense of style, and didn't know what to wear. He became enamoured once he hit high school.
"I have to say the fashion in Thailand in the '80s was rather sad, so there was nothing that captured my interest. I didn't really care. But when the '90s rolled around, and minimalist designers such as Helmut Lang or Prada got my attention, I became very interested and eager. I'd never seen anything like it before.The forms were so pure. I began to follow closely."
When the times came for him to choose his college major, his family advised against a full-blown fashion designing degree since back then it wasn't so en vogue to take up fashion or design studies as it is now. So his seniors suggested to compromise and enroll in a fashion merchandising and marketing degree at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.
"During the first year, everyone had to do foundation courses which included designing and pattern-making. I wasn't so good at sewing,but I did quite well when it came to drawing.A professor somehow spotted something in my drawings, and asked me to switch my major to fashion design. He spent a semester convincing me, and at the end I told my parents about his persistence, and they became convinced too that I should switch,"he said.
But it wasn't all rosy after he finally got to study what he wanted."I wasn't very good at pattern-making. That was my weakest point. I
stayed later than classmates to catch up. I worked harder to compensate for my lack."
The effort has definitely paid off. Until today, Jirawat said the handiwork skills he was taught in school helps him spot flaws and sharpened his eyes even if he doesn't do his own patterns. But a more immediate reward during his school days was receiving a year-long scholarship to study at the Chambre Syndicale De La Couture Paris School, where they specialise in couture crafts.
"It was a great experience. The school stresses on technical aspects rather than being design driven. I learned so many skills from there. They teach you to do everything by hands. Even the pattern is not done on paper. They call it 'moulage'. It's using cloths to drape them on mannequins to make patterns. Of course, my head was spinning, but it was a good learning curve. When I went back to the US to finish my degree, I was among the top of the class when it came to pattern!"
After graduation, Jirawant experienced emotional turmoil that left him confused. Instead of looking for a job abroad where the fashion industry would have been more thriving and aggressive, Jirawat chose to return home.
"I was going through a lot of things. I didn't know how I felt, but I knew I had to come home. And back then the Amerian fashion industry was rather conservative and commercialised unlike now. There weren't people like Thakoon, Alexander Wang or Phillip Lim. I thought about it, and I came to the conclusion that I could work from wherever I was, and I also could be happy anywhere in the world as long as I was happy inside. I still feel the same way."
Upon his return, Jirawat took on made-to-order jobs from his social circles. He remembers being full of fresh ideas and having a tendency to deconstruct clothes for his buyers. The homegrown business went on for almost two years, and Jirawat began to feel like launching his own brand. But a lack of business stronghold prevented him from going ahead full steam. He considered furthering his education in business, but another opportunity beckoned. He learned that Club 21 was looking for an assistant buyer. He jumped at the chance and applied for the coveted position.
"When I went for an interview, I told them honestly that my real aspiration was to have my own brand which they accepted, and they gave me a chance.It was a great job. I learned a lot from it. I learned the business side of things.It's the kind of job that you must be well rounded. You must be able to monitor and forecast trends as well as understand demands and buying statistics. I had fun."
Jirawat spent three years at Club 21, and two years ago, he quit to pursue his dream. He simply set up a small outlet that required no one in the company but himself. Trusted tailors and seamstresses are retained and paid accordingly. The business now, he said, is going rather well with his customers, who understand the brand and its footholds. Asked if he faced any initial obstacles when first starting up, Jirawat paused to ponder.
"I'd say it's still the same problem as in today. It's so hard to find skilled,trained workers. The really good ones either have passed away or are quite old. I've tried to analyse why Thais are lacking in this area. I guess it's because the art of tailoring is from the West, and it doesn't pay well here. They get paid per piece while their Western counterparts get paid for each hour they put into a creation. In order to make ends meet, a lot of workers cut out a lot of aspects of the process - the kind of aspects that pay attention to details and address complication. So you end up getting short-changed. The ones I'm working with now are great. It took me a while to locate them, but it's worth it."
Jirawat also pays no heed to staging a fashion show. Not that he's taking a grand stand against the industry, but he feels that his clothes must be looked upon closely rather than from a distance. The international market will also have to wait as he won't venture overseas until he's sure-footed.
"I don't have any big plans at the moment. I just want to expand my suiting line, and have more clothing categories in the shop. I'd like to see the sizing more standardised," he said.
"I'm looking for more clarity."
Monday, August 24, 2009
EXPORTERS SEEK TAX CUTS FOR REST OF YEAR
The government has been urged to cut withholding and income taxes applying to exporters as an urgent measure to boost export growth in the remaining months of 2009.
The call was made yesterday by exporters themselves, saying that proposed cuts to import duties may be ineffective in bolstering export growth in all sectors.
Next week the Commerce Ministry is to propose a cut in import duties to the Cabinet, as a measure to promote export growth in the second half of the year. The measure was suggested earlier by 23 trade associations.
However, Thai Garment Manufacturers Association secretary-general Wallop Vitanakorn said that import tariffs for his industry were already very low. Only 1-per-cent import duty is payable on yarn and 5 per cent on fabric. Import tariffs on machinery for the indystry are also only 1 per cent, he said.
The Asean-China Free Trade Agreement will also abolish import taxes on textile and fabric imports next year.
To ensure that the government's support measures will help all industrial sectors, the government should cut withholding taxes for all exporters from 3 per cent to 1 per cent instead of cutting import duties, he said.
Although the Finance Ministry may lose some income, it should not face any legal difficulties in cutting withholding taxes to give the export sector temporary help for the remaining month of the year, Wallop said.
He also called for the government to reduce company income taxes from 30 per cent to 25 or 28 per cent for exporters, because high tax collections were part of the burden being carried by exporters.
Wallop said the government had already reduced income taxes for stocl-marketing investors. It should also consider cutting taxes for the export sector, which was a major engine driving Thailand's economic growth.
In addition, to increase liquidity for small- and medium-sizes enterprises (SMEs), Wallop called for government-owned banks to relax the qualifications required for loan finance.
For example, government banks should lower their collateral or mortgage security requirements from 80 to 100 per cent of total loan value to less than 50 per cent for SMEs.
Thai Frozen Foods Association president Panisual Jamnanwej said that in this industry, import tariffs were major burden only for shrimp exporters.
He suggested that the government should consider cutting import tariffs on shrimp feed because this was a major cost of production for shrimp exporters.
To ensure smooth export growth, the government should stabilise the exhcange rate, as the baht's apprecition had caused difficulties for exporters' competitiveness, he said.
A Commerce Ministry source said the Commerce and Finance Ministries had agreed that, instead of cutting taxes related to imports, they should seek new measures that could be implemented more rapidly.
"The ministry has asked exporters from each tradle association to send their opinions, and on which products they want the government to cut import duties. Responses will be returned to the ministry this week for passing on for the Cabinet's approval, as an urgent measure to lower the burden on exporters," the source said.
Previously, a proposal to cut related import tariffs to help exporters was rejected by the Finance Ministry as it involved legal changes.
Nevertheless, the source said cuts to import tariffs should be implemented within a month of receiving Cabinet's approval. This would ensure that exports could return to positive growth next month or in October.
This would help to avoid a drop in exports earlier projected at a contraction of 18 to 20 per cent, and would mean a drop of only 10 to 13 per cent for the entire year, the source said.
The call was made yesterday by exporters themselves, saying that proposed cuts to import duties may be ineffective in bolstering export growth in all sectors.
Next week the Commerce Ministry is to propose a cut in import duties to the Cabinet, as a measure to promote export growth in the second half of the year. The measure was suggested earlier by 23 trade associations.
However, Thai Garment Manufacturers Association secretary-general Wallop Vitanakorn said that import tariffs for his industry were already very low. Only 1-per-cent import duty is payable on yarn and 5 per cent on fabric. Import tariffs on machinery for the indystry are also only 1 per cent, he said.
The Asean-China Free Trade Agreement will also abolish import taxes on textile and fabric imports next year.
To ensure that the government's support measures will help all industrial sectors, the government should cut withholding taxes for all exporters from 3 per cent to 1 per cent instead of cutting import duties, he said.
Although the Finance Ministry may lose some income, it should not face any legal difficulties in cutting withholding taxes to give the export sector temporary help for the remaining month of the year, Wallop said.
He also called for the government to reduce company income taxes from 30 per cent to 25 or 28 per cent for exporters, because high tax collections were part of the burden being carried by exporters.
Wallop said the government had already reduced income taxes for stocl-marketing investors. It should also consider cutting taxes for the export sector, which was a major engine driving Thailand's economic growth.
In addition, to increase liquidity for small- and medium-sizes enterprises (SMEs), Wallop called for government-owned banks to relax the qualifications required for loan finance.
For example, government banks should lower their collateral or mortgage security requirements from 80 to 100 per cent of total loan value to less than 50 per cent for SMEs.
Thai Frozen Foods Association president Panisual Jamnanwej said that in this industry, import tariffs were major burden only for shrimp exporters.
He suggested that the government should consider cutting import tariffs on shrimp feed because this was a major cost of production for shrimp exporters.
To ensure smooth export growth, the government should stabilise the exhcange rate, as the baht's apprecition had caused difficulties for exporters' competitiveness, he said.
A Commerce Ministry source said the Commerce and Finance Ministries had agreed that, instead of cutting taxes related to imports, they should seek new measures that could be implemented more rapidly.
"The ministry has asked exporters from each tradle association to send their opinions, and on which products they want the government to cut import duties. Responses will be returned to the ministry this week for passing on for the Cabinet's approval, as an urgent measure to lower the burden on exporters," the source said.
Previously, a proposal to cut related import tariffs to help exporters was rejected by the Finance Ministry as it involved legal changes.
Nevertheless, the source said cuts to import tariffs should be implemented within a month of receiving Cabinet's approval. This would ensure that exports could return to positive growth next month or in October.
This would help to avoid a drop in exports earlier projected at a contraction of 18 to 20 per cent, and would mean a drop of only 10 to 13 per cent for the entire year, the source said.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Designers, start your engines!
As most of the Western Hemisphere may know,Project Runway was absent as a cultural force for some time while the matter of its broadcast became the subject of a courtroom fight, which seemed to consume as much legal energy as in the case of Bush versus Gore. The dispute involved, among other things,lawsuits between NBC Universal, which owns Bravo, where Project Runway ran for five seasons, and the Weinstein Co, which produces the series. Weinstein had sold the show to Lifetime, NBC claimed it did so unlawfully, and executives from both companies displayed Bridezilla -level nastiness toward each other until the case was settled in April.
Ultimately,Project Runway was permitted to move to Lifetime, and so it goes with a roster of 16 contestants,among them several of the standard archetypes without whom competitive reality television could not thrive.Though the setting has shifted from New York to Los Angeles, the look and feel of the show are essentially unchanged,with Heidi Klum and her Valkyrie manner still doing the hosting and Tim Gunn continuing to bring an Oxford don's comportment to his sartorial mentoring. It is season six, and I still don't know why he is advising people on how to make a halter seem less like a nappy when he looks as though he ought to be helping stalled doctoral candidates complete dissertations on Spenser.
What's jarring is the marriage between the series and its new home.Project Runway isBarneys; Lifetime is Kohl's. The cable outfit that broadcasts Army Wives and Reba reruns maintains an ethos that says:"Viewer, I see your cellulite; I'm down with your fibromyalgia;I know your menopausal misery". Strikingly,however, while Project Runway has been decidedly non-ageist in the past, drawing from designers at different stages in their careers,the current season is loaded with the unwrinkled:nine of the 16 competitors are under 30, possibly a function of the fact that the casting is now conducted by Bunim-Murray, producers of The Real World .And yet there is no mistake that you're watching Lifetime when you encounter Qristyl, a
41-year-old woman who designs plus-size
clothing and makes no excuses."I don't call it plus-size," she tells us,"I call it plussexy." Qristyl is up against the likes of
Ra'mon-Lawrence, who occupies the slot devoted to contestants whose parents must be transitioning to mood stabilisers full-time.Ra'mon-Lawrence,30, had gone to medical school to study neurosurgery but felt the world would be better served if he offered it more offthe-shoulder looks. Though he knew he would be great at neurosurgery, the passion just wasn't there.
Self-doubt belongs to Johnny, a former crystal meth addict who has a breakdown trying to meet the first challenge, which in a concession to the Los Angeles setting involves designing something for the red carpet. Gunn has great compassion for Johnny's terror of failure and goes all therapeutic on him, asking, as if the answer weren't self-evident,"But are you being too hard on you?". When the buttoned-up Gunn tells him to "let it go, let it go", it is as though Ralph Bellamy were instructing someone to try Bikram Yoga.
Every design competition on television seems to require the presence of a lad who doesn't want anyone making assumptions about his sexuality based on what some may consider effete interests. Here we have Logan, who looks as if he could be a hunky quarterback on Friday Night Lights , explaining that he is a strong pattern maker but implying that he doesn't spend his nights at home rewatching Sabrina and talking about Edith Head. As Logan bluntly puts it:"I'm definitely different from a normal fashion designer. I'm more of a guy's guy".
And yet Project Runway remains a celebration of diversity, a homage to what New York's former mayor David N. Dinkins called the "gorgeous mosaic". There are three African-American contestants, along with those with Eastern European last names, Asian ones and Greek ones.Gordana, a designer from South Carolina who speaks with a heavy accent, relays in her introduction that she is from the former Yugoslavia,where had she stayed, she explains, she would have only known about corn and potatoes. The greatest and most innovative US fashion has never come from the Mayflower descended. It has come from those deeply invested in reinvention.Project Runway has absorbed the history lesson.
Ultimately,Project Runway was permitted to move to Lifetime, and so it goes with a roster of 16 contestants,among them several of the standard archetypes without whom competitive reality television could not thrive.Though the setting has shifted from New York to Los Angeles, the look and feel of the show are essentially unchanged,with Heidi Klum and her Valkyrie manner still doing the hosting and Tim Gunn continuing to bring an Oxford don's comportment to his sartorial mentoring. It is season six, and I still don't know why he is advising people on how to make a halter seem less like a nappy when he looks as though he ought to be helping stalled doctoral candidates complete dissertations on Spenser.
What's jarring is the marriage between the series and its new home.Project Runway isBarneys; Lifetime is Kohl's. The cable outfit that broadcasts Army Wives and Reba reruns maintains an ethos that says:"Viewer, I see your cellulite; I'm down with your fibromyalgia;I know your menopausal misery". Strikingly,however, while Project Runway has been decidedly non-ageist in the past, drawing from designers at different stages in their careers,the current season is loaded with the unwrinkled:nine of the 16 competitors are under 30, possibly a function of the fact that the casting is now conducted by Bunim-Murray, producers of The Real World .And yet there is no mistake that you're watching Lifetime when you encounter Qristyl, a
41-year-old woman who designs plus-size
clothing and makes no excuses."I don't call it plus-size," she tells us,"I call it plussexy." Qristyl is up against the likes of
Ra'mon-Lawrence, who occupies the slot devoted to contestants whose parents must be transitioning to mood stabilisers full-time.Ra'mon-Lawrence,30, had gone to medical school to study neurosurgery but felt the world would be better served if he offered it more offthe-shoulder looks. Though he knew he would be great at neurosurgery, the passion just wasn't there.
Self-doubt belongs to Johnny, a former crystal meth addict who has a breakdown trying to meet the first challenge, which in a concession to the Los Angeles setting involves designing something for the red carpet. Gunn has great compassion for Johnny's terror of failure and goes all therapeutic on him, asking, as if the answer weren't self-evident,"But are you being too hard on you?". When the buttoned-up Gunn tells him to "let it go, let it go", it is as though Ralph Bellamy were instructing someone to try Bikram Yoga.
Every design competition on television seems to require the presence of a lad who doesn't want anyone making assumptions about his sexuality based on what some may consider effete interests. Here we have Logan, who looks as if he could be a hunky quarterback on Friday Night Lights , explaining that he is a strong pattern maker but implying that he doesn't spend his nights at home rewatching Sabrina and talking about Edith Head. As Logan bluntly puts it:"I'm definitely different from a normal fashion designer. I'm more of a guy's guy".
And yet Project Runway remains a celebration of diversity, a homage to what New York's former mayor David N. Dinkins called the "gorgeous mosaic". There are three African-American contestants, along with those with Eastern European last names, Asian ones and Greek ones.Gordana, a designer from South Carolina who speaks with a heavy accent, relays in her introduction that she is from the former Yugoslavia,where had she stayed, she explains, she would have only known about corn and potatoes. The greatest and most innovative US fashion has never come from the Mayflower descended. It has come from those deeply invested in reinvention.Project Runway has absorbed the history lesson.
Kids go crazy
The latest thing on the fashion runway is the trendy, quirky clothes for kids from Rhapsody in the Gaysorn mall.
The hoemgrown label established last year by Wannaporn Polshyanonda and her friends is achieving what it set out to do: create something brand new for toodlers.
Showing a love of music and art, the design draw inspiration from rock tunes and graffiti, while some pieces keep it simple in stripes and polk dots.
The cute and playful outfits arfe detailed but functional, utilising well-cut cotton and denim.
Browse around the boutique and be amazed by the range of clothes for kids two to six year old. There are T-shirts, jeans, shorts, blouses, dresses and skirts. most in vivid pinks, blues, purples and reds, with more modest white and black tones as well.
- A long-sleved T-shirt with stripes for Bt590 matches these short jeans priced at Bt 1,490.
- This blue T-shirt with a piano motif costs B620.
- A bowie T-shirt on offer for Bt670, with striped pants for Bt950.
>> TODDLER TOGS
Rhapsody is in the Myth section on the second floor of Gaysorn and open daily from 10 to 8. call (02) 656 1372.
- This bright blue tartan shirt is available for Bt850.
- Smart Purple jeans sell for Bt1,230.
The hoemgrown label established last year by Wannaporn Polshyanonda and her friends is achieving what it set out to do: create something brand new for toodlers.
Showing a love of music and art, the design draw inspiration from rock tunes and graffiti, while some pieces keep it simple in stripes and polk dots.
The cute and playful outfits arfe detailed but functional, utilising well-cut cotton and denim.
Browse around the boutique and be amazed by the range of clothes for kids two to six year old. There are T-shirts, jeans, shorts, blouses, dresses and skirts. most in vivid pinks, blues, purples and reds, with more modest white and black tones as well.
- A long-sleved T-shirt with stripes for Bt590 matches these short jeans priced at Bt 1,490.
- This blue T-shirt with a piano motif costs B620.
- A bowie T-shirt on offer for Bt670, with striped pants for Bt950.
>> TODDLER TOGS
Rhapsody is in the Myth section on the second floor of Gaysorn and open daily from 10 to 8. call (02) 656 1372.
- This bright blue tartan shirt is available for Bt850.
- Smart Purple jeans sell for Bt1,230.
AUDREY BEFORE CHANEL
Perhaps best known for her iconic role in "Amelie" French actess Audrey Tautou takes on another icon in "Coco avant Chanel" ("Coco Before Chanel"), a biographical drama tracing Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's rise from penniless seamstress and cabaret singer to haute couture legend.
In the movie directed by Anne Fontaine, Tautou co-stars with Belgian actor Benoit Poelvoorde, who portrays wealthy playboy Etienne Balsan. While living as a kept woman on his country estate, she adapts his wardrobe and begins to show her trademark style of elegant simplicity. The corset-scorning, free-spirited Coco then embarks on a troubled romance with British indus trialist Boy Capel (American actor Alessandro Nivola).
In this interview provided by film distributor United Home Entertainment, Tautou talks about the preparations she made to protray the steely and determined Coco.
What attracted you most in Coco Chanel's personality? Were there mysterious aspects of it, things people may not be aware of?
What attracted me most her strength. She lied about her youth-the fact that she was an orphan, a self-made person, how she grew up. She was so proud that she didn't want people to feel sorry for her. She wanted to be equal to others, and had a great desire to keep her past, her sufferings, to herself. I think that's what makes this character so mysterious and so powerful.
The clothes are so important in this movie, they are almost characters in themselves.
Yes, because she saw in clothes a way to obtain what she wanted for herself. She wanted freedom in her clothes. They are not accessories of decorations. Before, women were wearing decorations so that people could see that they were rich. Chanel was unique because she knew that elegance comes from inside. She was very clever, very modern, very attentive. So, she invented a new style for herself, She felt that the position and the condition of women couldn't remain the way it was. It was something very personal. She wanted to become somebody.
Did you develop a taste for Chanel as a result of this project?
I've always loved the Chanel style because the clothes are very feminine and very French. I was interested in the Chanel character, and with Anne Fontaine, we agreed to make a movie for people who are not crazy about fashion. That would have been too restrictive, and not interesting.
It's a love story.
Yes, because she is a very Romanesque heroine. Her life and her character are so unusual in that seh is more than what she did. Her personality was even stronger than anything she did.
Can you talk about the two male leads in the film: Benoit Poelvoorde, who plays Balsan; and Alessandro Nivola, who plays Boy Capel?
Benoit is really an excellent actor. I didn't know him personally but I had seen him in films. And Alessandro has an air of charm and mystery. The two men are very different, and it was very important for me to play next to them. Their characters were crucial men in the life of Chanel.
She is sent away from Balsan's chateau a few times, but she always stayed. Is that because she had no choice, or because she had little pride?
I think at first it's because she has no chioice, and also because she is very clever and cunning. She knows how to use Balsan. She knows he is the only way for her to discover this world. And she knows she can be someone.
You've said you like to play strong women: did you feel she was a kindred spirit?
I really admire her integrity, her cleverness, how she was very modern for a woman at this time. I don't know if I really look like her but I am not a person who compromises.
And that is why you identified with Chanel?
Yes, and I like her very much too because she managed in her way to free women.
Did your view of Chanel change after this film? Do you think of her differently now?
Yes, of course, Because I know her better, I am more sensitive towards her. I am very moved by her intelligence and humour.
How did you prepare for the role?
I read the books about her and I watched footage, but she was much older than the period we are concerned with. I wanted to see how she moved and the sparkle in her eyes. And I also looked at a lot of photos.
How did you feel about the scene at the end, which was filmed in her apartment?
It was scary because we were shooting on the mythical staircase with the mirrors, and it was the final scene of the movie. We had only one day to get it right so there was a lot of pressure. And there were lots of people from Chanel there too. So, I was very, very focused.
Was it hard to leave the character when you finished the movie?
No, it was a relief. I had to carry her toughness with me all along the way that was a heavy weight to carry. So I was happy to put it down.
In the movie directed by Anne Fontaine, Tautou co-stars with Belgian actor Benoit Poelvoorde, who portrays wealthy playboy Etienne Balsan. While living as a kept woman on his country estate, she adapts his wardrobe and begins to show her trademark style of elegant simplicity. The corset-scorning, free-spirited Coco then embarks on a troubled romance with British indus trialist Boy Capel (American actor Alessandro Nivola).
In this interview provided by film distributor United Home Entertainment, Tautou talks about the preparations she made to protray the steely and determined Coco.
What attracted you most in Coco Chanel's personality? Were there mysterious aspects of it, things people may not be aware of?
What attracted me most her strength. She lied about her youth-the fact that she was an orphan, a self-made person, how she grew up. She was so proud that she didn't want people to feel sorry for her. She wanted to be equal to others, and had a great desire to keep her past, her sufferings, to herself. I think that's what makes this character so mysterious and so powerful.
The clothes are so important in this movie, they are almost characters in themselves.
Yes, because she saw in clothes a way to obtain what she wanted for herself. She wanted freedom in her clothes. They are not accessories of decorations. Before, women were wearing decorations so that people could see that they were rich. Chanel was unique because she knew that elegance comes from inside. She was very clever, very modern, very attentive. So, she invented a new style for herself, She felt that the position and the condition of women couldn't remain the way it was. It was something very personal. She wanted to become somebody.
Did you develop a taste for Chanel as a result of this project?
I've always loved the Chanel style because the clothes are very feminine and very French. I was interested in the Chanel character, and with Anne Fontaine, we agreed to make a movie for people who are not crazy about fashion. That would have been too restrictive, and not interesting.
It's a love story.
Yes, because she is a very Romanesque heroine. Her life and her character are so unusual in that seh is more than what she did. Her personality was even stronger than anything she did.
Can you talk about the two male leads in the film: Benoit Poelvoorde, who plays Balsan; and Alessandro Nivola, who plays Boy Capel?
Benoit is really an excellent actor. I didn't know him personally but I had seen him in films. And Alessandro has an air of charm and mystery. The two men are very different, and it was very important for me to play next to them. Their characters were crucial men in the life of Chanel.
She is sent away from Balsan's chateau a few times, but she always stayed. Is that because she had no choice, or because she had little pride?
I think at first it's because she has no chioice, and also because she is very clever and cunning. She knows how to use Balsan. She knows he is the only way for her to discover this world. And she knows she can be someone.
You've said you like to play strong women: did you feel she was a kindred spirit?
I really admire her integrity, her cleverness, how she was very modern for a woman at this time. I don't know if I really look like her but I am not a person who compromises.
And that is why you identified with Chanel?
Yes, and I like her very much too because she managed in her way to free women.
Did your view of Chanel change after this film? Do you think of her differently now?
Yes, of course, Because I know her better, I am more sensitive towards her. I am very moved by her intelligence and humour.
How did you prepare for the role?
I read the books about her and I watched footage, but she was much older than the period we are concerned with. I wanted to see how she moved and the sparkle in her eyes. And I also looked at a lot of photos.
How did you feel about the scene at the end, which was filmed in her apartment?
It was scary because we were shooting on the mythical staircase with the mirrors, and it was the final scene of the movie. We had only one day to get it right so there was a lot of pressure. And there were lots of people from Chanel there too. So, I was very, very focused.
Was it hard to leave the character when you finished the movie?
No, it was a relief. I had to carry her toughness with me all along the way that was a heavy weight to carry. So I was happy to put it down.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
WAR IN FASHION
Current battles barely register on designers radar, writes Samantha Critchell from New York
The fashion legacy of World War I includes trench coats and shorter skirts. World War II popularised sportswear, strong shoulders and nipped waists. Vietnam inspired protestdriven army green and fatigues.Wartime has heralded strong periods of US style, yet the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq seem to be barely a blip on the radar of the fashion community.There's been an uptick in camouflage prints and, a few seasons back, a mini boom of the kind of epaulettes typical of military jackets - but those styles were around before the current conflicts, and they'll probably circle back again when they are resolved.
These wars, which began in 2001 and 2003, respectively,"have not been impactful", at least not in obvious ways,says Kathleen Campbell, a fashion historian affiliated with the Goldstein Museum of Design at the University of Minnesota. That minimal effect might be because they are not global wars dominating the conversation in the same sense as the World Wars, nor have there been huge public protests even if they're considered unpopular by some.
However, she adds, when history judges this period with a long-view perspective, an influence - possibly the use of scarves and/or layers like the ones used in those regions to protect against weather extremes might emerge."I think we're too close to analyse the effects now. It's much easier to see in retrospect."
There was no such time lag, though, during World War II, which changed the way those in the US dressed forever.
Because of rationing of materials, domestic manufacturers began using nylon and rayon as alternativen as to silk and wool, and the silhouettes became much leaner - requiring much less fabric.
Style cues were no longer coming from occupied Paris, so US designers stepped up to develop their own casual, separates-driven sensibility. The public was eager to show off its patriotism, making brass buttons and bomber jackets trendy items.
"You haven't seen the military details in fashion now the way you had previously seen them during wars or in the ironic ways they were worn by the counterculture during Vietnam," says Andrew Bolton, curator at Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York.
Apart from an increase in tan-and-brown "desert"coloured camouflage, recent fashion trends do not make such nods to the armed forces.
A practical way of dressing also typically emerges during wartime, while conspicuous consumption comes in times of peace, Bolton says. The last seven-plus years have brought both.
There is a noticeable push of local, homegrown talent at the moment, Bolton notes, although that's probably more driven by the economy than by war."The recession has affected fashion, and the recession is allied to the war in some respects," he says.
The industry's concern right now is to get people shopping again as consumer confidence fell in July yet again. That has meant a revival of some classics that offer a lot of wear and usage instead of super stylised items that don't give a lot of bang for the buck.(Interestingly, many of those versatile US classics have a hint of the '40s in them, especially Claire McCardell's nofuss, no-muss denim, ballet slippers and belted dresses.)
Campbell thinks fashion might be missing an opportunity with its inward focus.
"I have often thought in these past few years, if Yves Saint Laurent was still alive and designing, he'd take the beautiful Afghani layered looks and interpret them beautifully on the runway," she says."They wear a tunic over pants, a vest over tunic - it's really quite beautiful and I don't think anyone has really picked up on that."
Bolton also has observed fewer overseas influences, especially Asian ones, as designers also mine the looks of old-school style icons,such as the late Jackie Kennedy or C.Z. Guest,as inspiration.
Still, it's not in-your-face US patriotism, either.
Tommy Hilfiger did his fair share of stars-and-stripes styles in the late 1990s and especially right after September 11,2001, but you don't see that in his collection now.
"When the Iraq War started,we were expanding a lot in Europe and we decided to pull back on all the red, white and blue," Hilfiger explains."We didn't want to wave the flag in a strong way, for fear the international customer base would not be very positive on that."
There's a way to spin true US fashion, with its strong roots in sportswear, without burdening it with a message other than USbased designers "know how to make some really cool clothes", he says.
Hilfiger has incorporated military-style jackets and pants into recent lines, but it's purposefully done in a preppy tone, he says."I think the Americana will come back at some time, but it will be a different way."
"When I started out in '69, it was a revolution in itself. We were all revolting against the establishment, and we used long hair, bell-bottoms and hippie clothes to make a statement against the establishment. We wanted peace and love, and we felt the politicians wanted commercialism and war," Hilfiger says.
"Now fashion is not as much a political statement, it's just a fashion statement."
The fashion legacy of World War I includes trench coats and shorter skirts. World War II popularised sportswear, strong shoulders and nipped waists. Vietnam inspired protestdriven army green and fatigues.Wartime has heralded strong periods of US style, yet the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq seem to be barely a blip on the radar of the fashion community.There's been an uptick in camouflage prints and, a few seasons back, a mini boom of the kind of epaulettes typical of military jackets - but those styles were around before the current conflicts, and they'll probably circle back again when they are resolved.
These wars, which began in 2001 and 2003, respectively,"have not been impactful", at least not in obvious ways,says Kathleen Campbell, a fashion historian affiliated with the Goldstein Museum of Design at the University of Minnesota. That minimal effect might be because they are not global wars dominating the conversation in the same sense as the World Wars, nor have there been huge public protests even if they're considered unpopular by some.
However, she adds, when history judges this period with a long-view perspective, an influence - possibly the use of scarves and/or layers like the ones used in those regions to protect against weather extremes might emerge."I think we're too close to analyse the effects now. It's much easier to see in retrospect."
There was no such time lag, though, during World War II, which changed the way those in the US dressed forever.
Because of rationing of materials, domestic manufacturers began using nylon and rayon as alternativen as to silk and wool, and the silhouettes became much leaner - requiring much less fabric.
Style cues were no longer coming from occupied Paris, so US designers stepped up to develop their own casual, separates-driven sensibility. The public was eager to show off its patriotism, making brass buttons and bomber jackets trendy items.
"You haven't seen the military details in fashion now the way you had previously seen them during wars or in the ironic ways they were worn by the counterculture during Vietnam," says Andrew Bolton, curator at Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York.
Apart from an increase in tan-and-brown "desert"coloured camouflage, recent fashion trends do not make such nods to the armed forces.
A practical way of dressing also typically emerges during wartime, while conspicuous consumption comes in times of peace, Bolton says. The last seven-plus years have brought both.
There is a noticeable push of local, homegrown talent at the moment, Bolton notes, although that's probably more driven by the economy than by war."The recession has affected fashion, and the recession is allied to the war in some respects," he says.
The industry's concern right now is to get people shopping again as consumer confidence fell in July yet again. That has meant a revival of some classics that offer a lot of wear and usage instead of super stylised items that don't give a lot of bang for the buck.(Interestingly, many of those versatile US classics have a hint of the '40s in them, especially Claire McCardell's nofuss, no-muss denim, ballet slippers and belted dresses.)
Campbell thinks fashion might be missing an opportunity with its inward focus.
"I have often thought in these past few years, if Yves Saint Laurent was still alive and designing, he'd take the beautiful Afghani layered looks and interpret them beautifully on the runway," she says."They wear a tunic over pants, a vest over tunic - it's really quite beautiful and I don't think anyone has really picked up on that."
Bolton also has observed fewer overseas influences, especially Asian ones, as designers also mine the looks of old-school style icons,such as the late Jackie Kennedy or C.Z. Guest,as inspiration.
Still, it's not in-your-face US patriotism, either.
Tommy Hilfiger did his fair share of stars-and-stripes styles in the late 1990s and especially right after September 11,2001, but you don't see that in his collection now.
"When the Iraq War started,we were expanding a lot in Europe and we decided to pull back on all the red, white and blue," Hilfiger explains."We didn't want to wave the flag in a strong way, for fear the international customer base would not be very positive on that."
There's a way to spin true US fashion, with its strong roots in sportswear, without burdening it with a message other than USbased designers "know how to make some really cool clothes", he says.
Hilfiger has incorporated military-style jackets and pants into recent lines, but it's purposefully done in a preppy tone, he says."I think the Americana will come back at some time, but it will be a different way."
"When I started out in '69, it was a revolution in itself. We were all revolting against the establishment, and we used long hair, bell-bottoms and hippie clothes to make a statement against the establishment. We wanted peace and love, and we felt the politicians wanted commercialism and war," Hilfiger says.
"Now fashion is not as much a political statement, it's just a fashion statement."
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Artistic accessories
British designer Paul Smith has teamed up with British artist and Royal Academician Craigie Aitchison to produce a series of limited edition prints used in men's accessories for the Autumn-Winter 2009 collection.
The collection will be launched in October to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair in London. It consists of four styles of men's tie, cufflinks and scarves featuring the bird, dog and boat drawings with which Craigie has become synonymous.
Aitchison began his studies at the Slade School of Fine Art, London, in 1952. His work is characterised by the use of intense,pure colour to describe shape and form in extremely spare compositions. His subject matter is traditional, featuring religious themes, landscapes, portraits and still-lifes.
In 1955 Aitchison was awarded the British Council Italian Government Scholarship for painting and travelled to Italy,where the clear light and natural 'Biblical'landscapes had a profound influence on his work. In 1978 he was elected an associate member and in 1988 a member of the Royal Academy of Art.
His latest exhibition,"The Art of Craigie Aitchison", was held last year at the Paul Smith Space in Tokyo. In 2009, Aitchison received an honorary Doctorate of Arts degree from the University of Bath.
Colour defines Craigie's paintings,along with a sensibility to perceive what is odd or unique in the co-monplace. An eclectic mix of flowers, vases, crucifixes, dead birds, landscapes and his beloved Bedlington terriers form his subject matter.
There will also be a small exhibition of Craigie's prints at the Terminal 5 shop,Heathrow Airport from Octber 15-18 to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair. The art fair takes place every Oct-ber in Regents Park,London, and provides and environment where new and established artists can display their work to visitors from around the world.
In Bangkok, you can find the Paul Smith /Craigie Aitchison acce-sories on the first floor of The Emporium shopping complex and Siam Paragon.
The collection will be launched in October to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair in London. It consists of four styles of men's tie, cufflinks and scarves featuring the bird, dog and boat drawings with which Craigie has become synonymous.
Aitchison began his studies at the Slade School of Fine Art, London, in 1952. His work is characterised by the use of intense,pure colour to describe shape and form in extremely spare compositions. His subject matter is traditional, featuring religious themes, landscapes, portraits and still-lifes.
In 1955 Aitchison was awarded the British Council Italian Government Scholarship for painting and travelled to Italy,where the clear light and natural 'Biblical'landscapes had a profound influence on his work. In 1978 he was elected an associate member and in 1988 a member of the Royal Academy of Art.
His latest exhibition,"The Art of Craigie Aitchison", was held last year at the Paul Smith Space in Tokyo. In 2009, Aitchison received an honorary Doctorate of Arts degree from the University of Bath.
Colour defines Craigie's paintings,along with a sensibility to perceive what is odd or unique in the co-monplace. An eclectic mix of flowers, vases, crucifixes, dead birds, landscapes and his beloved Bedlington terriers form his subject matter.
There will also be a small exhibition of Craigie's prints at the Terminal 5 shop,Heathrow Airport from Octber 15-18 to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair. The art fair takes place every Oct-ber in Regents Park,London, and provides and environment where new and established artists can display their work to visitors from around the world.
In Bangkok, you can find the Paul Smith /Craigie Aitchison acce-sories on the first floor of The Emporium shopping complex and Siam Paragon.
US clothiers' Q2 results beat forecasts
Phillips-Van Heusen Corp, Gymboree Corp and Hot Topic Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly results on Wednesday but gave disappointing outlooks, sending shares of the clothing manufacturer and retailers down in after-hours trade.
But shares of Limited Brands Inc increases by 1% after the operator of the Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works chains forecast a full-year profit range that was better than analysts were expecting.
At Limited Brands, adjusted earnings of 19 cents in the second quarter beat the 16 cents expected, on average, by Wall Street. Net income fell 27% to $74.3 million.
Earlier on Wednesday, Perry Ellis Inter-national, known for its men's clothes,reported a narrower-than-expected loss and forecast full-year profit above Wall Street estimates, sending shares up 17%to $10.45.
Phillips-Van Heusen, a manufacturer that owns the Calvin Klein brand, said its adjusted profit was 60 cents per share,above the 44 cents analysts expected,according to Reuters Estimates.
The company cited cost cuts, tightened inventory and strength in its wholesale and retail sportswear businesses.
Phillips-Van Heusen raised its earnings forecast for the full year to a range of $2.30 to $2.40 per share from a prior view of $2.05 to $2.30 per share.
Still, the new range did not reflect an equal gain from the strong secondquarter performance, suggesting that the company was being somewhat con-servative in its projections, said Wedbush Morgan analyst Jeff Mintz.
Phillips-Van Heusen's shares fell 1%to $34.85 after hours.
At Hot Topic, which sells rock n' rollinspired apparel, accessories and music,a quarterly net loss per share was a penny better than expectations, while a third-quarter earnings outlook fell just below Wall Street's view. Shares fell 2.2%after hours.
Wall Street Strategies analyst Brian Sozzi wrote that Hot Topic faced difficult comparisons with the prior year on margins and same-store sales in light of last year's launch of clothes tied to the successful "Twilight" series.
At Gymboree, a 5% gain in total sales and a lower tax rate boosted net income in the second quarter, but a third-quarter earnings forecast range of 95 cents to $1.03 per share fell shy of an average analyst expectation of $1.05.
The head of research firm Retail Metrics, Ken Perkins, said investors want to be shown signs of good news, given that retail stocks have been rising steadily since lows in March.
"Management may still be cautious in guiding lower, but the investors are looking for more improvement in the guidance as well as finally showing some top line growth which most people still aren't doing," Perkins said.
"It's hard to gauge whether companies are being overly cautious in their outlooks for the year," he said.
"If you overpromise and underdeliver you get killed, but a lot of these stocks have run up so much. Investors are getting in ahead of the recovery. Now it's the 'show me' phase."
But shares of Limited Brands Inc increases by 1% after the operator of the Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works chains forecast a full-year profit range that was better than analysts were expecting.
At Limited Brands, adjusted earnings of 19 cents in the second quarter beat the 16 cents expected, on average, by Wall Street. Net income fell 27% to $74.3 million.
Earlier on Wednesday, Perry Ellis Inter-national, known for its men's clothes,reported a narrower-than-expected loss and forecast full-year profit above Wall Street estimates, sending shares up 17%to $10.45.
Phillips-Van Heusen, a manufacturer that owns the Calvin Klein brand, said its adjusted profit was 60 cents per share,above the 44 cents analysts expected,according to Reuters Estimates.
The company cited cost cuts, tightened inventory and strength in its wholesale and retail sportswear businesses.
Phillips-Van Heusen raised its earnings forecast for the full year to a range of $2.30 to $2.40 per share from a prior view of $2.05 to $2.30 per share.
Still, the new range did not reflect an equal gain from the strong secondquarter performance, suggesting that the company was being somewhat con-servative in its projections, said Wedbush Morgan analyst Jeff Mintz.
Phillips-Van Heusen's shares fell 1%to $34.85 after hours.
At Hot Topic, which sells rock n' rollinspired apparel, accessories and music,a quarterly net loss per share was a penny better than expectations, while a third-quarter earnings outlook fell just below Wall Street's view. Shares fell 2.2%after hours.
Wall Street Strategies analyst Brian Sozzi wrote that Hot Topic faced difficult comparisons with the prior year on margins and same-store sales in light of last year's launch of clothes tied to the successful "Twilight" series.
At Gymboree, a 5% gain in total sales and a lower tax rate boosted net income in the second quarter, but a third-quarter earnings forecast range of 95 cents to $1.03 per share fell shy of an average analyst expectation of $1.05.
The head of research firm Retail Metrics, Ken Perkins, said investors want to be shown signs of good news, given that retail stocks have been rising steadily since lows in March.
"Management may still be cautious in guiding lower, but the investors are looking for more improvement in the guidance as well as finally showing some top line growth which most people still aren't doing," Perkins said.
"It's hard to gauge whether companies are being overly cautious in their outlooks for the year," he said.
"If you overpromise and underdeliver you get killed, but a lot of these stocks have run up so much. Investors are getting in ahead of the recovery. Now it's the 'show me' phase."
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A way with waste
Fallen leaves and fruit skin have no use for city people, but a group of villagers in Khiriwong, Nakhon Si Thammarat, seem to have found a way with the waste which they use to produce natural dyes.
Khiriwong village sits at the foot of Khao Luang mountain and is fed by a stream full of fish.
These dyes, created with local ingenuity and used for colouring clothes, blouses and accessories, have earned Tambon Kamlon, of which the village is part, a name and have been accorded OTOP (one tambon, one product) rating.
"We aim to make the most use of materials naturally available in our community," said Aree Khunthon, leader of a housewife group which has been producing natural dyes for 14 years.
The orchards of Khiriwong yield mangosteen, durian, rambutan, garcinia (som khaek), longon, mango, parkia (sataw) and other plants depending on time of year, a factor helped by good weather and fresh air that, according to the Pollution Control Department, is among the cleanest measured in the country. The village sits at the foot of Khao Luang, the highest mountain in southern Thailand.
But selling fruit alone wasn't enough to make a living, recalled Aree of the years before her group embarked on a programme to produce natural dyes to supplement their meagre income. Back then the average earning of a family was 10,000-30,000 baht earned between August and October, while it sat idled for the rest of the year.
Following a series of natural disasters starting with flooding in 1975 and 1988 and drought in 1996, the villagers decided to switch to something that would allow them stable and sustained income, and where they wouldn't have to rely soely on the weather.
Stalks of parkia pods, used for dyeing, on sale.
After several rounds of debate and discussion, they settled on something that would make use of local ingenuity, using up to 80% of raw materials available locally and be environmentally friendly, explained Aree.
For start-up capital, the village received 25,000 baht from the Komol Keemthong Foundation. "Instead of using plastic ropes to create patterns on cloth, we use bamboo sticks, which come handy when making small patterns such as flowers and leaves, and they can also be reused," she said.
The cloth is put in a basin containing liquid dyes produced from natural materials.
The dyes themselves are made by boiling the leaves or fruit in huge enamel basins for a whole day. Dead mangosteen leaves give off orange colour while fresh ones produce pink shade; bangal almond produces yellowish-green shade; parkia pods give off grey colour; parkia pods boiled with rambutan skins produce dark grey hue; core of jackfruit produces yellow colour; leaves of peka (Oroxylum indicum) olive green; and seeds of jiringa ( nieng) brown colour.
Each piece of cloth is dyed at least three times to ensure colour does not run. The raw materials used to make the dyes are later dried to be used as cooking fuel.
Currently there are 33 families joining the programme, each earning between 3,000 to 7,000 baht a month selling cotton shirts, blouses, pants, tablecloths, bed cover sheets, pillow cases, hats, key chains and bags.
"We will keep experimenting trying to use natural materials to explore new dyes and create fresh designs," said Aree, "to ensure the products we make remain unique to our village."
Garcinia is sour. Locals also use it as substitute for lemon for seasoning food, especially soups.
Mangosteen is exported but its leaves are used for making dyes.
Aree Khunthon scoops to show dye made from mangosteen leaves.
Khiriwong village sits at the foot of Khao Luang mountain and is fed by a stream full of fish.
These dyes, created with local ingenuity and used for colouring clothes, blouses and accessories, have earned Tambon Kamlon, of which the village is part, a name and have been accorded OTOP (one tambon, one product) rating.
"We aim to make the most use of materials naturally available in our community," said Aree Khunthon, leader of a housewife group which has been producing natural dyes for 14 years.
The orchards of Khiriwong yield mangosteen, durian, rambutan, garcinia (som khaek), longon, mango, parkia (sataw) and other plants depending on time of year, a factor helped by good weather and fresh air that, according to the Pollution Control Department, is among the cleanest measured in the country. The village sits at the foot of Khao Luang, the highest mountain in southern Thailand.
But selling fruit alone wasn't enough to make a living, recalled Aree of the years before her group embarked on a programme to produce natural dyes to supplement their meagre income. Back then the average earning of a family was 10,000-30,000 baht earned between August and October, while it sat idled for the rest of the year.
Following a series of natural disasters starting with flooding in 1975 and 1988 and drought in 1996, the villagers decided to switch to something that would allow them stable and sustained income, and where they wouldn't have to rely soely on the weather.
Stalks of parkia pods, used for dyeing, on sale.
After several rounds of debate and discussion, they settled on something that would make use of local ingenuity, using up to 80% of raw materials available locally and be environmentally friendly, explained Aree.
For start-up capital, the village received 25,000 baht from the Komol Keemthong Foundation. "Instead of using plastic ropes to create patterns on cloth, we use bamboo sticks, which come handy when making small patterns such as flowers and leaves, and they can also be reused," she said.
The cloth is put in a basin containing liquid dyes produced from natural materials.
The dyes themselves are made by boiling the leaves or fruit in huge enamel basins for a whole day. Dead mangosteen leaves give off orange colour while fresh ones produce pink shade; bangal almond produces yellowish-green shade; parkia pods give off grey colour; parkia pods boiled with rambutan skins produce dark grey hue; core of jackfruit produces yellow colour; leaves of peka (Oroxylum indicum) olive green; and seeds of jiringa ( nieng) brown colour.
Each piece of cloth is dyed at least three times to ensure colour does not run. The raw materials used to make the dyes are later dried to be used as cooking fuel.
Currently there are 33 families joining the programme, each earning between 3,000 to 7,000 baht a month selling cotton shirts, blouses, pants, tablecloths, bed cover sheets, pillow cases, hats, key chains and bags.
"We will keep experimenting trying to use natural materials to explore new dyes and create fresh designs," said Aree, "to ensure the products we make remain unique to our village."
Garcinia is sour. Locals also use it as substitute for lemon for seasoning food, especially soups.
Mangosteen is exported but its leaves are used for making dyes.
Aree Khunthon scoops to show dye made from mangosteen leaves.
Outfits for every occasion
Although she earned her degree in hotel management from the US and continues her career in catering for Bangkok's top luxury hotels, having a relative dubbed as the forerunner for ladies gown designs in
Thailand - Lamyong Bunyarataphan helped foster a passion for fashion in Panumas Chirathivat, and it has become her true calling.
Located on the 23rd floor of Centara Grand Hotel,"Panumas" offers stylish and classic evening dresses for women who yearn to fill their
wardrobe with elegant outfits that can apply to different occasions, from tea parties to glamorous
gala dinners.
"My aim is to offer pieces that are easy to mix and match," Panumas said."Like choosing the right shoes, bags and acce-
sories that you can apply to both day and night occasions."
Panumas' showroom also offers a corner for imported jewellery from France and Japan, as well as vintage designed accessories by Thai designer PRAVIT, to complete your outfit with elegant choices to match.
Thailand - Lamyong Bunyarataphan helped foster a passion for fashion in Panumas Chirathivat, and it has become her true calling.
Located on the 23rd floor of Centara Grand Hotel,"Panumas" offers stylish and classic evening dresses for women who yearn to fill their
wardrobe with elegant outfits that can apply to different occasions, from tea parties to glamorous
gala dinners.
"My aim is to offer pieces that are easy to mix and match," Panumas said."Like choosing the right shoes, bags and acce-
sories that you can apply to both day and night occasions."
Panumas' showroom also offers a corner for imported jewellery from France and Japan, as well as vintage designed accessories by Thai designer PRAVIT, to complete your outfit with elegant choices to match.
Uptown fashion for hip girls
MILIN'S 'LET THEM EAT CAKE'
Inspired by Sofia Coppola's Oscarwinning award for best costume in Marie Antoinette , Milin - one of Bangkok's newest fashion houses - recently launched a chic and sexy womenswear collection.
Named after the notorious quote of the late scandalous French queen, the runway of "Let Them Eat Cake" transformed the elements embodied by Kirsten Dunst who played Queen Marie Antoinette - into cool mini-dresses, one-shoulder dresses,form-fitting trouser suits and frilled tops you see all through the collections, according to designer Milin Yuvacharuskul and her team.
Being a newcomer in the world of the Thai fashion business, Milin is set to play a vital role as a new alternative for hip uptown young women.
"Lindsay Lohan would be the perfect representation of this collection," Milin insisted."We think of bold and dressy party girls who look rebellious and yet can be so sweet and innocent like no other girl."
Inspired by Sofia Coppola's Oscarwinning award for best costume in Marie Antoinette , Milin - one of Bangkok's newest fashion houses - recently launched a chic and sexy womenswear collection.
Named after the notorious quote of the late scandalous French queen, the runway of "Let Them Eat Cake" transformed the elements embodied by Kirsten Dunst who played Queen Marie Antoinette - into cool mini-dresses, one-shoulder dresses,form-fitting trouser suits and frilled tops you see all through the collections, according to designer Milin Yuvacharuskul and her team.
Being a newcomer in the world of the Thai fashion business, Milin is set to play a vital role as a new alternative for hip uptown young women.
"Lindsay Lohan would be the perfect representation of this collection," Milin insisted."We think of bold and dressy party girls who look rebellious and yet can be so sweet and innocent like no other girl."
CHIROFIT PLANS TO EXPAND INTO SINGAPORE, DUBAI
Chirofit Chiropractic Clinic plans to enter Singapore and Dubai next year by forming local partnerships.
"This is my intention to expand the business overseas. We piloted Chirofit Chiropractic and Fitness four years ago in Thong Lor. This kind of medical science, which is aimed at balancing the body structure for the most effective functioning, is gradually getting recognised and the Singaporean investor is interested in operating this clinic in Singapore," managing director Montanat Rojjanasrirat said yesterday.
The company and its local partners in Singapore and Dubai are conducting market surveys with the view to establishing chiropractic clinics possibly next year, when the world's economy is expected to stabilise.
The cost for opening a clinic, for example in Singapore, is about Bt100 million, which would be shared with the local partner.
Neither Dubai nor Singapore has any comprehensive chiropractic clinics.
Montanat, a chiropractor who founded the clinic, also plans to grow his business within the country by setting up three clinics in major cities next year and a specialised chiropractic hospital in three to five years.
Montanat currently has two locations in the Sukhumvit area. The Chirofit Chiropractic and Fitness in the Home Place Building on Soi Thong Lor was recently reduced to just a fitness centre, while the Chirofit Chiropractic Clinic in the Bangkok Mediplex Building on Soi Ekamai has become a fully integrated chiropractic clinic.
The Ekamai clinic has just completed a Bt100-million second-phase expansion to 600 square metres from 250 square metres to provide space for specific diagnosis rooms, private massage rooms and a spacious area for therapeutic exercise.
Before treatment, patients are submitted to a diagnosis for the balance of body structure, bone mineral density and muscle rigidity.
The expansion made the Ekamai clinic the most complete chiropractic centre in the country.
The number of clients there is expected to increase to 120-150 per month from 80-100 at present, helping the centre to achieve Bt80 million-Bt100 million in revenue this year.
"The Ekamai clinic generated revenue of Bt30 million in the first half of this year, up 200 per cent from the same period last year. It indicates that people recognise such an alternative medical science more. So, I think it's a good time to expand the second phase at Ekamai and we have a chance to go overseas, as well," he added.
"This is my intention to expand the business overseas. We piloted Chirofit Chiropractic and Fitness four years ago in Thong Lor. This kind of medical science, which is aimed at balancing the body structure for the most effective functioning, is gradually getting recognised and the Singaporean investor is interested in operating this clinic in Singapore," managing director Montanat Rojjanasrirat said yesterday.
The company and its local partners in Singapore and Dubai are conducting market surveys with the view to establishing chiropractic clinics possibly next year, when the world's economy is expected to stabilise.
The cost for opening a clinic, for example in Singapore, is about Bt100 million, which would be shared with the local partner.
Neither Dubai nor Singapore has any comprehensive chiropractic clinics.
Montanat, a chiropractor who founded the clinic, also plans to grow his business within the country by setting up three clinics in major cities next year and a specialised chiropractic hospital in three to five years.
Montanat currently has two locations in the Sukhumvit area. The Chirofit Chiropractic and Fitness in the Home Place Building on Soi Thong Lor was recently reduced to just a fitness centre, while the Chirofit Chiropractic Clinic in the Bangkok Mediplex Building on Soi Ekamai has become a fully integrated chiropractic clinic.
The Ekamai clinic has just completed a Bt100-million second-phase expansion to 600 square metres from 250 square metres to provide space for specific diagnosis rooms, private massage rooms and a spacious area for therapeutic exercise.
Before treatment, patients are submitted to a diagnosis for the balance of body structure, bone mineral density and muscle rigidity.
The expansion made the Ekamai clinic the most complete chiropractic centre in the country.
The number of clients there is expected to increase to 120-150 per month from 80-100 at present, helping the centre to achieve Bt80 million-Bt100 million in revenue this year.
"The Ekamai clinic generated revenue of Bt30 million in the first half of this year, up 200 per cent from the same period last year. It indicates that people recognise such an alternative medical science more. So, I think it's a good time to expand the second phase at Ekamai and we have a chance to go overseas, as well," he added.
FOOTWEAR FROM CHINA, VN UNDER CLOSE WATCH
The Foreign Trade Department is closely monitoring footwear imports from China and Vietnam to protect against those countries using the Kingdom in order to circumvent anti-dumping duties in the European Union.
Director-general Chutima Bunyapraphasara yesterday said the Commerce Ministry had been forced to launch stringent monitoring of products from those countries due to the growing number of circumvention cases in the Kingdom.
In particular, China and Vietnam have exported shoes via Thailand to escape anti-dumping charges levied on them by the EU.
The department reported that some countries facing high anti-dumping duties elsewhere were also seeking to get round the problem by re-exporting their products from Thailand.
"The ministry will closely monitor imports of shoes from neighbouring countries wishing to reap the benefits of low export tariffs to the European Union.
"This practice could create problems for Thai footwear exports, as the EU may impose anti-dumping duties on Thai shoes as well," she said.
Shoe exports from China and Vietnam face EU anti-dumping duties of 16.5 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.
To ensure Thai footwear exports do not face similar EU anti-dumping duties, the department will meet with shoe manufacturers and exporters to find a solution to the problem next Wednesday.
The department the same day will conduct a seminar to promote better understanding on raw materials used in shoe manufacturing under EU rules of origin.
According to the Department of Export Promotion, Thai footwear exports were worth US$405 million (Bt13.8 billion) in the first half of the year.
The EU is Thailand's biggest export market, accounting for 42 per cent in value terms.
The main kinds of footwear shipped are leather shoes and sneakers.
Previously, $20 million of tow trucks exported from Thailand to the EU faced an anti-dumping duty of 46 per cent after the EU found that major components were manufactured in China and Vietnam.
The problem has added to the difficulties faced by exporters. Since the tow-truck case, the EU has stringently inspected goods exported from Thailand over concern about duty circumvention.
Germany has also called for the Thai government to closely monitor bicycle exports, again because of the danger of re-exporting products originating from China and Vietnam.
Other products about which the EU has expressed great concern over circumventing are electrical appliances, garments and toys.
Director-general Chutima Bunyapraphasara yesterday said the Commerce Ministry had been forced to launch stringent monitoring of products from those countries due to the growing number of circumvention cases in the Kingdom.
In particular, China and Vietnam have exported shoes via Thailand to escape anti-dumping charges levied on them by the EU.
The department reported that some countries facing high anti-dumping duties elsewhere were also seeking to get round the problem by re-exporting their products from Thailand.
"The ministry will closely monitor imports of shoes from neighbouring countries wishing to reap the benefits of low export tariffs to the European Union.
"This practice could create problems for Thai footwear exports, as the EU may impose anti-dumping duties on Thai shoes as well," she said.
Shoe exports from China and Vietnam face EU anti-dumping duties of 16.5 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.
To ensure Thai footwear exports do not face similar EU anti-dumping duties, the department will meet with shoe manufacturers and exporters to find a solution to the problem next Wednesday.
The department the same day will conduct a seminar to promote better understanding on raw materials used in shoe manufacturing under EU rules of origin.
According to the Department of Export Promotion, Thai footwear exports were worth US$405 million (Bt13.8 billion) in the first half of the year.
The EU is Thailand's biggest export market, accounting for 42 per cent in value terms.
The main kinds of footwear shipped are leather shoes and sneakers.
Previously, $20 million of tow trucks exported from Thailand to the EU faced an anti-dumping duty of 46 per cent after the EU found that major components were manufactured in China and Vietnam.
The problem has added to the difficulties faced by exporters. Since the tow-truck case, the EU has stringently inspected goods exported from Thailand over concern about duty circumvention.
Germany has also called for the Thai government to closely monitor bicycle exports, again because of the danger of re-exporting products originating from China and Vietnam.
Other products about which the EU has expressed great concern over circumventing are electrical appliances, garments and toys.
NY lawsuit vs book's author okayed
Ajury can decide whether the author of a best-selling book about the death of Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith defamed her lawyer by making allegations that may be too outlandish to be true, including that he pimped her to up to 50 men a year, a judge concluded on Wednesday.
US District Judge Denny Chin found plenty of reasons to let a jury hear the facts behind a $60 million (2 billion baht) libel lawsuit brought by lawyer Howard K. Stern against Blonde Ambition author Rita Cosby, a veteran television news anchor and Inside Edition correspondent. The lawsuit was filed less than a month after the book was published in September 2007.
The judge said the book's claim that Stern had a sexual relationship with Larry Birkhead, the father of Smith's daughter, was "nothing short of explosive. Perhaps too explosive."
"In other words," he said,"printing a claim that Birkhead and Stern had sex would be a way to make it to the top of the bestseller list, and a reasonable jury could find that Cosby ignored the inherently improbable nature of the statement in her zeal to write a blockbuster book."
Stern and Birkhead have denied any sexual relationship.
The judge said there was "substantial evidence"to let a reasonable jury find Cosby acted with malice in stating in the book that Smith obtained a videotape of Birkhead and Stern having sex and regularly watched it in front of her nannies.
He noted that Cosby travelled to the Bahamas after Stern filed the lawsuit to try to meet with the nannies and in a conversation with one of their representatives proposed paying the nannies to sign an affidavit supporting the statements attributed to them in the book, which was published by Hachette Book Group USA Inc.
The judge, who dropped the publisher as a defendant, called Cosby's actions "extremely troubling" and said they "suggest that she was attempting to obstruct justice by tampering with witnesses".
He said a reasonable jury could conclude that Cosby knew she had fabricated the information about Smith watching the videotape and "was desperate to come up with an after-the-fact verification of one of the more salacious and explosive allegations in the book".
He also said a jury can decide whether there was malice in the book's statements that Smith thought Stern was involved in the death of her son and that many people in Smith's inner circle thought Stern was involved in her death. He tossed out eight of 19 other claims.
Cosby lawyer Elizabeth A. McNamara said she was gratified the judge had dismissed some of the statements at issue in the case and was "fully confident" the jury would dismiss the
others once it hears the evidence surrounding Stern's life with Smith.
Stern, who began doing legal work for Smith in 1997, became romantically involved with her in 2000 but kept the relationship secret until 2006, according to evidence in the case.
Stern attorney L. Lin Wood said his client was "very pleased"with the judge's decision to let a jury decide whether Cosby defamed him with claims that Smith thought he was involved in her son's death, that he had pimped her out and that he had engaged in sex with Birkhead."Those areas," Wood said,"were the heart and soul of our complaint."
The judge also wrote that there was evidence that Cosby made up quotes. He said a jury could conclude that statements in the book that Smith knowingly acted as a prostitute with Stern as her pimp or that Stern drugged her and pimped her to as many as 50 men a year "are so inherently improbable that Cosby was reckless in including them in the book".
"It will be up to a jury to determine whether this statement is as inherently improbable as it sounds," he said.
Smith, the 1993 Playmate of the Year, had a successful career as a clothing model before landing her own reality TV show,The Anna Nicole Show . The Texas native was found unconscious in a Florida hotel room in 2007 and was declared dead of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. She was 39.
Smith's son, Daniel, who was born in 1986,died of an apparent prescription drug overdose in the Bahamas just a few days after Smith gave birth to her daughter, Dannielynn, in 2006.
Cosby, a journalist for more than 20 years, has worked as a correspondent and host for CBS,MSNBC and Fox News. She began covering Smith in 2006.
US District Judge Denny Chin found plenty of reasons to let a jury hear the facts behind a $60 million (2 billion baht) libel lawsuit brought by lawyer Howard K. Stern against Blonde Ambition author Rita Cosby, a veteran television news anchor and Inside Edition correspondent. The lawsuit was filed less than a month after the book was published in September 2007.
The judge said the book's claim that Stern had a sexual relationship with Larry Birkhead, the father of Smith's daughter, was "nothing short of explosive. Perhaps too explosive."
"In other words," he said,"printing a claim that Birkhead and Stern had sex would be a way to make it to the top of the bestseller list, and a reasonable jury could find that Cosby ignored the inherently improbable nature of the statement in her zeal to write a blockbuster book."
Stern and Birkhead have denied any sexual relationship.
The judge said there was "substantial evidence"to let a reasonable jury find Cosby acted with malice in stating in the book that Smith obtained a videotape of Birkhead and Stern having sex and regularly watched it in front of her nannies.
He noted that Cosby travelled to the Bahamas after Stern filed the lawsuit to try to meet with the nannies and in a conversation with one of their representatives proposed paying the nannies to sign an affidavit supporting the statements attributed to them in the book, which was published by Hachette Book Group USA Inc.
The judge, who dropped the publisher as a defendant, called Cosby's actions "extremely troubling" and said they "suggest that she was attempting to obstruct justice by tampering with witnesses".
He said a reasonable jury could conclude that Cosby knew she had fabricated the information about Smith watching the videotape and "was desperate to come up with an after-the-fact verification of one of the more salacious and explosive allegations in the book".
He also said a jury can decide whether there was malice in the book's statements that Smith thought Stern was involved in the death of her son and that many people in Smith's inner circle thought Stern was involved in her death. He tossed out eight of 19 other claims.
Cosby lawyer Elizabeth A. McNamara said she was gratified the judge had dismissed some of the statements at issue in the case and was "fully confident" the jury would dismiss the
others once it hears the evidence surrounding Stern's life with Smith.
Stern, who began doing legal work for Smith in 1997, became romantically involved with her in 2000 but kept the relationship secret until 2006, according to evidence in the case.
Stern attorney L. Lin Wood said his client was "very pleased"with the judge's decision to let a jury decide whether Cosby defamed him with claims that Smith thought he was involved in her son's death, that he had pimped her out and that he had engaged in sex with Birkhead."Those areas," Wood said,"were the heart and soul of our complaint."
The judge also wrote that there was evidence that Cosby made up quotes. He said a jury could conclude that statements in the book that Smith knowingly acted as a prostitute with Stern as her pimp or that Stern drugged her and pimped her to as many as 50 men a year "are so inherently improbable that Cosby was reckless in including them in the book".
"It will be up to a jury to determine whether this statement is as inherently improbable as it sounds," he said.
Smith, the 1993 Playmate of the Year, had a successful career as a clothing model before landing her own reality TV show,The Anna Nicole Show . The Texas native was found unconscious in a Florida hotel room in 2007 and was declared dead of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. She was 39.
Smith's son, Daniel, who was born in 1986,died of an apparent prescription drug overdose in the Bahamas just a few days after Smith gave birth to her daughter, Dannielynn, in 2006.
Cosby, a journalist for more than 20 years, has worked as a correspondent and host for CBS,MSNBC and Fox News. She began covering Smith in 2006.
ICC helps Speedo build Asian sales
ICC International Plc, the fashion, cosmetics and swimwear distributor of the Saha Group, is expected to become a production hub for Speedo swimwear in Asia over the next two years.
Speedo expects Asia to contribute its highest growth in the next five years,and recently set up a regional office in Hong Kong.
ICC vice-president Chailert Manoonpol said the company was developing Asian sizes for Speedo, which before offered only international fits.
Speedo will move 20% of its production capacity from Sri Lanka to Thailand next year. Saha Group's capacity will rise to between 1.4 million and 1.5 million Speedo suits per year,from 1.2 million. About 70% of the output will be exported to Europe and Asia. Speedo has three production bases in China, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
"Thailand has good infrastructure and Saha Group provides better services and delivers products on time," Mr Chailert said.
Apart from Speedo, ICC is taking its own BSC swimwear brand international. BSC has been an official swimwear sponsor for the Miss Universe pageant for five years, including the one to be held on Aug 23 in the Bahamas.
"We have spent almost 100 million baht on sponsorship but got back more than that. The result is not only for swimwear but also for other products under the BSC brand," he said.
Sponsorship marketing has brought BSC an international brand image. As well, the company has learned more about women's body shapes globally and can adapt products accordingly.
"Through the Miss Universe contest,each year people in more than 84 countries see our products. We believe the BSC swimwear brand will be etched in consumers' memories," he said.
To strengthen its global image, ICC has renamed the brand "BSC International" and is dealing with foreign partners to export BSC swimwear.
Currently, BSC offers products in more than 10 categories from lingerie,to jeans, cosmetics, handbags, swimwear and food supplements.
BSC cosmetics and lingerie are exported to Vietnam, the Philippines,Indonesia, Laos and Burma and will be available in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia soon.
Currently, the market value of swimwear sold through department stores is estimated to be worth one billion baht. ICC sells four brands - BSC,Speedo, Streamline and Elle - with Speedo accounting for half of its sales.
Speedo expects Asia to contribute its highest growth in the next five years,and recently set up a regional office in Hong Kong.
ICC vice-president Chailert Manoonpol said the company was developing Asian sizes for Speedo, which before offered only international fits.
Speedo will move 20% of its production capacity from Sri Lanka to Thailand next year. Saha Group's capacity will rise to between 1.4 million and 1.5 million Speedo suits per year,from 1.2 million. About 70% of the output will be exported to Europe and Asia. Speedo has three production bases in China, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
"Thailand has good infrastructure and Saha Group provides better services and delivers products on time," Mr Chailert said.
Apart from Speedo, ICC is taking its own BSC swimwear brand international. BSC has been an official swimwear sponsor for the Miss Universe pageant for five years, including the one to be held on Aug 23 in the Bahamas.
"We have spent almost 100 million baht on sponsorship but got back more than that. The result is not only for swimwear but also for other products under the BSC brand," he said.
Sponsorship marketing has brought BSC an international brand image. As well, the company has learned more about women's body shapes globally and can adapt products accordingly.
"Through the Miss Universe contest,each year people in more than 84 countries see our products. We believe the BSC swimwear brand will be etched in consumers' memories," he said.
To strengthen its global image, ICC has renamed the brand "BSC International" and is dealing with foreign partners to export BSC swimwear.
Currently, BSC offers products in more than 10 categories from lingerie,to jeans, cosmetics, handbags, swimwear and food supplements.
BSC cosmetics and lingerie are exported to Vietnam, the Philippines,Indonesia, Laos and Burma and will be available in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia soon.
Currently, the market value of swimwear sold through department stores is estimated to be worth one billion baht. ICC sells four brands - BSC,Speedo, Streamline and Elle - with Speedo accounting for half of its sales.
PAUL SMITH HAS CRAIGIE AITCHISON ETCH A NECKTIE
Fashion designer Paul Smith is so fascinated with the colour ful paintings of British artist Craigie Aitchison that he's persuaded him to "come down from the walls" and help him turn them into men's accessories.
Giving people a chance to wear Aitchison's art, their collaboration on a limited edition for autumn-winter 2009 features four styles of neckties, cufflinks and scarves with Aitchison's drawings of birds, dogs and boats.
The items will go on sale in Octobe, coinciding with London's Frieze Art Fair, and Aitchison's original prints will be on view in Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 from October 15 to 18.
Then the accessories will be available at the Paul Smith boutiques in Bangkok's Emporium and Siam Pargon. Have a look at www.PaulSmith.co.uk.
Calling himself a long-time "friend and admirer" of Aitchison, Smith says he particularly likes the colour and simplicity of his paintings.
Aitchison, who honed his skills at London's Slade School of Fine Art in the 1950s, uses intense,
pure colours to form shapes in paintings that depict religious themes, landscapes, portraits and still-lifes.
In 1955 he travelled to Italy on a schol-arship and soaked up "the clear light and natural
'Biblical' landscapes". Now a member of Britain's Royal Academy of Arts, he continues to present "what is unique or even odd in the commonplace".
You can expect to see flowers, crucifixes, dead birds and his beloved and very-much-alive Belington terriers in many of his pieces.
Giving people a chance to wear Aitchison's art, their collaboration on a limited edition for autumn-winter 2009 features four styles of neckties, cufflinks and scarves with Aitchison's drawings of birds, dogs and boats.
The items will go on sale in Octobe, coinciding with London's Frieze Art Fair, and Aitchison's original prints will be on view in Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 from October 15 to 18.
Then the accessories will be available at the Paul Smith boutiques in Bangkok's Emporium and Siam Pargon. Have a look at www.PaulSmith.co.uk.
Calling himself a long-time "friend and admirer" of Aitchison, Smith says he particularly likes the colour and simplicity of his paintings.
Aitchison, who honed his skills at London's Slade School of Fine Art in the 1950s, uses intense,
pure colours to form shapes in paintings that depict religious themes, landscapes, portraits and still-lifes.
In 1955 he travelled to Italy on a schol-arship and soaked up "the clear light and natural
'Biblical' landscapes". Now a member of Britain's Royal Academy of Arts, he continues to present "what is unique or even odd in the commonplace".
You can expect to see flowers, crucifixes, dead birds and his beloved and very-much-alive Belington terriers in many of his pieces.
THE MAN WITH DESIGNS ON A COUNTRY TOWN
The Marquis de Sade once lived in the French town of Lacoste,a hotbed of Protestantism, built ofcafe au lait -coloured stone and holding the heights across the Luberon River valley from the proud Catholic spires of Bonnieux. He was jailed and institutionalised after the residents of the town objected to his sexual and political views; his castle was sacked in 1789.
Fashion designer Pierre Cardin,87, seems an odd inheritor. But after he bought the ruins of the castle nine years ago and established a summer music festival in the town,some of the 450 residents of Lacoste, which votes for the left, began to treat him like a hated nobleman, a representative of global capitalism. Nor did it help that he kept on buying properties, even at a fair price.
Now he says he owns 42 buildings in this picture-postcard village, and he has no patience with the locals who think he is destroying the town. Instead, having sunk nearly 20 million into Lacoste, while employing 80 people in the summers, he thinks he has saved it.
"I don't understand this hatred of newcomers," he said in an interview."The people hadn't done anything for their village, no sewers, no lights at night, nothing. The village hadn't changed since the '30s."
Bruno Pitot,25, just landed a job in the kitchen of Mr Cardin's Cafe de Sade. Mr Cardin's presence "has its good sides and bad sides", he said judiciously."I think people are jealous. He's got a lot of money and he started buying all these houses. We're afraid he might close the village!"
Still, Mr Pitot said he could not afford to live in Lacoste, given rising property values,and when his relatives died he might himself seek to sell his parents' house to Mr Cardin in order to pay the inheritance taxes.
But what upsets many is Mr Cardin's advanced age."After all, he's 87, and we don't know what will happen after he's gone,"Mr Pitot said."I wish him a long life, of course. But Mr Cardin is someone who wants to go very fast; he only has a little time left.But there are people to remind him that one needs to respect the traditions of the village."
After World War Two, Lacoste - which has nothing to do with the tennis player and his crocodile shirts - was nearly empty,with fewer than 30 people on the electoral roll. It was a base for the French resistance,and many of the 15th and 16th century structures were in ruins.
In 1958, an American painter, Bernard Pfriem, went there and fell in love with the setting. He bought a house for very little money, then bought a few more and began to restore them. He was largely welcomed by the villagers.
In 1970 he started the Lacoste School of the Arts, which later had connections with Sarah Lawrence College in New York. But in 2002, the entire complex of 31 buildings was taken over by the Savannah College of Art and Design, based in Georgia. The Lacoste campus has some 60 students for eight-week sessions and works year-round, bringing some life to the village in the harsh winter months,when the local population drops below 100.
Mary Scarvalone is the director of the Lacoste campus, which has taken over at least two other buildings while doing careful restoration work."The school coexists nicely with the town," she said, and makes an effort to bring villagers in to campus activities, like life-drawing classes. It also has good relations with Mr Cardin, whose summer festival events cost only 10(490 baht) for students and anyone under 26.
And everyone tries to keep good relations with Aristide, the trilingual beggar who is known to like a drink and is fond of shouting "I am not a transvestite!" at anyone who will listen. But there is a real undercurrent of anger, too. Colette Truphemus has lived in Lacoste for more than 40 years with her husband, a native."With Cardin and the school, we're not at home anymore," she said."Lacoste is not Lacoste anymore. The houses are too expensive, and young people can't afford to stay."
The foreign tourists and Parisian visitors as well as the young, mostly American art students keep to themselves, she said, while distorting the town."We only see them at night when they wake us up," she said."It's a shame."
Another man broke in."It infuriates me,"he said, while refusing to give his name."We didn't need Cardin to eat bread. There was always a bakery." He said he knew Pfriem and liked him."He was an American and a Lacostois, he was authentic."
Mrs Truphemus has three grown children,all of whom live outside the village."To find work, you have to go outside," she said. But others said her son, Eric, a mason, had done some work in the village but had sometimes been outbid by others.
An older lady walking by said simply:"It's changed a lot. This is not a Provencal village anymore. Take Rue Baisse," the spine of the town, which essentially runs from Cardin properties like ticket offices and galleries up to those of the Savannah Art College."There are a few iron sculptures, but it's all useless and never open."
Finnbar MacEoin, an Irish writer, has lived there for three years and is a fierce Cardin defender."Cardin is doing this for them, not for himself," MacEoin said."He doesn't want to be the richest man in the cemetery!"
Mr Cardin said:"Now it's better with the village. We had to wait eight years! I had hard moments, when I thought,'I'm going to give up, I don't need to do this.' I did this for Lacoste, not for me. I can't even live in all my houses!"
Mr Cardin said the festival and his projects will go on after his death. But MacEoin has another notion. Offended by what he considers the anti-immigrant tenor of the village,he has written a play, called Camel-Lot , in which he imagines Mr Cardin bequeathing the town to an Algerian Muslim tribe, and Aristide becoming mayor.
Fashion designer Pierre Cardin,87, seems an odd inheritor. But after he bought the ruins of the castle nine years ago and established a summer music festival in the town,some of the 450 residents of Lacoste, which votes for the left, began to treat him like a hated nobleman, a representative of global capitalism. Nor did it help that he kept on buying properties, even at a fair price.
Now he says he owns 42 buildings in this picture-postcard village, and he has no patience with the locals who think he is destroying the town. Instead, having sunk nearly 20 million into Lacoste, while employing 80 people in the summers, he thinks he has saved it.
"I don't understand this hatred of newcomers," he said in an interview."The people hadn't done anything for their village, no sewers, no lights at night, nothing. The village hadn't changed since the '30s."
Bruno Pitot,25, just landed a job in the kitchen of Mr Cardin's Cafe de Sade. Mr Cardin's presence "has its good sides and bad sides", he said judiciously."I think people are jealous. He's got a lot of money and he started buying all these houses. We're afraid he might close the village!"
Still, Mr Pitot said he could not afford to live in Lacoste, given rising property values,and when his relatives died he might himself seek to sell his parents' house to Mr Cardin in order to pay the inheritance taxes.
But what upsets many is Mr Cardin's advanced age."After all, he's 87, and we don't know what will happen after he's gone,"Mr Pitot said."I wish him a long life, of course. But Mr Cardin is someone who wants to go very fast; he only has a little time left.But there are people to remind him that one needs to respect the traditions of the village."
After World War Two, Lacoste - which has nothing to do with the tennis player and his crocodile shirts - was nearly empty,with fewer than 30 people on the electoral roll. It was a base for the French resistance,and many of the 15th and 16th century structures were in ruins.
In 1958, an American painter, Bernard Pfriem, went there and fell in love with the setting. He bought a house for very little money, then bought a few more and began to restore them. He was largely welcomed by the villagers.
In 1970 he started the Lacoste School of the Arts, which later had connections with Sarah Lawrence College in New York. But in 2002, the entire complex of 31 buildings was taken over by the Savannah College of Art and Design, based in Georgia. The Lacoste campus has some 60 students for eight-week sessions and works year-round, bringing some life to the village in the harsh winter months,when the local population drops below 100.
Mary Scarvalone is the director of the Lacoste campus, which has taken over at least two other buildings while doing careful restoration work."The school coexists nicely with the town," she said, and makes an effort to bring villagers in to campus activities, like life-drawing classes. It also has good relations with Mr Cardin, whose summer festival events cost only 10(490 baht) for students and anyone under 26.
And everyone tries to keep good relations with Aristide, the trilingual beggar who is known to like a drink and is fond of shouting "I am not a transvestite!" at anyone who will listen. But there is a real undercurrent of anger, too. Colette Truphemus has lived in Lacoste for more than 40 years with her husband, a native."With Cardin and the school, we're not at home anymore," she said."Lacoste is not Lacoste anymore. The houses are too expensive, and young people can't afford to stay."
The foreign tourists and Parisian visitors as well as the young, mostly American art students keep to themselves, she said, while distorting the town."We only see them at night when they wake us up," she said."It's a shame."
Another man broke in."It infuriates me,"he said, while refusing to give his name."We didn't need Cardin to eat bread. There was always a bakery." He said he knew Pfriem and liked him."He was an American and a Lacostois, he was authentic."
Mrs Truphemus has three grown children,all of whom live outside the village."To find work, you have to go outside," she said. But others said her son, Eric, a mason, had done some work in the village but had sometimes been outbid by others.
An older lady walking by said simply:"It's changed a lot. This is not a Provencal village anymore. Take Rue Baisse," the spine of the town, which essentially runs from Cardin properties like ticket offices and galleries up to those of the Savannah Art College."There are a few iron sculptures, but it's all useless and never open."
Finnbar MacEoin, an Irish writer, has lived there for three years and is a fierce Cardin defender."Cardin is doing this for them, not for himself," MacEoin said."He doesn't want to be the richest man in the cemetery!"
Mr Cardin said:"Now it's better with the village. We had to wait eight years! I had hard moments, when I thought,'I'm going to give up, I don't need to do this.' I did this for Lacoste, not for me. I can't even live in all my houses!"
Mr Cardin said the festival and his projects will go on after his death. But MacEoin has another notion. Offended by what he considers the anti-immigrant tenor of the village,he has written a play, called Camel-Lot , in which he imagines Mr Cardin bequeathing the town to an Algerian Muslim tribe, and Aristide becoming mayor.
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