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."