'Very Lovely' with Vee

A POPULAR JAPANESE fashion brand for the young, VL by Vee is the latest label to arrive at multi-brand store The Wonder Room at Siam Center and is now offering a collection of cute outfits and Absolute Siam items on the theme “Dora-P in the House”.

The designs come from pen of Japanese-Thai designer Hiroka “Vee” Limviphuvudh, a graduate in fashion and textile design from Kobe Design University. She’s been delighting fashionistas with her funky designs since 2007, selling T-shirts, blouses and bags inspired by her love for art through her online Tamariba store.

“It started as a hobby, a way of doing something different from just producing art. I focused on unique hand-woven textiles from all over Thailand and made them into easy-to-wear fabrics for daily life. They were new to the Japanese market and people loved them,” she says.

Hiroka set up her VL by Vee brand in 2011 and introduced her debut collection at a Kobe fashion show. Today her clothes and accessories can be found at multi-brand stores in Kobe, Osaka and Tokyo. 

At The Wonder Room, Hiroka occupies a small space equipped with a glittering rack and two mannequins. 

This year’s theme is “Dora-P in the House” and takes its name from the designer’s two cats, Dora and Pea Jang. Fabrics include quality cotton, Italian silk and used denim of Japanese and American brands. 

“My cats appear on both pants and shirt dresses. The Pea Jang motif reflects the great character of a Persian kitten in brown and white with a pink nose, while Dora Jang is a Bengal-Persia hybrid with tiger-like stripes,” she says. 

The shirts come in pastel shades and feature shoulder loops and fringes designed to resemble cat’s ears, the shirtdresses are adorned with paw-like pockets while spring coats and skirts boast different cat motifs. 

Designs for the Absolute Siam collection include used, high-waisted jeans adorned with scratches and embroidered paws along with a range of cropped T-shirts boasting a cat drawing by Hiroka’s husband, artist Wisut Ponnimit.

“Wisut loves sketching the cats and I think his works are ideal for T-shirts. I’m also hopping to borrow his Mamuang cartoon for a new collection,” Hiroka says.

“A friend and I just opened a boutique in Siam Square and customers can find all my collections there.”

 

 

PAWS MAKE PERFECT

>>VL by Vee is located in The Wonder Room on the third floor of Siam Center. It’s daily open from 10am to 10pm. Call (02) 658 1000 extension 1379 or visit www.VlByVee.com