The prodigal returneth

ANN KOSITCHOTITANA was born in Thailand but it’s taken her a little while to start selling her fantastic clothes here. Shoppers at Siam Center, where she recently opened Headline Seoul Design in the Wonder Room, have a lot of catching up to do.

Moving to Singapore years ago, Ann noticed a singular lack of panache in the local fashion scene, so she set out to colour things up with a multibrand boutique at the Raffles Hotel called Front Row.

The business did well, but by 2012 Ann had decided she’d rather be setting trends of her own rather than selling someone else’s gear. She and a friend, a clothing designer in South Korea, established the brand Headline Seoul and began hawking funky street apparel there online. The younger crowd snapped it up, and soon enough the brand had a big store in Singapore with distributors in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Late last year a sister line was launched – Headline Seoul Design – offering more elegant but still chic outfits made from premium materials. It’s “affordable luxury design”, as the motto has it. And that’s what’s just arrived in Bangkok this week, while Headline Seoul is now also selling its goods through the popular online store Zalora. 

“Thailand is my home and it’s also the gateway to the Indo-

 Chinese market,” Ann says. “The potential is proved by the launch of Headline Seoul on Zalora. We’re selling lots of pieces every day even though Thais don’t know who we are or where we’re from. 

“We offer smart apparel at reasonable prices that everyone can wear in their daily lives, and we target women age 15 to 55.”

Headline Seoul (HLS) has streetwear made from the best cotton blends, polyester and wool found in South Korea and China. Its prices range from Bt399 to Bt2,499. 

 Headline Seoul Design (HLS DSGN) touts more luxurious items in top-quality fabrics from Italy and Japan, costing Bt1,475 to Bt7,475.

The corner at the Wonder Room on the third floor at Siam Center has a clothes rack and mannequin showcasing the spring series – dresses, T-shirts, blouses, skirts and shorts in pastel green, purple, rose and blue along with classic white, brown and grey. 

The concepts are simple and playful in the details, everything well cut and a delight for any body shape. Soft and refined tweed, wool, cotton and crochet lace are used. 

Clean Classics is the line taking inspiration from teenage pop idols, while Girly Chic looks sweet and graceful as a princess in a fairytale, and Trend Led emphasises classic design.

 The Jellyfish blouse is cotton with metallic thread and an organza polyester lining. The Hologram Flare dress features nylon-Spandex polyester and organza inserts. The Classic Culottes feature hologram panels on the pockets.

The Iridescent Shell sweater looks fashionable in an Italian metal-yarn mix. The Jellyfish Trim Top also has the cotton with metallic thread as a trim and the polyester lining. The Sea Treasure babydoll dress has a marine-theme print embroidered in metallic thread brocade. 

“We produce four collections a year,” Ann says, “but you can find the latest designs in the corner every week.”

 

 

ACTUAL AND VIRTUAL

>>Find Headline Seoul gear at the Wonder Room on the third floor of Siam Center. 

>>It’s open daily from 10 to 10. 

>>Have a look also at HeadlingSeoul.com.