Delight your inner Cinderella

HAVING SPENT eight years in Europe burnishing his reputation for avant-garde silicone-based costume jewellery, Ek Thongprasert is back in Bangkok with a pop-up boutique and his first line of apparel. 

You can glimpse Ek’s training in architecture (Chulalongkorn University) in his elegant jewellery pieces and women’s clothing. 

He studied fashion at two institutes in Antwerp, Belgium, including the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and in 2008 set up his own jewellery brand, with his thesis work as the inaugural collection. 

The pieces made the rounds of trade fairs in Europe, garnering attention with their construction in clear silicone and whimsical designs that hinted at broken-hearted people trying to seek consolation by shopping. Buyers in 

 Britain, France, Italy and the Middle East struck deals with Ek and in 2010 he collaborated with Comme Des Garcons on a set of silicone necklaces for the Christmas market. 

“I’ve loved fashion ever since I was a little boy,” he says. “My parents didn’t think it was much of a career to pursue, but I proved I could do it by learning how to make patterns and designs with the experts involved in Elle Fashion Week. I was their intern in my leisure time. 

“Once I got my architecture degree I moved to Belgium and spent three more years studying fashion – I had to learn to speak Dutch as well as all the basics of drawing.”

Asked where the design ideas come from, Ek says he’s constantly asking questions about aspects of life. “For example, what is luxury? People wear jewels to show their status in society. 

Silicone has a coarse texture and is flexible, so it’s easily paired with a T-shirt or jeans, but I also combine it with other materials like cubic zirconia and rhodium-coated brass.” 

The Ek Thongprasert boutique on the first floor of Siam Paragon carries his latest lines in jewellery and clothes, and they do look ready to mix and match for daily wear. They’re casual yet luxurious, including denim dresses, sporty jerseys with ruffles, smart jackets and pastel dresses with floral silicone embroidery. 

“Most women have what I call the Cinderella Syndrome – they’re always dreaming about wearing fluffy evening dresses to the prom, like princesses,” Ek says. “What I try to do is make the evening dress look casual and smart at the same time, so they can wear it any time of day and anywhere they go.” 

This Thursday Ek is hosting a fashion show of the playful and glamorous evening dresses from his “Aggressive Luxury” collection. 

In conceiving the line, he had in 

 mind Christian Grey in the hit novel “Fifty Shades of Grey”, who dresses sharply as a businessman but hides a dark side, So you have the conventional silhouette mingling with elements of punk fashion. Sexy pastel dresses are adorned with metal hardware adapted from harnesses and the embroidery is inspired by tattoos. The ideas for the accompanying jewellery came from Lego building blocks. 

“Girls can have fun designing their own mix-and-match looks with these accessories – a ring can turn into a brooch or a pair of earrings,” Ek says. 

Also available at the store is jewellery from previous collections, including the Ethnic line of necklaces made with silicone Indian coins and beads, the Flower necklaces and earrings mixing silicone and brass, and the Classic pieces using cubic zirconia. 

  

 

RETAIL ON THE GO

>> The Ek Thongprasert pop-up store is on the first floor of Siam Paragon and open daily from 10 to 10. 

>> Once it closes at the end of August, Ek will have a permanent retail corner at the Emporium.

n Learn more at http://EkThongprasert.be.