Inside the Royal Atelier: Princess Sirivannavari reveals the ‘Survival’ of design at BKKDW2026
The SIRIVANNAVARI exhibition ‘INSIDE’ offers a rare glimpse into the Princess’s design laboratory, from royal sketches to Milan Fashion Week masterpieces
- Princess Sirivannavari's brand is featured at Bangkok Design Week 2026 in an exhibition titled ‘INSIDE’, offering a look into her design process.
- The exhibition's central theme is ‘Survival’, illustrating the rigorous journey of refinement a design undergoes from an initial sketch to a final, successful garment.
- The ‘Survival’ concept is demonstrated through displays on accessory prototyping, the elevation of traditional Thai Don Koi fabric for Milan Fashion Week, and the seasonal evolution of the iconic IRIS Jacket.
- Presented as a "Fashion Lab," the showcase is intended as an educational platform to reveal the successes and failures that occur before a design "survives" to reach the public.
The SIRIVANNAVARI exhibition ‘INSIDE’ offers a rare glimpse into the Princess’s design laboratory, from royal sketches to Milan Fashion Week masterpieces.
The SIRIVANNAVARI brand has returned to Bangkok Design Week 2026 (BKKDW2026) with an evocative new exhibition titled ‘INSIDE: The Design Process of SIRIVANNAVARI’.
Anchored by the conceptual theme of ‘Survival’, the showcase offers an intimate look at the rigorous journey from initial inspiration to international acclaim.
As reported by Walan Supakorn for Krungthep Turakij, this marks the second time Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya has brought her namesake brand to the city’s premier design festival.
This year’s theme aligns with the festival’s broader mission—DESIGN S/O/S—which explores design as a vital tool for securing a sustainable and resilient future.
The exhibition is staged as a "Fashion Lab" at House No. 1, Soi Charoen Krung 30. Its clean, clinical aesthetic is designed to strip away the glamour of the runway, focusing instead on the academic and experimental reality of the craft.
"We wanted to show everyone the inside of our 'home'," explained Ratirod Chulajata, vice president of Iris 2005 Co., Ltd. "The Princess wished for this exhibition to be an educational platform, allowing students and enthusiasts to see the successes and failures that occur before a garment ever meets the public eye."
The exhibition is curated into three distinct zones:
The Design Process Lab The first zone highlights the brand’s accessories and jewellery. Visitors can view the Princess’s original hand-drawn sketches, which serve as "experimental logs". One notable display reveals the evolution of horseshoe nails into crescent earrings—a process where the weight and wearability were adjusted by millimetres until the design "survived" the prototype phase.
Don Koi to Milan The second zone focuses on the brand’s commitment to "Sustainable Fashion". Here, the spotlight is on Don Koi cloth, a traditional indigo-dyed cotton from Sakhon Nakhon province. Under the Princess’s direction, this local wisdom has been elevated into high-fashion textiles that featured prominently in the Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026 collection. This section also honours the Princess’s conservation efforts, which were recently recognised with a UNESCO Medal of Honour, presented in the exhibition via a striking hologram.
Atelier IRIS The final zone is dedicated to the brand’s iconic IRIS Jacket. Known for its structured military-inspired silhouette, the jacket is presented as a living design that evolves with every season. Highlights include an IRIS Jacket featuring a corset inspired by Frida Kahlo’s medical braces—a tribute to feminine resilience—and the latest Spring/Summer 2026 iteration, which incorporates wave motifs and sailor collars into the traditional Don Koi weave.
The curator, Sappasit Foongfaungchaveng, notes that the exhibition proves that "survival" in design is not an accident. Rather, it is the result of a long, calculated journey of refinement.
At SIRIVANNAVARI, what "survives" this process is what eventually becomes a signature.
Exhibition Details:
Venue: House No. 1, Soi Charoen Krung 30
Dates: 29 January – 8 February 2026
Admission: Free to the public
