Patriots, good neighbours too

Even as citizens  marched in the hot streets of Bangkok last week under the red, white and blue of the national flag, the same colours predominated inside an air-conditioned tent in front of Siam Paragon for Bangkok International Fashion Week.
More by coincidence than design during the shows Thursday through Sunday, one presentation had four models in elegant evening gowns of red, white and blue and a male model in a blue suit. And they were indeed evoking the flag.
It was the finale in a brilliant show by veteran clothing designer Chanachai Jareeyathana of Fri27Nov. His latest collection, “Rattanakosin Era”, makes a statement: We should all be proud of the Kingdom’s rich heritage in art and culture. Chanachai blended “the look of Thainess” from past to present and made an appeal for unity with flag-shaped beadwork embroidering loose shirts.
Such handmade decoration remains part of the signature for Fri27Nov, along with distinctive prints. Silk, chiffon, lace and cotton were used in knee-length cocktail dresses while business suits came in classic black, turquoise and shining pink and blue.
Siam Paragon and Siam Centre put on a dramatic show for the event’s seventh edition, with the theme “The Future is Asia” playing up the approaching inauguration of the Asean Economic Community.
With all of Southeast Asia uniting as a formidable trading bloc, Thai officials hope that Bangkok will be the region’s main fashion hub. Siam Centre has been supporting Thai designers for more than three decades, and at least 20 clothing boutiques are currently thriving in the trendy mall, so the groundwork is laid.
Designers and retailers are only praying now that the country’s volatile political situation doesn’t undercut its leadership potential in Asean.
Three designers from elsewhere in the region were invited to join four established Thai brands and an emerging local designer in showing their autumn-winner 2013 collections during this year’s Fashion Week, which was conceived in part as a platform for cultural exchange.
Among the “new” faces from neighbouring countries, internationally renowned Manish Aurora of India opened the proceedings with an extravaganza inspired by the boisterous Burning Man Festival that annually draws tens of thousands of young people to the desert in Nevada in the US.
Aurora’s collection – available in the Contemp Salon at Siam Paragon – features extraordinary prints and colours and unusual patterns on a variety of fabrics. Celebrated in London and Paris, Aurora has collaborated with several major brands and can claim Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Rihanna among his celebrity fans.
One of the hottest Malaysian designers, Melinda Looi, who represented her country at Paris Fashion Week last spring, brought her new “Lost in the Forest” collection to Bangkok. Her incredible couture is inspired by the writings of Pablo Neruda, Chile’s foremost poet.
And, fresh from Manila Fashion Week, Filipino John Paras treated Thai eyes to a line called “Angels and Attractions”, for which he tapped the visual magic of heavenly spirits and the art of Hernando R Ocampo.
Along with Chanachai of Fri27Nov, another old-timer on the scene, Nagara Sambandaraksa of the Nagara fashion house, did Thailand proud with outfits that made the most of eastern styling. They bore an exotic print specially created for the brand by National Artist Thawan Duchanee.
Sirichai Daharanont of Theatre splashed the catwalk with energetic and chic street wear, while Tube Gallery’s Saksit Pisalasupongs and Phisit Jongnarangsin celebrated the beauty and grandeur of Russian art and culture in “From Russia with Love”. Wonderful prints, unconventional silhouettes and patterns rich in colour and elegance made for a moving display.
Flynow, which has become internationally well known, wrapped up the week with bang, as usual. Somchai Songwattana and Chamnan Pakdeesuk’s Flynow Gold Label 2014 collection boasts silhouettes borrowed from contemporary architecture combined with Asia-inspired prints.
Up-and-coming talents from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia – all winners of Harper’s Bazaar Asia’s New Generation Fashion Designer Awards – lent the week a glimpse of the future. And what a promising future it is.