Fashion in fanciful flight

Now in its third generation and known as Fly Now III, Somchai Songwattana’s internationally known Thai couture brand is stepping out of its comfort zone by combining fashion with art.

The label recently introduced a gallery-style space adjacent to its flagship boutique on the third floor of Siam Center. There, shoppers can both admire and buy a range of innovative products born out of a close collaboration between Fly Now III and the art team of Gui and Co.

“We’re again setting a trend,” declares Somchai, the founder, chief executive and art director of Fly Now. 

“This is an art space where clothes, sculptures and performance art are brought together to create something different for customers. I love the idea of bringing something new to life and also being an inspiration for others. And as a brand, Fly Now is now strong enough to be a driving force in society.

“We are a classic label that’s been popular with local and overseas shoppers for many years. Fly Now III was created with the new generation in mind. It’s very different from the mother ship, which is chic, classic and creative. Fly Now III is like a little child full of colourful, excitement and joy.”

The new space, which continues the label’s collaboration with Gui and Co, has “Hybrids Festive” as its theme. Both art and outfits feature nine characters, among them the trademark dolls Fiona and Katie and their animal friends, along with Gui and Co’s own creations, which are alos featured Fly Now III’s latest fashions. 

Gui and Co, which is made up of Chira Chirapravata Na Ayudhya aka Gui and Torpong Choeichom, has been working with Fly Now III for three years. Their first collaboration saw the creation of small display boxes and “Noah Marching”, a collection of animal head sculptures. They were an immediate hit and inspired follow-up collections. 

“Some world-famous designers posted photos of our creations on their Instagrams. Our reputation spread but for a while, no one knew that Gui and his team were behind this success. The time has now come for them to make their presence felt and that has brought us together today. Gui and Co are the first artists to exhibit at our new gallery with ‘Hybrids Festive’,” Somchai says.

“We came together to create a new lineage with a wide variety of DNA mutations, and these characters are the result. We then transposed the characters to textile patterns. Of course, there’s nothing new about artists and designers collaborating – it’s quite common in the West but I think this is the first time it has been done here in Thailand. I think of the hybrid collection as connecting two different inconsistencies,” Somchai enthuses.

Chira is also delighted at the response to their earlier collaboration. “I’m very proud that our animal heads have appeared on Instagram thanks to people like Takashi Murakami, who was one of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking Japanese artists of the 1990s and also my favourite artist,” says Chira who graduated in ceramic design from Chulalongkorn University’s Fine and Applied Arts Faculty.

“Somchai invited us, as artists, to illustrate his attitude towards Fly Now and we’ve done this through a series of collectibles that we hope will appeal to both art lovers and fashion disciples. We’ve taken five of my patterns and superimposed them on scarves and T-shirts before showcasing them and the rest of the collection in a special fashion show.”

The clothes and accessories are already proving a success with Bangkok’s fashionistas.

A case in point is Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunand, the forensic pathologist, author, rights activist, media personality and cancer survivor. She has been a loyal Fly Now customer for the best part of 20 years and likes the way the brand has evolved.

“Fly Now is very much part of my life,” says Pornthip. “I like this brand because of its individuality. I first fell in love with Somchai’s chic black and white themes but I’ve grown equally as fond of his more colourful creations. I’ve watched as Fly Now has evolved into Fly Now Garden offering more sombre clothes with doll and tree root patterns. I find myself very drawn to the new accessories line that boasts the signature dolls of Katie and Fiona on handbags and shoes.”

On sale at the new space are Gui’s nine animal sculptures, which range in price from Bt60,000 to Bt180,000. Made from fibreglass, mixed media and Fly Now’s textile patterns, they pay testament to the creativity that has long been associated with the brand.

“I’ve mixed the fashion styles of several eras in decorating them,” Chira explains. “Katie and Fiona are the main characters and the animals are supporting players. The sculpture of an elephant in the shape of a castle is a more modern form of a Chinese pavilion while for the monkey sculpture, I was inspired by the boom years of the late luk thung queen, Pumpuang Duangchan. There’s also a surreal lion, a peacock, a horse and a deer. The styles vary from reggae to Bohemian.”

For his part, Somchai is planning to collaborate with one or two artists per year.

“Good business is giving something back to the society and while such shows can be expensive, I think the cost is worthwhile,” he says. “The Asean Economic community gets underway next year and Thailand can play a leading role in setting the trends. Fashion is about belief and people must trust in what we believe.”

Chira nods his agreement

“Worldwide trends have no influence over the strength of the Fly Now brand. No matter what the fashion trend, Fly Now will maintain its originality,” says Chira.