Thais look great in Nylon
The New York lifestyle magazine launches a Thai edition, pushing self-made style
Fashion followers in Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia have been reading New York-based Nylon magazine in their own languages for ages, so it’s about time there was a Thai edition.
Hip, bold, subtle yet sophisticated, Nylon arrived this month with generous servings of real-life fashion in a decent mix of street wear, high-end togs and vintage flair. The idea is that anyone can have his own personal style.
Nylon Thailand had a funky launch last week at Siam Paragon, with most Bangkok trendsetters making appearances. Holding court was Marvin Scott-Jarrett, the magazine’s founder and its editor-in-chief, who flew in specially for the occasion.
“Hopefully Thai readers will perceive Nylon the same way it’s been perceived in the US, Japan, London and other parts of the world, as unique and individual,” Scott-Jarrett told us in an interview at Four Seasons Hotel. “The concept is different, with personality and soul, as it has been for the past 13 years.
“We do a lot of music in Nylon, which is something different from traditional fashion magazines. It’s a lifestyle magazine that focuses on personal style. It’s about how someone can create their own personal style, and be inspired by fashion, designers and popular culture.”
A denim-jeans junkie with more than 500 pairs in his closet (a walk-in closet, presumably) and a sizeable collection of leather jackets, Scott-Jarrett believes in diversity and individuality in fashion. He insists everyone can create a signature style with a little bit of this and that from different brands, styles and era.
“When we first started, the fashion scene was completely different. The Internet was limited and social media was non-existent. Other magazines at the time would show just one look of a designer and you wouldn’t see a mix with other things, and it wasn’t the way real women dressed anyway. Real women might wear a Calvin Klein T-shirt and a pair of jeans from Gap, with maybe Prada shoes or a Chanel bag. That’s more prevalent now than it was in 1999. Actually women did dress like that, but magazines weren’t showing them.”
Contrary to common belief, nylon – the sheer material – doesn’t derive its name from New York’s initials and the first three letters in London (a Dupont naming committee finally settled on nylon after toying with “No Run”). The Thai edition of Nylon magazine certainly pays due homage to the world’s great fashion capitals, but it also features a big chunk of the local scene alongside its updates on global trends. In essence, it’s a marriage of Nylon’s core DNA and a fun local twist.
“I didn’t know where the word nylon came from – I just liked the sound of the word,” Scott-Jarrett said. “I thought it was modern yet retro, with a sexy, interesting sound. I only learned about a month later that nylon was a fabric created by Dupont. It’s been a really good name for the magazine!”
The magazine celebrates its 14th anniversary next week with local-language editions in seven countries (Argentina will join the fold later this year) and the US version available in more than 30 others.
DIGITAL VIEWS
>>Nylon Thai’s website is under construction. Meanwhile there’s a “NylonThailand” page on Facebook.
