Designer friends take their wearables upon the world

September 18th, 2007

Though these two aren’t from a big fashion house, Sudar Sumranwanich (Ratn) and Anuchit Rachakaew (Timmy) are making it to the international stage at WOW 2007 (Montana World of Wearable Art Awards). On September 21, the final round will be shown at the TSB Bank Arena, Wellington, New Zealand, where the winners will be announced. Keep your fingers crossed for them and to find out who wins, check the announcement online after the show at www.worldofwearableart.com.

What are your day jobs?

Ratn: I run Pareeratn Boutique near Big C Tiwanon.
Timmy: I own Timmy’s Flowers and Décor shop in Sukhapibal 2. I’m a flower planner for events and also a freelance designer.

Is this your first time in this competition, Ratn?

Ratn: It’s my first time as a contestant, but I was in the audience the last two years. Timmy and I are friends, so he asked me to go see his work. I owe Timmy a lot for the help he gave me with the nominated dress that I designed.
Timmy: We were classmates in a design course at Alliance Francaise.

Are there any differences between designing for everyday wear and for catwalks?

Ratn: They’re totally different. When I design for art, I can be imaginative and extreme. I don’t need to care about comfort or practicality because what I’m selling is my idea. One of my dreams is to show my works on catwalks. In reality, I design mainly everyday wear to earn my living.
Timmy: People might see catwalk clothes and think they aren’t practical. But it’s the designers’ intent to show 100 percent inspiration and imagination. And later they will launch 25 percent of the original design, so people can wear it in their everyday life. Those 100 percent designs are to show off their guts and ideas. They can be extreme or over the top to catch people’s attention to the show.

What do you think about Thai fashion?

Timmy: I think we don’t have enough support from the government. When the government changed, many projects from the former government were stopped. And there are not enough opportunities for new faces. Like in fashion week, you can see that the brands that get the chance to participate are the same every year. No matter how old or outdated they are, they’re still on the top list. My question is, then, how does a new brand get a chance to grow when there is no stage for them?