Young Thai fashion
designer's meteoric
rise
From Silpakorn graduate to New York fashion in less than a year
By Jon Fernquest 
Last
year, shortly after graduating from Silpakorn
University
in fashion
design,
Sirus Tantiyapong (nickname: Yod) decided to take a chance.He entered his fashion design in a competition, the Cotton USA Design Challenge 2008 held in Bangkok.
He won first prize which included a scholarship and a trip to New York Fashion Week to observe at first-hand how the international fashion industry worked.
Silpakorn University - the
leading Thai university in the fine arts and archaeology, a government
university, founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Italian-born art professor
Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri when he became a
Thai citizen (See Wikipedia)
fashion design - the applied art dedicated to designing clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time (See Wikipedia and list of designers) การออกแบบเสื้อผ้าเครื่องแต่งกาย
meteoric rise - to rise very quickly in your career, profession, or company
a scholarship - money given to a student to pay costs of studying ทุนการศึกษา
a fashion week - a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, it lets the industry know what's "in" and what's "out" for the season. The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals like Milan, Paris, London, and New York City (See Wikipedia) งานสัปดาห์แฟชั่นโลก
New York Fashion Week - the world's first organized fashion week, first held in 1943, the event was designed to attract attention away from French fashion during World War II, when fashion industry insiders were unable to travel to Paris to see French fashion shows (See Wikipedia) สัปดาห์แฟชั่นวีคของนิวยอร์ค นับเป้นแห่งแรกและครั้วแรกในโลกที่มีการจัดขึ้นเพื่อแสดงผลงานการออกแบบของนักออกเแบบเสื้อผ้าชั้นนำ
observe at first-hand - see and experience it by actually being there and participating ได้เข้าร่วมและเข้าชมด้วยตนเอง
fashion design - the applied art dedicated to designing clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time (See Wikipedia and list of designers) การออกแบบเสื้อผ้าเครื่องแต่งกาย
meteoric rise - to rise very quickly in your career, profession, or company
a scholarship - money given to a student to pay costs of studying ทุนการศึกษา
a fashion week - a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, it lets the industry know what's "in" and what's "out" for the season. The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals like Milan, Paris, London, and New York City (See Wikipedia) งานสัปดาห์แฟชั่นโลก
New York Fashion Week - the world's first organized fashion week, first held in 1943, the event was designed to attract attention away from French fashion during World War II, when fashion industry insiders were unable to travel to Paris to see French fashion shows (See Wikipedia) สัปดาห์แฟชั่นวีคของนิวยอร์ค นับเป้นแห่งแรกและครั้วแรกในโลกที่มีการจัดขึ้นเพื่อแสดงผลงานการออกแบบของนักออกเแบบเสื้อผ้าชั้นนำ
observe at first-hand - see and experience it by actually being there and participating ได้เข้าร่วมและเข้าชมด้วยตนเอง
Inspiration for a fashion design
Sirus was to represent Thailand at an international design competition featuring women's evening wear using fabrics made of high-grade Pima cotton, a fibre grown in the US.The contest was divided into three categories: Knits, woven and denim. Sirus was nominated for the woven category.
To get an edge over the competition, Sirus spent many long days and nights searching for a theme that he could use in the lady's evening gown he was planning for the competition.
One day he just happened to gaze down at his palms and fingertips.
In a flash of inspiration he saw in his own fingerprint the whorl pattern he was looking for.
"The
spiral lines and curves reminded me
of how elegant the female
physique
is," Sirus recalled. Sirus combined this epiphany with some evening wear designs from the 1930s he had studied
A few days later a sketch of two evening gowns was complete.
Sirus named the collection "Rhythm of Fingerprint Line."
an inspiration - a
feeling of enthusiasm giving you new and creative ideas
แรงบันดาลใจ
a flash of inspiration - a sudden inspiration ได้รับแรงบันดาลใจฉับพลัน
Pima cotton - a type of cotton grown primarily in the United State's Southwest. It is considered to be one of the superior blends of cotton, and is extremely durable and absorbent. Pima cotton is named after the Pima Native Americans who first cultivated the plant in the US, but its origins date back to its cultivation in Peru (Source: Wise Geek)
a fibre - a thin thread used to make cloth, of natural or artificial material เส้นใย
knits, knit wear, knitted garments - clothes made from knitting (See knitting) เสื้อฝ้าที่ถ้กทอด้วยการถักนิ้ตติ้ง
knitting - method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth, consists of loops called stitches pulled through each other (See Wikipedia)
yarn - a long continuous length of fibers locked together (See Wikipedia) เส้นด้าย ม้วนด้าย
thread - a kind of thin yarn used for textiles and sewing เส้นด้ายเส้นบางๆ
woven - a cloth made by weaving (See Wikipedia) เสื้อผ้าที่ลวดลายถักทอ
weaving - the textile art in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads, called the warp and the filling or weft (older woof), are interlaced with each other to form a fabric or cloth. The warp threads run lengthways of the piece of cloth, and the weft runs across from side to side (See Wikipedia) การถักทอ
denim - the material used to make jeans, a rugged cotton textile (See Wikipedia) ยีนส์
nominated for - suggesting someone for a position, or actually choosing someone for the position ได้รับการเสนอชื่อ
an evening gown - a long, flowing lady's dress worn to formal parties (See Wikipedia and photo of woman in black dress to the right) ชุดราตรี
a whorl pattern - the pattern of a coil, a series of circles each inside the other
spiral - a line that winds around and around with each curve inside the previous curve
female - of a woman สำหรับผู้หญิง
physique - the shape and size of a person's body รูปร่าง
epiphany - the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something การเข้าใจแจ่มแจ้ง การบรรลุหรือเข้าถึงแก่น
rhythm - a regular repeated series of sounds or movements ท่วงทำนอง
a flash of inspiration - a sudden inspiration ได้รับแรงบันดาลใจฉับพลัน
Pima cotton - a type of cotton grown primarily in the United State's Southwest. It is considered to be one of the superior blends of cotton, and is extremely durable and absorbent. Pima cotton is named after the Pima Native Americans who first cultivated the plant in the US, but its origins date back to its cultivation in Peru (Source: Wise Geek)
a fibre - a thin thread used to make cloth, of natural or artificial material เส้นใย
knits, knit wear, knitted garments - clothes made from knitting (See knitting) เสื้อฝ้าที่ถ้กทอด้วยการถักนิ้ตติ้ง
knitting - method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth, consists of loops called stitches pulled through each other (See Wikipedia)
yarn - a long continuous length of fibers locked together (See Wikipedia) เส้นด้าย ม้วนด้าย
thread - a kind of thin yarn used for textiles and sewing เส้นด้ายเส้นบางๆ
woven - a cloth made by weaving (See Wikipedia) เสื้อผ้าที่ลวดลายถักทอ
weaving - the textile art in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads, called the warp and the filling or weft (older woof), are interlaced with each other to form a fabric or cloth. The warp threads run lengthways of the piece of cloth, and the weft runs across from side to side (See Wikipedia) การถักทอ
denim - the material used to make jeans, a rugged cotton textile (See Wikipedia) ยีนส์
nominated for - suggesting someone for a position, or actually choosing someone for the position ได้รับการเสนอชื่อ
an evening gown - a long, flowing lady's dress worn to formal parties (See Wikipedia and photo of woman in black dress to the right) ชุดราตรี
a whorl pattern - the pattern of a coil, a series of circles each inside the other
spiral - a line that winds around and around with each curve inside the previous curve
female - of a woman สำหรับผู้หญิง
physique - the shape and size of a person's body รูปร่าง
epiphany - the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something การเข้าใจแจ่มแจ้ง การบรรลุหรือเข้าถึงแก่น
rhythm - a regular repeated series of sounds or movements ท่วงทำนอง
Making the dress
"The next stage was the most challenging part ... to make a real dress out of paper.""I had to bring out femininity from this plain natural fabric. In the end, I thought colouring and adding pleats could be the answer."
In the final round his black and royal purple halter evening gowns outshined the other designs fashioned by contestants from the US and other countries. Sirus was announced as the champion for his cutting-edge design.
"I was backstage when I heard the 'Thailand'," Sirus recounted the happy moment, smiling. "I didn't have time to think straight. I just had to run because the backstage staff was dragging me onto the stage with other contestants to receive our awards.
"Everything is rushed in New York!" he joked.
femininity - the
qualities that are considered typical of women, female qualities
ความเป็นผู้หญิง
bring out Y - make Y more visible, emphasize Y ทำให้เด่นขึ้น
bring out femininity - make female qualities more visible ช่วยเน้นความเป็นผู้หญิงให้เด่นขึ้น
plain - very simple in style, without a lot of decoration เรียบง่าย
natural - found in nature (not made in a factory by humans) ตามธรรมชาติ
a fabric - cloth produced by weaving together cotton, nylon, wool, silk, or other threads ผ้า
pleats - a permanent fold in clothing (sewn into place) แบบพลีท จีบรอบ
royal purple - a shade of purple, in the past only kings could afford the expensive blue dyes needed to make purple (See Wikipedia) สีน้ำเงินเข้ม ม่วงเข้มแบบกษัตริย์
halter evening gowns, halterneck garments - a style of women's clothing with a single strap around the back of the neck, considered more provocative because they leave the upper or upper and middle back free, exposing the shoulder blades (See Wikipedia) เสื้อราตรีเปิดหลัง
cutting edge - the most recent, the latest (in technology, in design,...etc) ล่าสุด
recounted - tell a story, tell how an event happened เล่าเรื่อง
didn't have time to think straight - was confused งง สับสน
bring out Y - make Y more visible, emphasize Y ทำให้เด่นขึ้น
bring out femininity - make female qualities more visible ช่วยเน้นความเป็นผู้หญิงให้เด่นขึ้น
plain - very simple in style, without a lot of decoration เรียบง่าย
natural - found in nature (not made in a factory by humans) ตามธรรมชาติ
a fabric - cloth produced by weaving together cotton, nylon, wool, silk, or other threads ผ้า
pleats - a permanent fold in clothing (sewn into place) แบบพลีท จีบรอบ
royal purple - a shade of purple, in the past only kings could afford the expensive blue dyes needed to make purple (See Wikipedia) สีน้ำเงินเข้ม ม่วงเข้มแบบกษัตริย์
halter evening gowns, halterneck garments - a style of women's clothing with a single strap around the back of the neck, considered more provocative because they leave the upper or upper and middle back free, exposing the shoulder blades (See Wikipedia) เสื้อราตรีเปิดหลัง
cutting edge - the most recent, the latest (in technology, in design,...etc) ล่าสุด
recounted - tell a story, tell how an event happened เล่าเรื่อง
didn't have time to think straight - was confused งง สับสน
The family business
Instead
of choosing a career at a well-known fashion house, as others might
have done, Sirus chose to return to work in his family's
business. Sirus is a young Muslim from the southern province of Narathiwat
His family's business is crafting hand-painted fabrics and batiks.
"My dad is a really cool guy," Sirus remarked. "He got his degree in business from India and later returned to Thailand and worked as a banker. However, his passion for art was so strong that he finally quit his full-time job and started to make a living by designing patterns for Thai silk and making batiks."
Sirus admits that although a batik is one of the most famous exports and souvenir items of the deep South area, his father's work failed to impress the locals.
"Unfortunately, his arty-farty patterns could not compete with those traditional colourful flowery designs in the same market. Foreigners, however, absolutely loved them," he explained.
Named after his father, Anuroj Tantiyapong, the family business brand name Anuroj Hand Paint is a registered company that regularly exports unique hand-painted fabrics as well as fashion wear products to international clients from Japan and the US.
"Now I am helping my parents with the design, while most of the production is controlled by my dad at home in Narathiwat," he said. "My mother also resigned from her previous job as a nurse and is now in charge of marketing and accountancy. They come to Bangkok frequently for trade shows and exhibitions.
"My parents have worked hard all these years to support me and my sisters. So it is now my turn to help them," says the dutiful son Sirus.
batik - a technique
for dyeing and adding a pattern to textiles that uses wax, found in the
Malay world (See Wikipedia)
a trade show - a show with companies in an industry showing the products they make to potential buyers
a trade show - a show with companies in an industry showing the products they make to potential buyers
(Source: Bangkok Post, Outlook, 19/02/2009, INSPIRATION CLOSE AT HAND, YANAPON MUSIKET, link)
