Thailand pushes ahead in its attempts to be a leader in design and lifestyle products. Hoping to attract more business and show off the Kingdom's design potential, the Department of International Trade Department (DITP) -- known for organising some of the region's biggest lifestyle trade fairs -- is hosting its second "Style Bangkok Fair" until Monday, considered to be the largest lifestyle trade fair in Southeast Asia.
With over 2,000 booths, the event combines the Bangkok International Fashion Fair and Bangkok International Leather Fair (BIFF&BIL); Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok International Houseware Fair (BIG+BIH); and the Thailand International Furniture Fair (TIFF) into one monster of a fair -- taking over 47,000m² of exhibition space at Bitec Bangna.
Under the theme, "Crenovative Origin", (playing with the words 'creative', 'innovation' and 'original'), not only will there be fashion, gifts, furniture, and wellness and medical services to choose from, the fair will include numerous exhibitions and activities in the Creative and Design Zone -- considered to be the highlight of the event.
There will be activities like the Creative Lab and Creative Maker, bringing entrepreneurs together to create and discover new ideas. Then there's the Demark Design Excellence Award 2017 and the Talent Thai & Designer's Room showcase, rounding up award-winning products and brands.
Chanakan Ukosakul, left, and Aniknun Eiamong.
From Labrador's leather products to Itti-Bitti's minimally geometric jewellery, one brand that truly stands out in this showcase is Arty&Fern -- Thailand's only local bespoke -- or made to order -- eyewear maker.
Founded in 2013 by graphic designer Aniknun "Fern" Eiamong and advertising executive Chanakan "Art" Ukosakul, the couple have been combining form and function to create "beautiful frames that are comfortable, and comfortable frames that are beautiful" -- something that's hard to attain in mass-produced spectacles.
The two started out their business as a side job, creating quirky and conceptual eyewear collections with colourful lenses. Not able to create their own frames, they then travelled to France, out of curiosity, to attend the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Lunetiers in Morez, a city known for its manufacture of spectacles since the 16th century.
"The most amazing thing was on the first day of class," said Fern. "The professor showed us pictures of his creations. There was beautiful eyewear encrusted with diamonds, but what I was most in awe with were the designs that helped people who had problems. There were glasses for people who didn't have ears, for misshapen heads. I thought this was so interesting, and I've never thought in that perspective before -- that there were people who needed glasses but can't buy them anywhere."
Inspired by her teacher, Fern and Art got talking, deciding to open a bespoke glasses shop once they got back to Thailand, in the hopes to ease the troubles of those who really need help.
There are two main clients interested in custom-made glasses -- which start at around 12,000 baht, Fern said. The first being artists, designers, and celebrities who simply wish to have a pair of glasses with a splash of their personality. The second group are those who actually need them, but for whatever reason aren't able to find a pair that's right for them.
"I think it's a fun challenge," she said. "We have to find the right balance where the design has to be clear, but at the same time, customers can actually wear it."
Apart from custom-made glasses, the couple has also gone back to creating concept frames. Their latest collection, the 9 Auspicous Siamese Cateyes, won the Demark Design Excellence Award last year.
Each frame is designed according to the personality and symbolic meaning of auspicious Thai breeds, like the ivory coated Wichianmat, the reddish-brown Suphalak and the black-coat-white-eared Mulila.
"We didn't want to just create pretty fashion glasses, but we wanted to tell a story as well," explained Fern.
Five years into the business, the couple has some big plans for the future. Running everything from production to marketing themselves, they're now looking at creating collections for men, collaborations with both local and international fashion brands, maybe setting up a school, and hopefully opening up to an international market.
