TAKING A journey along the ancient Silk Road, Thai handbag-maker Tu’i is marking its eighth year with a remarkable autumn-winter collection unveiled in a fashion show at EmQuartier that resembled a nomad camp.
East meets West in the new “tribal” line from Tipanan “Tu’i” Srifeungfung, presented amid a picturesque landscape of mountains, prairies, deserts and lakes.
Schooled at the Instituto Maragoni in Milan, Tipanan came out with a signature handbag that’s beloved for its use of mixed materials, including exotic skins.
The new collection of bags in 10 styles is made for strong and fearless “Tu’i tribal girls”. There’s a distinctive geometric structure and more rich materials from around the world, including Thai snakeskin, fox and rabbit fur and ostrich plumes, plus an ingenious replication of snowflake crystals.
The Tu’i bag is “unique in the way it mixes materials, like exotic skins matched with calfskin, and this season I’ve included lots of fur”, Tipanan says.
“The bags are fun and have different dimension, and I always love touching the different textures. We attach a lot of importance to leather, metal and all the details in the material.”
Tipanan says the bag is made entirely by skilled local craftsmen, adhering to a geometric square structure, though this season she’s introduced a cuddly, rounded pom-pom bag made with rabbit fur.
Also in the collection is a range of fascinating jewellery – a necklace and earrings embedded with crystals, pearls and feathers – and exquisite silk scarves inspired by vintage French needlepoint but with an eastern touch, plus a fox-fur scarf.
The colour palette is based on the nomad landscape – White Snow, Beige, Sand, Mongolian Pink, Persian Red, Deep Forest, Tundra Grey and Black.
The new line exudes Tu’i’s exotic “maximalist” approach, but Tipanan says she’s always keen to come out with another collection for every season.
“Perhaps I learned that from the Italian approach to fashion design. Each collection is different, because at least the colour palette should be well designed, |as you can see in the clothing |collections.
“I think it’s so much fun, because you can’t stop being fashionable. I made my ‘classic models’ and some of the favourites are still available in every collection, slightly changed in colour or materials, but always maintaining the same shape.”