Mankind’s ability to overcome difficulties captured in Bangkok exhibition
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023
Walk!, an exhibition showcasing photographs of people who lost a limb to accident or illness will be held at the Central Embassy shopping mall in Bangkok from Thursday.
The four-day exhibition is being held in collaboration with the Chao Phya Abhai Raja Siammanukulkij Foundation, the Prostheses Foundation of HRH the Princess Mother and the Thai fashion house Voravaj Bangkok.
On display will be oversized photographs of amputees in fashionable attire along with a synopsis of their life stories and what they did to overcome the difficulties in life.
“The exhibition wants to send a message to all of those who face similar difficulties, that whatever the circumstances may be, dreams can always be achieved.”
“A huge loss” – Fashion expert on the death of designer Vivienne Westwood
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2022
As the person who dressed the Sex Pistols, Vivienne Westwood, who died on Thursday at the age of 81, was synonymous with 1970s punk rock, a rebelliousness that remained the hallmark of an unapologetically political designer who became one of British fashion’s biggest names.
“Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London. The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better,” her fashion house said on Twitter.
Her store in Los Angeles was closed with a sign reading, ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be closed until further notice.” A single bouquet of white roses lay in the store’s doorway.
Prominent fashion writer, Sasha Wilkins, behind the popular lifestyle and fashion blog LibertyLondonGirl.com, told Reuters “The death of Dame Vivienne Westwood is, of course, a huge loss not just the British fashion industry but the global fashion industry as well. I think her influence over the last 50, 60 years really cannot be overestimated. She really was a true iconoclast.”
Climate change, pollution, and her support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange were all fodder for protest T-shirts or banners carried by her models on the runway.
She dressed up as then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher for a magazine cover in 1989 and drove a white tank near the country home of a later British leader, David Cameron, to protest against fracking.
The rebel was inducted into Britain’s establishment in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth who awarded her the Order of the British Empire medal. But, ever keen to shock, Westwood turned up at Buckingham Palace without underwear – a fact she proved to photographers by a revealing twirl of her skirt.
“The only reason I am in fashion is to destroy the word ‘conformity’,” Westwood said in her 2014 biography. “Nothing is interesting to me unless it’s got that element.”
Instantly recognizable with her orange or white hair, Westwood first made a name for herself in punk fashion in 1970s London, dressing the punk rock band that defined the genre.
Together with the Sex Pistols’ manager, Malcolm McLaren, she defied the hippie trends of the time to sell rock’n’roll-inspired clothing.
They moved on to torn outfits adorned with chains as well as latex and fetish pieces that they sold at their shop in London’s King’s Road variously called “Let It Rock,” “Sex” and “Seditionaries,” among other names.
They used prints of swastikas, naked breasts and, perhaps most well-known, an image of the queen with a safety pin through her lips. Favorite items included sleeveless black T-shirts, studded, with zips, safety pins or bleached chicken bones.
“There was no punk before me and Malcolm,” Westwood said in the biography. “And the other thing you should know about punk too: it was a total blast.”
Born Vivienne Isabel Swire on April 8, 1941, in the English Midlands town of Glossop, Westwood grew up at a time of rationing during and after World War Two.
A recycling mentality pervaded her work, and she repeatedly told fashionistas to “choose well” and “buy less.” From the late 1960s, she lived in a small flat in south London for some 30 years and cycled to work.
When she was a teenager, her parents, a greengrocer and a cotton weaver moved the family to north London where she studied jewellery-making and silversmithing before re-training as a teacher.
While she taught at a primary school, she met her first husband, Derek Westwood, marrying him in a homemade dress. Their son Ben was born in 1963, and the couple divorced in 1966.
Now a single mother, Westwood was selling jewellery on London’s Portobello Road when she met art student McLaren who would go on to be her partner romantically and professionally. They had a son, Joe Corre, co-founder of the lingerie brand Agent Provocateur.
After the Sex Pistols split, the two held their first catwalk show in 1981, presenting a “new romantic” look of African-style patterns, buccaneer trousers and sashes.
Westwood, by then in her forties, began to slowly forge her own path in fashion, eventually separating from McLaren in the early 1980s.
Often looking to history, her influential designs have included corsets, Harris Tweed suits and taffeta ballgowns.
Her 1985 “Mini-Crini” line introduced her short puffed skirt and a more fitted silhouette. Her sky-high platform shoes garnered worldwide attention in 1993 when model Naomi Campbell stumbled on the catwalk in a pair.
“My clothes have a story. They have an identity. They have character and a purpose,” Westwood said.
“That’s why they become classics. Because they keep on telling a story. They are still telling it.”
The Westwood brand flourished in the 1990s, with fashionistas flocking to her runway shows in Paris, and stores opening around the world selling her lines, accessories and perfumes.
She met her second husband, Andreas Kronthaler, teaching fashion in Vienna. They married in 1993 and he later became her creative partner.
Westwood used her public profile to champion issues including nuclear disarmament and to protest against anti-terrorism laws and government spending policies that hit the poor. She held a large “climate revolution” banner at the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony in London and frequently turned her models into catwalk eco-warriors.
“I’ve always had a political agenda,” Westwood told L’Officiel fashion magazine in 2018.
Spring-warm or winter-cool? Personal colour tests, the latest beauty craze
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2022
Are you warm-toned or cool-toned? The current craze for South Koreans is to take personal colour tests — or consultations that provide recommendations for people’s personal colour types.
The tests, largely held offline for accuracy, have professional analysts evaluate whether people fall under the category of “warm-tone” or “cool-tone,” by scrutinizing their skin tone.
According to the tests, warm-toned people generally have a yellow-base skin undertone, while cool-toned people harbour a blue-base skin undertone.
The South Korean personal colour system breaks it down further into four colour types: spring warm, summer cool, autumn warm and winter cool.
Spring warm-toned people are generally suited for yellow undertone colours that are light and pastel-toned, while autumn warm-toned people are best styled with deep and darker yellow undertone colours.
Meanwhile, summer cool-toned people are to be styled with colour palettes which include cooling, soft and bright colours — whereas deeper, striking colours with blue undertones like forest green, wine red and black are recommended for winter cool-toned people.
Personal colour types are determined for an individual after they go through consultation sessions such as draping and pouch analysis.
During the draping portion of the testing sessions, fabrics of multiple colours are draped across the shoulders of the customer to see the effect of each colour on a person’s general style.
The drapings discern the colours best suited for each customer and work as the evaluation tool for analysts to determine each person’s personal colour type.
A person tries on different colored fabric swatches during a personal color test. (Colorazit)
Next, customers’ makeup pouches are analyzed, and the analysts look through the makeup items most often used by the customer to advise them on the type of cosmetics they should or should not use.
Diagnosis reports which elaborate in detail about the person’s general style are finally given to each customer after the session is over.
Then, where did these personal colour tests come from?
The basic theory for warm and cool-tone differentiation stems from American artist Robert Dorr’s colour key system theory, which underscored that colours were most harmoniously used when using the same undertone of either blue or yellow.
Fashion designer Suzanne Caygill applied Dorr’s system to people’s physical traits, determining a person’s personal colour after examining an individual’s colour of skin, hair and pupil.
Expanding on Caygill’s idea, colour consultant Carole Jackson classified human images by the four seasons in her bestseller “Color me beautiful” — which became the origin of inspiration for multinational beauty consulting companies in the United States and Europe, to commercialize the process of personal colour diagnosis for international consumers.
The tests entered the South Korean market for the first time in 1993 and gradually became a hit.
Continuing the momentum of its popularity, a slew of South Korean beauty companies have too released personal colour system-related goods as a part of their marketing tactic.
South Korea’s first personal colour-related goods started with Espoir, a cosmetic brand under the nation’s beauty and cosmetics conglomerate Amorepacific.
Tonework (Amorepacific)
Named Real Eye Handy Palette, the eyeshadow palettes are composed of selections of colors centred around each personal colour season.
Releases of a series of goods and services followed, such as AI-based personal colour analysis applications and personalized cosmetics that analyze a person’s skin tone prior to developing the product.
For one, Amorepacific’s cosmetic manufacturing technology “Tonework” customizes makeup products based on colours most suited for consumers. It measures the colour of a person’s face using AI algorithms and has robots manufacture customized liquid foundations, cushion compacts and lip products based on a person’s personal colour type.
The most popular Snapchat-like camera app in South Korea, Snow, operated by Naver, also offer diverse personal colour type filters for its consumers to use.
Then why did these personal colour tests become such a hit?
Experts pinpointed an increased interest in self as one of the factors.
“Before, people were eager to follow what the celebrities had on as part of their makeup,” said Yoon Jung-ha, CEO of Zamface, an AI-based app that allows users to take personal colour tests on their own. The virtual personal colour test-dedicated app recorded 1.7 million users as of December.
“People used famous makeup products whether or not it suited themselves, but now more focus is being spent on whether the makeup products suit their own style,” she added.
The comfort of belonging to a certain group also contributed to its popularity.
“People tend to seek for a certain sense of belonging during uncertain times. The personal colour system, in that aspect, could have provided people with a category in which to fit,” said Lee Young-ae, a professor of consumer science at Incheon University.
She cited South Koreans’ affinity for MBTI tests and the tests which categorized individuals based on blood type, noting that people like to be “classified” into certain groups.
She further mentioned that with increased online shopping, people needed to be certain if the colour of the makeup products would suit them without trying them out in person, saying that a personal colour system provided consumers with a standard upon which to fall back on.
However, the results of the personal colour system should not be trusted blindly, experts also added.
“The personal colour system itself is based on a sound scientific theory,” said Shin Hyang-seon, the president of Korea Color Industry Specialist Association.
She said people’s skin undertones, which are determined by three elements including haemoglobin, carotene and melanin, are defined by genetics and will never change, emphasizing that, in that matter, there will always be colours best suited for an individual from the moment they are born.
“However, skin overtones can change based upon factors such as sun exposure, the type of food a person eats, and natural ageing — leading to a more difficult assessment of a personal colour system as a person ages,” she added.
Moreover, she stressed that the current personal colour system market is filled with analysts who are not qualified enough to be giving out recommendations.
“Personal colours are best diagnosed by colourists (specialists in colour). But people of different occupations such as makeup specialists and stylists are currently giving out personal colour tests, which could lead to a potentially inaccurate diagnosis of personal colour types,” said Shin.
Moreover, with the test initially designed for foreigners, for higher accuracy, a separate uniform system for personal colour needs to be established specifically for Asians, Shin added.
“South Koreans have taken the personal colour type theory and tests possibly the furthest out of all the countries in the world. The tests could become a foundation stone for the growth of the nation’s beauty market,” Shin said.
New Malaysian-designed sneaker inspired by colourful local tea
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
Fancy wearing teh tarik on your feet? No, not literally of course, but as a sneaker, with a design inspired by teh tarik.
That’s what a locally inspired sneaker collaboration between SneakerLAH, Asics Malaysia, and Malaysian streetwear store Hundred%, has come up with.
Called the The Gel-Lyte III “The Tarik” sneaker, this is the third such sneaker collaboration that SneakerLAH, Malaysia’s biggest sneaker event, has done with Asics. The first one was released in 2019 – the nasi lemak inspired Gel-Kayano 5 OG “Nasi Lemak” – followed by another in 2020 inspired by the Petronas Twin Towers – the Gel-Lyte III “Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers”.
At first glance, the sneaker really is the colour of teh tarik, with a bold caramel suede that resembles the various shades of the “pulled” milk tea. It even has interchangeable stripes that mimic the splashes made by the process of making the pulled tea.
On the insole, speckles and imprints represent the stain left behind by a glass of teh tarik, while the white translucent sole mirrors the gleaming surface of the steel tables usually found in the mamaks or kopitiams.
Bryan Chin, co-founder and CEO of SneakerLAH, said that this particular shoe was two years in the making. One of the challenges they had to tackle was, well, how do you make a shoe look like teh tarik?
“Teh tarik has many different shades of brown, so we really explored a lot of the different shades of brown available to us,” Chin said. “The Asics product team went through the process with us, showing us all the different colours and materials.”
“We really wanted to highlight the many aspects of teh tarik, not just the one you have at the mamak stall,” he said, adding that the idea behind the collaboration is to highlight Malaysian culture.
“Every other week there is a sneaker collaboration coming out. But we thought, how do we highlight our culture? What is very close to our heart? This is what went through my mind when thinking about this – it’s not just about the product or whether it looks cool – but whether there is a story to tell here as well. Our Malaysian food is very colourful, and it’s beautiful when you apply it to a shoe. So this time around, I think we are all very, very happy with it.” Chin explained.
‘True Angel’ Lisa dazzles social media with sparkling jewellery
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2022
A livestream of BlackPink’s Thai member Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban resplendent in sparkling jewellery from Italian luxury fashion house Bvlgari and attired in a gorgeous evening dress took social media by storm on Tuesday.
Lisa was participating in the Bvlgari Avrora Awards at Grand Walkerhill Seoul in South Korea as global brand ambassador.
The event was shown live on fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue Korea’s social media channels.
The annual event honours people who have played an outstanding role in music, sports, movies or business.
A number of South Korean media outlets referred to Lisa as “Princess Lisa” and a “true angel”.
The Srepenti necklace and bracelet worn by Lisa were reportedly worth more than a whopping 22 million baht, with the necklace priced at US$300,000 (11.4 million baht) and the bracelet $290,000 (11.02 million baht).
Meanwhile, Lisa’s Vivienne Westwood elegant pearl white evening dress cost $6,705, or 254,000 baht.
Apart from Lisa, South Korean ex-professional golf player Pak Se Ri was invited to the awards.
Lisa became a global brand ambassador for Bvlgari in July 2020, reflecting the popularity of K-pop culture worldwide.
Thanks to Lisa, as many as 600 Bvlgari B Zero1 necklaces, costing $62,000 apiece (2.35 million baht) were sold out in a mere five days after the campaign “Unexpected Wonders” began, generating 1.4 billion baht in revenue for the brand.
Including sales of other ornaments such as rings and bracelets, Lisa generated more than 2 billion baht in revenue for Bvlgari within a week.
The very first time for MIKIMOTO to announce Song Wei Long as our first Male Global Brand Ambassador.
The very first time for MIKIMOTO to announce Song Wei Long as our first Male Global Brand Ambassador. With a marvelous conception to reinterpret MIKIMOTO Pearls, we are presenting a novel image to define the new style of Pearls that defies stereotypes.
As worlds cultured Pearl pioneer, MIKIMOTO aims to create the multifaceted beauty of Pearl, breaking the tradition of Pearls. This latest campaign with Song Wei Long showcases our Pearls collection to define his contemporary style and endless possibilities that reveal the new excitement in Pearls.
Patek Philippe has also created a unique dome clock in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel for the golden jubilee.
Cortina Watch and Patek Philippe are marking 50 years of partnership with the release of a limited-edition wristwatch and unique dome table clock. Since it was founded in 1972, Cortina Watch has been the official retailer of one of the most respected brands in Swiss watchmaking – Patek Philippe. What began as a professional encounter between Cortina Watch founder Anthony Lim and late Henri Stern over 66 years ago developed into a retail partnership that has helped establish both brands across Southeast Asia. Now, Cortina Watch exclusively manages six Patek Philippe specialist boutiques across Asia. To mark the five decades of partnership in the region, a limited-edition watch, Patek Philippe Ref 5057G-010 Calatrava, has been created. Only 100 pieces will be available this year.
New beauty in white gold The new Ref 5057G-010 in white gold features the same triple row guilloched “Clous de Paris” hobnail bezel as the first model created for Cortina Watch in 1997 to celebrate its 25th anniversary, with a charcoal grey sunburst dial with a black-gradient rim, white transfer-printed Roman numerals and white gold, pear-shaped hands. Powered by the Caliber 240 PS IRM C LU, the display indicates the date, moon phases and power reserve on two subdials, with a small seconds indication between the 4 and 5 o’clock hour markers. The ultra-thin, self-winding movement has a 48-hour power reserve and can be viewed through the transparent sapphire caseback, which bears a commemorative inscription “Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Since 1972” in white.
Unique dome table clock Patek Philippe has also created a unique dome clock in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel for the golden jubilee. The Ref 20145M-001 “Singapore Skyline” celebrates Singapore’s beautiful urban landscape, from the Merlion to the Central Business District, Gardens by the Bay, the Esplanade, and Marina Bay Sands, where the second Patek Philippe boutique was opened in Singapore by Cortina Watch. To create the contours of the city skyline and its most emblematic monuments, the enameller used 24K gold wire, cut into tiny segments, and shaped by hand. For the scene’s magical tints, with their subtle gradations and layered effects, a palette of 50 enamel colours was used. A shower of 50 gold stars and fireworks, made using gold and silver dust, cascade the sky to celebrate the jubilee. A guilloched hour circle with dentate edges echoing the flowers in the garden city, set with 12 baguette markers made of lapis lazuli frames a dial centre in cloisonné enamel. An engraved inscription “Cortina Watch – 50th Anniversary – Since 1972” is discreetly indicated on the clock.
Five decades of friendship The affinity between Patek Philippe and Cortina Watch extends beyond their retail partnership. It is an inter-generational friendship between the Stern family, who own Patek Philippe, and the family of Anthony Lim, who are the custodians of Cortina Watch. To celebrate this longstanding partnership, Cortina Watch and Patek Philippe will co-host an exhibition that showcases their affiliation. The exhibition will not only showcase the limited edition Ref 5057G-010 and Ref 20145M-001 “Singapore Skyline” dome table clock, but also the Ref 5057R-001 25th-anniversary model. It will also include Cortina Watch’s collection of several other unique Patek Philippe creations, such as Ref 1677M “Esplanade”, created for Singapore’s Golden Jubilee in 2015; Ref 20094M-001 “Bay of Singapore”, created for the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition, hosted in Singapore in 2019; Ref 20040M-001 “Twilight Taipei”, created to commemorate the first Patek Philippe boutique established in the city’s most prominent skyscraper. The travelling exhibition will be held at Patek Philippe boutiques across the region, starting with ION Orchard and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. It will travel to Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia before finally returning to Singapore towards the end of the year.
Komehyo, Japan’s No.1 second-hand luxury item business, celebrates second anniversary in Thailand with two stores in Thailand, aims to expand to five stores to tap into 3bn-baht-worth Thai market
Saha Komehyo Co., Ltd., established with cooperation of Saha Group and Komehyo Japan, continues to tap into Thailand’s three-billion-baht-worth second-hand luxury goods market by utilizing Komehyo’s strength as the No.1 in the Japanese market with extensive experience, high credibility and standard, and the ability to impress customers under the concept “Spread Joy, Spark Happiness”.
The company aims to build a society where people can share with each other their invaluable pre-loved luxury items, which will also help stimulate the economy. It currently operates two stores in Thailand, one on the second floor of Central@centralwOrld and another on the first floor of Central Bangna, and plans to continually open new stores in order to reach the target to operate five stores in the country
The business has been well-received by Thailand’s brand-name fans as it is ready to buy large amounts of second-hand luxury items in order to cater to the market demand.
Komehyo has sent Japanese experts to station in Thailand to examine second-hand or “pre-loved” luxury items.
Mr. Hideo Takeo, Managing Director of Saha Komehyo, said “Komehyo has a profound understanding of brand-name items from both the seller’s and buyer’s perspectives. We treat second-hand luxury goods as ‘pre-loved items’ that are invaluable to our customers. As such, we are well-received by Thai customers and have been growing continuously in the past two years.”
“Komehyo intends to help transfer luxury items one no longer uses to another who wants it, which, in effect, is the transfer of happiness. This is how we came up with the concept ‘Spread Joy, Spark Happiness’. All luxury items, such as bags and watches, will be meticulously examined by our highly experienced experts from Japan, who are ready to provide personal advice and professional care throughout the buying and selling processes.”
“Our customers will enjoy the same level of quality of service and credibility as our business in Japan guaranteed by our reputation, which will allow them to buy or sell luxury items with confidence. Customers who want to sell an item can make an appointment in advance and we will prepare a private guest area for them. As of now, we are ready to buy a large volume of brand-name items.”
Komehyo has sent Japanese experts to station in Thailand to examine second-hand or “pre-loved” luxury items.
“Under the concept of ‘Spread Joy, Spark Happiness’, Komehyo acts as credible intermediary who can ensure trust and confidence of customers by guaranteeing the quality of items. We have over 300 experts in Japan with expertise specific to each type of items. Each expert must complete our training and pass our examination on buying, product care and pricing, based on a special curriculum we have developed throughout our long history using a database from over 1.4 million items per year. We want every step of any transaction with us to be credible as we aim to impress and provide happiness to customers who wish to buy or sell their beloved brand-name items.”
Komehyo, Japan’s No.1 pre-loved luxury item business, operates two stores on the second floor of Central@centralwOrld and another on the first floor of Central Bangna. It provides a certificate of authenticity for each item which has passed a careful examination by a Japanese expert under a standardized grading system. A team of brand-name experts are available to help select luxury items to be sent directly from Japan to Thai customers.
Komehyo is launching a special promotion to celebrate its second anniversary in Thailand. Customers who buy items worth 30,000 baht will get to draw a discount coupon with the highest possible value of 10,000 baht, while customers who sell items worth 30,000 baht will receive a Starbucks Card worth 1,000 baht. The campaign is available from 16 October to 16 November 2021. Customers can make an appointment to sell their luxury items in a special private room and can enjoy buying various luxury items at any of the two stores. They can also view the items online at the website www.komehyo.co.th/ and view an online video guide at
Songkhla pattern wins Batik City costume design competition
Nattorn Atitcharungchais Songkhla pattern stood out among hundreds of competitors in the Batik City International Contemporary Thai Costume Design Competition 2021.
Nattorn Atitcharungchai’s Songkhla pattern stood out among hundreds of competitors in the Batik City International Contemporary Thai Costume Design Competition 2021.
Itthipol Khunpluem, the Minister of Culture, presided over the online competition on Saturday.
The contest was held under the concept of bringing together batik fabrics from the three southern border provinces (Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat) and four districts of Songkhla (Chana Thepha, Nathawee, Saba Yoi).
As many as 319 entries were submitted, with five making it to the final round.
Songkhla pattern wins Batik City costume design competition
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Nattorn’s work under the concept “Sunset Nostalgia” won the first prize. Her work introduced fabric patterns from Songkhla batik, inspired by the shadow of the sunset on the sea that changes from emerald green to midnight blue and contrasts with another layer with shades of evening sunlight ranging from orange to purple. The dress combined elements of Street Style and the Cultural Twist with ancient Japanese aristocracy.
Songkhla pattern wins Batik City costume design competition
The first runner-up was Panupong Khamdee, who used fabric patterns from Batik Derara, Saloma Patek and Dee Na Thap to create a piece under the concept “More in More” by bringing impressions from Hari Raya, the Muslim New Year, to the design.
The second runner-up award went to Leeta Chalitanattakul, who took the history of the fabric from the Kae Phatik entrepreneur to design it under the concept “The beauty of the blind”.
Two other consolation prizes were awarded: to Naphasorn Panichpat, who blended fabric patterns from Raya batik, Kae batik and Adunan batik under the concept of “Ocean Currents”, and to Woranon Wongkitisophon, who took the fabric pattern from Adunan batik to create the concept of “Birth of Southern Thailand”.
Itthiphol congratulated the five winners and hoped that the work of all contestants would spark the use of Thai fabrics from the southern border provinces in a more contemporary form. It is also helping to preserve the national cultural heritage and promote the value of beautiful Thai fabrics and long-standing cultural heritage.
Watch the Fashion Video works from 15 finalists on www.ocac.go.th or YouTube and Facebook of Office of Contemporary Art and Culture.
A person tries on different colored fabric swatches during a personal color test. (Colorazit)
Tonework (Amorepacific)
Komehyo has sent Japanese experts to station in Thailand to examine second-hand or “pre-loved” luxury items.
Komehyo has sent Japanese experts to station in Thailand to examine second-hand or “pre-loved” luxury items.
Songkhla pattern wins Batik City costume design competition
Songkhla pattern wins Batik City costume design competition
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