Three prominent Thai stylists on fashion, what it means to them and upcoming trends as foreseeable to their experienced eye

Fashion helps people define themselves and express how they choose to live their lives. It’s through the constant creation of fresh ideas that the fashion business thrives. The industry cannot flourish without the continuous emergence of new creative talent, the artistic minds working behind the scenes to conceive new ideas and then see them through to the runway, store and e-commerce site. Koktail has gathered important insight from talented Thai stylists on what they see as the most important fashion trends we should all be taking notice of next.

Al Ruthaiyanont

Having always been a fanatic for fashion, Al Ruthaiyanont stumbled into this world as an assistant to a garment stylist. He first gained his knowledge on the fundamental techniques of sourcing garments, accessories and props studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and then went on to Central Saint Martins to focus on personal and professional styling. Now a highly sought-after freelance stylist, he frequently styles actress and model Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund and others of similar calibre, and has also worked as a fashion stylist for Thai magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Praew and Numéro.

In terms of upcoming trends, the 35-year- old stylist says that “sustainable fashion has found its way this year and will certainly be here to stay to 2022 and beyond.” Al believes that being mindful of our environment is important, especially within the fashion industry. “The good news is that more companies are moving in the right direction, coming up with creative ways to adopt sustainable materials and produce clothes that won’t have a negative impact on our environment.” He clarifies further that sustainability isn’t a fleeting trend like the silhouette of our pants and clunky sneakers, perhaps. He believes that it’s more of a lifestyle change, one that will benefit communities in the long run.

Apart from his main work within the fashion industry, Al has been helping out with Covid relief projects. “I collaborated with Doctor Aye, a friend of mine, on a project we call A&A Little Things. We donated medicine boxes and meal boxes to people during the enforced two-week home isolation.” Aside from A&A Little Things, this busy millennial has been creating videos for his YouTube channel, PaiLongLen. On it, one might find creative content such as Al proposing to three of his friends and inviting them to a wedding photoshoot—both a commentary on fashion and legalising same- sex marriage in Thailand.

When we asked what fashion means to him, Al emphatically answers, “I believe fashion is everything surrounding you and how you mix and match things. I just want everyone to enjoy fashion as long as it’s not hurting anyone.”

Luknut Sukasemsin

After graduating, Sirivong “Luknut” Sukasemsin was deadset about pursuing a career in fashion. Completing a couple of internships, she came to work full-time at Marie Claire magazine, saving some time on the side to work as a freelance stylist. After 18 years in media, Luknut is now the owner of wedding venue Benedict Studio, as well as a one-stop beauty product styling service called everythinghasbeauty.

When asked where fashion is heading towards in the future, Luknut sees that people are increasingly staying true to themselves. “People are starting to discover their personal style and expressing themselves through their clothing, accessories, hairstyle and the way they put an outfit together. This is particularly different from the old days where people tended to dress like one and other, blindly following fashion trends.”

“Fashion can mean a lot of things,” she says. “If we’re talking about the abstract side of it, fashion is everything we interpret from our surroundings.” Like Al, Luknut wants us to pay more attention to sustainable or eco-friendly fashion. “It’s the concept of becoming more mindful as consumers of fashion and promoting the transformation of products towards ecological balance and social responsibility.”

She adds, “Sustainable fashion doesn’t just focus on what materials or textiles a company uses but also takes into account the production processes and lifespan of garments,” which either slows or hastens the waste cycle.

Art Araya

With over three decades of experience in the fashion houses of Paris and Bangkok, “Art” Araya Indra, who mixes fashion design with co-hosting Drag Race Thailand, is someone everyone in the Thai fashion industry takes notice of. Being a famous drag queen and TV personality, she also starred in two seasons of The Face Thailand, affording her the prominence of an all-round entertainer with the respect of a leading fashionista.

Entering our discussion on trends, Art is hesitant to predict what’s next as trends change day to day, driven by the speed and power of social media. “Just like when BLACKPINK’s Lalisa”—whose debut solo music video gained tens of millions of views within one day- “appeared in a traditional Thai headdress and then all of a sudden, those headdresses became sold out in local markets, it’s impossible to predict what will be the next hot thing.” However, Art is with Luknut in believing that people are evolving to become more confident and individualistic in the way they present themselves, especially those leading the industry. “Designers have their own characteristics and they will become more and more true to their personal style.”

Fashion has two meanings to Art. “The classic definition of fashion is literally anything that is popular.” Art likens it to when people go to a specific restaurant or café—it eventually becomes “fashionable”. The other meaning to fashion is in clothing that isn’t everyday wear. “Fashion is art (pun intended), because working in the industry, you need to be creative. In a nutshell, fashion is art that consolidates a lifestyle which makes a person content and blissful in their daily lives.”