It was only in preparation for a recent interview with fashion expert Georgianna Appignani from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology that I started thinking, for the first time in a while, about my own fashion sense. How could I possibly turn up dressed as I do at the office to discuss Bangkok's prospect for becoming a global fashion mecca?
Like many, I was wrong to assume that Appignani was the key to unlocking the latent haute couture vibrancy we assume is lurking in the city, waiting to be unleashed. In fact, her task as an advisor to the Thai Garment Development Foundation is to advise on the establishment of a fashion institute. Somewhat more practical, if less visionary.
Still, according to Appignani, cities don't become fashion hubs without a top-rate fashion institute. She cites the Polimoda institute in Florence, Italy, which she set up and where she served as director from 1992 to 2001. Polimoda, she says, produces the human resources necessary to maintain and build upon Italy's famed fashion industry. China, meanwhile, recently set up two institutes in Donghua and Zhejiang.
The establishment of an institute is the first step towards becoming a fashion city. And such cities don't necessarily have to be the best-dressed, Appignani points out. What's important is that fashions from the city sell well. City residents needn't be fashionistas themselves, though it helps build the overall couture culture, she says.
Appignani steered the conversation away from generalisations about Bangkok's chances of making a real dent in the world of high fashion. She'd much rather discuss building the institute first, and let the good results follow as they will. She's right. How can any one person come here and turn things around to make Bangkok a world fashion destination?
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra loves the idea and last year gave the greenlight to a project to attempt just that very thing.
Good luck, but there remain a few things to be done if we want the plan to have any chance of succeeding. I'll admit I don't have any fashion background to speak of, but here are a few minor items I suggest we improve before we declare our capital a "fashion city".
- Get rid of the dinosaurs in the Culture Ministry. These are the people who openly or secretly criticise the way youngsters dress themselves. With this bunch in positions of power, you can't expect Bangkok to become adventurous and experimental.
- The Education Ministry should revoke the rule requiring college and university uniforms. Students don't have to think about their dress (bad practice for art and fashion students), and they don't need to buy much in the way of clothing because there are so few days they have a choice in their appearance (bad for consumerism in general). Even when uniform designs are adapted to current fashions, it's often met with abuse - like the body-hugging blouses worn by female students, which are denounced as "too sexy".
- Add more pedestrian streets. There are few streets in the city where one can stroll socially. And believe me, without pedestrian-friendly space, there's not much motive for women to don beautiful clothes for an eye-turning stroll on the piazza.
- Get rid of uniforms in government agencies such as the military and the police. They all look so awful and unfriendly. If government officials don't have the freedom to decide how to dress, how does the state think it can somehow promote "creativity" here?
- Install DJs on every street corner to turn the capital into one large "catwalk".
- Make it cheap to dress well! All we talk about is Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Christian Dior, Prada, Versace, Celine, etc. Why? The designer fashions and leatherwear are subject to a luxury-import tax of 20 to 40 per cent. Luxury brands are priced higher than in any other key Asian shopping destination. So we end up selling less even though the brands themselves are well-established. We Thais tend to be attracted to brands for all the wrong reasons - their price tags.
- Replace faux satin motorcycle taxi driver's vests with leather versions by the House of Dior. Imagine how chic the city would be with over 100,000 fashionable motorcyclists in Bangkok at every street corner.
- Change the word "somtam" to "julienned mango al dente with piquant essence of garlic ala Bangkok". All somtam vendors should claim they are "fusion" bistros with limited seating capacity.
- Outlaw the "tropical holiday" look and insist that farangs vacationing in Thailand wear the same clothing they do at home. They can don the "backpacker uniform" only in the restricted zone of Khaosan Road. Gentlemen, let's cover up those vericose veins in the finest grey worsted wool . . . we don't care what the thermometer says!
- Lower the tax on wine and raise it on Dr Pepper.
- Declare Klong Toey Market an "installation art piece". If successful, many more projects could follow, and no need to hide vast tracts of the city from the Apec delegates.
- Conduct all drug tests at the Bed Supper Club and Qbar with Baccarat crystalware.
- All amulets, phalluses and tiger's teeth must be traded through Sotheby's. Anyone caught visiting eBay will be made to go through snob re-education camp.
- Lottery tickets redesigned by Paul Frank, tuk-tuks by Lexus, and at least one daily photo of Naomi Cambell or Kate Moss on the front page of Thai Rath.
- I know the guy's great, but if you really want Bangkok to become a fashion hub, don't vote for Purachai Piumsombun as the next governor. His victory will bring an end to evening dress completely.
- Last but not least, the whole society needs to loosen up. Fashion is about liberty, creativity and respect towards what others are doing.
Published on Sep 13, 2003
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