The September 1st “Wanderlust” gala at SO Sofitel put some yet undiscovered talent in the spotlight What was the culmination of SO Sofitel 4th annual Art & Fashion Exhibition, for the four contestants who made it to the final, was just the begging.
SO Sofitel doesn’t really need to prove that creativity is of its pillars – a trip around the premises is proof enough. From imaginatively designed rooms in four different, distinctive styles inspired by four elements – earth, metal, wood and water- each a brainchild of a different renowned designer; through ingenious public spaces filled with intriguing art pieces; to details such as custom designed staff costumes – everything at SO screams creative design. But it goes beyond the looks – SO Sofitel is a place where creativity is given a chance to grow.
Best example – the annual Art & Fashion Exhibition held at the hotel – each edition supporting creative minds and providing them with much needed publicity. But it was maybe this year’s, fourth edition that took the notion of boosting creativity even further. That is because Art & Fashion Exhibition in 2016 focused not on well-established designers who already succeeded in making their names known, but on young, yet undiscovered talent.
And if anyone has ever been in doubt if Thailand has any of that undiscovered talent left to space, this year’s edition was here to prove them wrong. The competition judges – Tawn Chatchavalvong, the designer behind his namesake Tawn C. women’s apparel brand, Assistant Professor Patcha U-Tiswannakul of Chulalongkorn University, the celebrated painter and illustrator Parn Somnuek Klangnok and Boss Thamatat Liangthamarathof Him and Her Studio, past winner of the Thailand Fashion Designer Award – all had to face an uneasy task of selecting the few finalists amongst hundreds of those who send in their submissions.
Finally, just four were left to present their creations at the exhibition’s opening night. Chawala Jarurangsima, student at Rangsit University drew the inspiration for her “The Serendipitous Tibet” display from the Himalayan country of Tibet, a destination where she backpacked through.
Hailing from the same university was also Naphon Kijrungrod whose “Transformation: Insects & Humans” collection was inspired by insects’ ability to adapt to their surroundings either in a bustling city or serene nature, reinterpreting their exoskeleton as clothing silhouettes.
Khampee Laksanosurang from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University presented his “Postcard from Travel” collection whose colour palette draws from nature’s hues and which he designed as a virtual postcard to inspire urban dwellers to escape the city and seek out new experiences.
Thammasat University’s Thanat Chuengprasert found inspiration for his “Renewable” in the Cheuvet Cave in France famed for being home to the earliest known cave paintings in the world. Today , caves remain one of nature’s serene places where we like to escape from the urban life’s hustle and bustle.
Now all those designs and their background stories look great on paper, but their final and most important test came at the SO Sofitel event’s fashion show. And when carried by professional models down the red carpet in the hotel’s ball room, the young designers’ creations looked nothing short of fabulous – not just to the contestant’s university friends who showed up in numbers to support their colleagues but also to the industry experts, who graced the event with their presence as well. But while all four designers showed promise, few of the guests present at the gala where surprised, when Naphon Kijrungrod, the author of “Transformation: Insects & Humans” collection was announced as the ultimate winner. His designs were as much art as they were fashion, looking at times like something out of Luc Bessons “Fifth Element” – impressive.
Those four young, promising designers still have a lot to prove – a task that will be now much easier with the experience of Sofitel’s Art and Fashion exhibition behind their belts. As for the SO Sofitel itself, while it doesn’t have to, it keeps proving that a luxury hotel can be and is much more than a place where you rest your head after a long travel. It’s a place where dreams come true.
