Word: greyhounds
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...1980s and '90s, an unassuming Thai boutique called Greyhound did respectable business in Bangkok's Siam Center shopping mall, selling reasonably priced clothes that melded international urban chic with local tastes. For its co-owner and designer, an advertising executive named Bhanu Inkawat, the shop was little more than a weekend hobby. But in 2003, with Thailand starting to become more fashion conscious, Bhanu saw an opportunity: he quit his day job and poured his energy into Greyhound. Today, Bhanu, 50, presides over a growing style empire with 12 designers, 14 clothing stores and seven caf?s in Bangkok, franchises...
...What you increasingly see in Paris and Milan department stores and boutiques, though, are clothes from Thailand. The Senada Theory brand, by designer Chanita Preechawitayakul, is sold in more than 100 shops worldwide, and sales have been growing at an average of 30% annually for the past several years. Greyhound, too, is widening its footprint: overseas sales increased twofold in 2005 and a new franchise store in Australia is planned for this year. Department stores around the world, including Isetan in Tokyo, Barneys in New York and Harrods in London, also stock Thai-designed clothes...
...overseas. Senada designer Chanita mines traditional crafts for inspiration, borrowing elements from vintage wallpaper, temple paintings, battle murals, and antique textiles. But she insists that the objective is never to look Thai?it's to be stylish. "We don't want our clothes to look eth-nic," she says. Greyhound's Bhanu takes a similar approach. The spring-summer collection from Grey, the company's international line, features a range of handcrafted components: embroidery and silver ornaments from northern hill tribes are paired with hand-dyed fabrics and southern Thai fishermen's pants to achieve a look that's eclectic...
...More important, inspired by David Neeleman, whose JetBlue shook up the airline industry, Wong hopes to remake the bus-trip experience into a paragon of customer service. Wong and his four partners, one Spanish and the rest Chinese, are emphasizing service. "I don't want to copy from Greyhound," says Wong, who earned his M.B.A. from Indiana State University's business school. "My model is JetBlue...
...they improve service, the 40-odd Chinatown bus companies are becoming a growing threat to Greyhound Lines Inc. along Eastern seaboard routes. Greyhound has been shrinking its national network because of a string of financial problems. "We have no objection to competition as long as it is on a level playing field," says Kim Plaskett, director of corporate communications at Greyhound, which now offers a special online ticket rate of $18 on its New York City--Boston route, vs. the normal $35 fare...