Word: senada
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...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...
...inclination towards intricacy and handwork is especially pronounced among Thai designers selling their wares 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...
...Getting raves from Europe, though, has proved easier than selling clothes to ordinary Thai consumers. "Fashion still isn't a big part of Thai culture," says Chaichon Savantrat, whose Good Mixer label has more foreign buyers than Thai, despite being sold mostly in Bangkok. But Senada's Chanita says that 60% of her business is now local, and that number has been growing for the past several years. Greyhound's Bhanu, for his part, has launched more affordable domestic sub-brands. "The marketplace has a lot of potential," says Bhanu. "It's up to the brands to make it happen...
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