CURATED BY EK THONGPRASERT

Designer

Ek Thongprasert

Category

Men’s & Women’s / Clothing and Accessories

 

Brand information / About the designer

―What inspired you to become a fashion designer? Describe developments leading up to the brand launch.

I always had a strong passion toward art scene since I was young not only fashion but including other design discipline, I did start my first styudy in Architecture school in Thailand but soon after finish I did realize that fashion is somethings that I want to continues in my life, maybe it’s dynamic and the intimacy to human that make me interested about fashion. SO I continue my second study in Fashion at Royal academy of fine arts Antwer, Belgium between 2004 to 2008. And after I finished my school I set up my brand in 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

―What is the brand’s concept? What do you want to communicate through fashion designing?

Brand “Curated” comes from original words “Curated By” which is words that usually found in Art scene. Each collection we will choose Contemporary artist we interesting in and we study their works, concept, philosophy and we re-curated them into fashion by combined and created new concept which had a same root with the selected artist. For me good fashion is a kind of art because it speak a message to the audience, it’s not only thing that cover your body but it’s a kind of visual language that tell your story to audience around you. SO I personally believe in person who has a very strong confident and unique style not only in their fashion scence but also their lifestyle because of that elements it make people stand out and interesting, and they are the same persons who I believe that they are my customer.

 

―What is your source of inspiration in creating fashion? What is your process of developing a design concept?

Like I said in the last question, my fashion is an Art, it will always inspired by the interesting concept of contemporary artist. I always visit art gallery every time I travel, to update and to see how the world of art have been going. And when there is interesting Artist came to my eyes I will immediately start study about them to see the angle I want to go deeper and bring out some concept around what I found there before finalize all the idea and start designing and experiment on technique and detail which I want to use in the collection.

 

―Which brands, designers, styles and cultures have had the most impact on your fashion designing, and why?

I always admired by Comme des garcons, not only because their philosophy in designing but also their philosophy of running business. They are brilliantly balance their creative structure with business side in very solid and effective way.

 

About 2015-16 A/W collection

―Why have you chosen Tokyo (or MBFWT) as the venue for presenting your collection?

For me Japanese market is one of the strongest market in Asian country, not only economic side but the audiences here also have a very mature perception toward all aesthetic base industry.

 

―What is the concept / image for your brand’s 2015-16 A/W season?

2Q15 is my concept for my Aw15 collection which is actually inspired by work of American artist “Danial Arsham” – The future is always now, together with concept of 1Q84 a novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

2Q15 is a concept that try to challenge perception of human minds toward their original perception of world today, by changing some original facts in their memories of their existing world, will that change make them confuse between real and fake, will that feeling make them question and look a world in different way? Or what they will react in different way?

2Q15 telling a story when African continent becomes the most powerful continent that leads the world economic and spread their aesthetic sense toward other country. Traditional African culture and ritual become something modern and become like world’s pop culture, What that world will be ?  The collection itself will be the image of this answer.

 

―What is your vision for your show / installation?

As “CURATED” is a fashion brand that fuse between Art and fashion, normal fashion show seems not fit into our vision. What we have in mind for presentation is a mix of Art installation with fashion presentation, Video installation that help us to transform our space to our atmosphere together with other installation that help audience to understand our concept more deeper.

 

Future

―What are your brand’s future outlook and goal?

I see “CURATED” brand not only fashion brand but more like an design institute, I believe that all design discipline  can be fused in various way to each other, and it will create something more interesting. I dream to build up a facility that help designer from various field to gather and create some project that bring their vision beyond their boundery.

 

About TOKYO

―What does Tokyo represent for you?

Tokyo for me represent a big bowl of Salad, mixing various interesting ingredient within itself by not destroy each individual quality. Tokyo consist with many kind of individual group of style and beliving from old traditional to ultra modern world, everything mix to each other by not lost their own original character and that’s make Tokyo so interesting.

 

―Which parts / sites of Tokyo do you like most? Why?

I’m not travel much to Tokyo, the last time I was there is actually in 2003. I do remember Aoyama which pack with a lot of interesting boutique and shops, it’s not busy like Shinjuku in my memory but interesting to walk through in that area.

 

―What are your favorite / recommended shops (of any genres, e.g. fashion stores, homeware stores, food services), facilities and sites?

I don’t know lots of shops now, I do know only Dover Street Ginza which sell my collection and also Opening Ceremony but the rest I will do update them this time when I visit in March.