ELLE FASHION WEEK springs into action
Elle Fashion Week will be held at its old stomping grounds, the Morakot Outdoor Carpark, Central Chidlom, on Friday through Sunday.
Elle and Elle Men Fashion Week 2015 Spring/ Summer marks a return to the venue after being held at Central World for the past decade. “Elle Fashion Week called this place home for many years. It’s a good idea to return home,” Elle Men editor-in-chief Narin Palanuraksa said.
The spring/summer showcase will be more casual than the annual autumn/winter fashion week. There are 10 shows lined up for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, including those by Issue, Nagara, Vickteerut and Anchavika.
Men’s fashion will be held on Sunday — a first for the event — with shows by men’s designers including Painkiller, Fri 27 Nov and Greyhound Original.
Narin said Thai men today pay more attention to what they wear and have a better sense of style than in the past. As a result Thai brands have grown exponentially over the past decade, a phenomenon echoed in most metropolitan cities.
“Globally, men’s lifestyle products have grown by 14% in one year. Even without that statistic, you can see when you go to department stores or retail stores that the men’s department has grown bigger, occupying more space than before. In the past, menswear was just a small corner, whereas womenswear took up the entire floor. Today, the men’s market has grown by leaps and bounds,” he said.
The event has also attracted a wider range of sponsors, from beverages to grooming products. Narin said this is because businesses are putting more of a focus on image. Fashion shows are no longer just about people who love clothes — they’re about a lifestyle.
“People are increasingly interested in fashion, and fashion shows are just one of the most influential elements in the industry. Elle and Elle Men have always supported Thai designers. At Elle Fashion Week, many new designers have grown from fresh faces into a well-established brands. I see Elle Fashion Week as an inspiration for those who are in the fashion industry,” he said.
This year’s Elle Fashion Week will also be joined by Central, which has its own show on Saturday. Narin said Central has recognised the potential of the event and would like to explore its possibilities.
Each show will have a different seating arrangement. The director of each show has been given free creative control over their show, Narin said, helping each brand create the right atmosphere to reveal its collection.