Fashion as a peculiar and one-of-a-kind cultural phenomenon has a number of its own features. One of them is its integration and assimilation with arts such as architecture, pictorial art, music, theater, and cinema in the form of new ways to present the works of the author’s creativity. To make their own mark in the fashion industry, designers, as always, have to find new trails, or instead, go back to the origins of the fashion history. Vinn Patararin, however, have gone further.
They met each other in Paris. They were both in design school although chose different fields. In Vinn's final project, he did textile and architecture experimentation research. Part of the project was meant to be a human scale design so he collaborated with Patararin to make a garment. From there, they carried on the project and were selected finalists for a fashion competition in France. Today, Vinn Patararin is a multi-disciplinary fashion design based on experimentation on textile and architecture.
How did you come to start your own line?
After we finished competition and showed our design, there were many professionals in the industry telling us they really liked our vision and approach. However, they suggested us to translate our experimentation approach to Ready-to-Wear. So, we decided to launch our first collection this season in Paris Fashion Week.
Tell us about your collections.
We challenge human body as a moving architecture where the space in between each layer can create dynamic volumes , silhouettes, shades and shadows. The transparent and translucent technic material brings the atmosphere of the environment and also the colour of the background into the garment. We commit to experimentation with design elements and follow the meaning of material and design principles to introduce breakthrough design in relation to the post-modern culture.
What inspires you to do your collections? Do you always have an idea in mind, or do you just wake up with one?
We started by questioning on culture, people and time. Our curiosity drives us to look at things and their surroundings, then we will see which elements we could develop into a concept.
How does that inspiration turn into reality?
We tread every elements and technics as symbolic of culture. Each elements has meaning. Material, technic and presentation have to related to the story that we are telling. So, we bring elements and technics that relate to our concept and experiment to find the new outcome and realisation process.
How do you stay true to your vision?
We believe in process orientation and that's where the strength in our approach lies in. So, whatever technics or materials we use, they will all go through this experimentation process in both the design and social aspect. It's that path what helps us stay true to our vision.
What’s your connection to Thailand today?
Most of our production is in Thailand. There are many good resources and also high quality makers. Traditional craftsmanship in Thailand is variable and we would like to find the way of collaborating with them with the material manipulation and innovation process.
I read you interned at Iris Van Herpen and Azzedine Alaïa, am I right? Tell us about your experience working with such big names, what was it like?
Iris van Herpen and Azzedine Alaïa are icons and big sources of inspiration for us . Both couturiers, they belong to different period s of time in fashion history but still both portray a new vision of fashion and provide great inspiration for art and design, furthermore, they offer their own lifestyle vision. From our first hand experience, we got the chance of being part of the environment and work with two big masters. Besides, it helped us develop skills to professional level. On the one hand, we learn how to manage and run business in high level fashion industry. It was a place where we got to meet extremely talented people from around the world and share the experience with a colleague.
What’s next for you professionally?
Fashion is the first field that we introduce our vision and creation. Later, we plan to develop our work to another scale and medium as art and other design field because we believe that design shouldn't fixed in one area but it has to go beyond by using innovative ideas and production.
The best career advice you’ve ever received…
Keep working on what you believe.
