GLOBAL FUSION M I L L I O N S O F C O LO R S A N D A N D R E W & A U D R E Y D E S I G N E R R U J I R A L AW O N V I S U T F I N D S M A N U FA C T U R I N G H E R A M E R I C A N L I F E ST Y L E B R A N D S I N B A N G K O K A R E C I P E FO R S U C C E S S .
B Y J E N N I F E R C AT TA U I 2 2 ; 7 H D I > 7M I $ 9 E C C 7 H 9 > ( & ' (
“MY ADVICE IS to believe in yourself and what you’re doing,” says Rujira Lawonvisut, design wunderkind behind children’s labels Millions of Colors and Andrew & Audrey, as m[bb Wi c[dÊi b_d[ MHAHEEC" m^_Y^ she designs with her husband, Je @kd]$ Ç?\ ? X[b_[l[ _d _j" ? YWd Yedl_dY[ others to, and that’s how you get your teammates to create the same dream je][j^[h$ ?j ijWhji m_j^ oek$È J^[ 36-year-old designer is quite an inspihWj_ed$ Dej edbo Ze[i i^[ Ze j^[ ^[Wlo b_\j_d] _d j[hci e\ j^[ Z[i_]d work on the various labels, but, with her husband, she also runs i_n h[jW_b ijeh[i j^hek]^ekj J^W_bWdZÆj^h[[ \eh j^[ c[dÊi b_d[ WdZ j^h[[ \eh C_bb_edi e\ 9ebehi$ >[h Y^_bZh[dÊi ijeh[i i[hl[ Z_ij_dYj cWha[ji m_j^_d j^[ h[]_ed0 Ed[" _d 8Wd]aea Y[dj[h" i[bbi j^[ iWc[ goods offered in America and is a hit with the jet set and expat Yecckd_j_[i1 Wdej^[h" _d W ikXkhX e\ 8Wd]aea" i[hl[i ceijbo J^W_ customers and sells a capsule collection tailored to local tastes; and the third, in the beach town of Phuket, focuses on tanks and im_cm[Wh$ I^[ i[j ekj ed ^[h emd i_n o[Whi W]e" b[Wl_d] W fbkc fei_j_ed Z[i_]d_d] \eh \Wi^_ed ^eki[ J^[eho$ I^[ meha[Z \h[[bWdY[ \eh iec[ j_c[ m^_b[ jhWl[b_d] \hec D[m Oeha je ^[h dWj_l[ J^W_bWdZ je l_i_j ^[h \Wc_bo$ J^[ '(#o[Wh mec[dim[Wh l[j[hWd ^WZ meha[Z as a designer, technical designer and product development manW][h \eh YecfWd_[i b_a[ =Wf" KhXWd Ekj\_jj[hi" JI;" ;nfh[ii WdZ Anthropologie, but says childrenswear was always in the back of ^[h c_dZ$ M^Wj h[Wbbo ijWhj[Z ^[h Zemd j^[ heWZ mWi Wdim[h_d] W h[gk[ij \hec J^W_ JhWZ[" Wd eh]Wd_pWj_ed j^Wj mWi i[[a_d] W J^W_ \Wi^_ed [nf[hj m_j^ meha [nf[h_[dY[ _d j^[ Kd_j[Z IjWj[i WdZ cWdk\WYjkh_d] [nf[h_[dY[ _d J^W_bWdZ$ J^[ eh]Wd_pWj_ed mWi ifedieh_d] W mehai^ef \eh J^W_ cWdk\WYjkh[hi WdZ XhWdZi WdZ d[[Z[Z iec[ed[ je WZl_i[ ed ^em je Xk_bZ Wd [nfehj Xki_d[ii je j^[ K$I$ Lawonvisut was chosen, and it was at this workshop that she made key connections with factories that would ultimately produce her Y^_bZh[dÊi b_d[i$ ÇM^[d ? b[Whd[Z e\ j^[ fhe]hWc" ? mWdj[Z je ^[bf$ ? adem W bej \hec meha_d] m_j^ J^[eho WdZ =Wf WdZ j^ek]^j _j mekbZ X[ ]h[Wj to share that experience,” says Lawonvisut, who asserts that the program changed the course of her life, providing an unexpected effehjkd_jo je \kb\_bb W bed]j_c[ Zh[Wc$ ÇCo Xki_d[ii fWhjd[h _d J^W_bWdZ \eh C_bb_edi e\ 9ebehiÆm^e ? c[j Wj j^[ mehai^efÆ^Wi X[[d cWdk\WYjkh_d] ^_]^#[dZ XhWdZi b_a[ :ADO" 9^be WdZ CWhY @WYeXi \eh (+ o[Whi"È i^[ dej[i$ <eh <Wbb ’12, Millions of Colors’ collection is a continuation of the brand’s play on the theme of love, articulated in a more intense palette of pinks and reds as seen throughout spring/summer and mixed m_j^ WkjkcdWb Yebehi b_a[ dkjc[]i WdZ Xbk[i$ 7dZh[m 7kZh[oÊi \Wbb Yebb[Yj_ed" fheZkY[Z _d W i[fWhWj[ \WYjeho j^Wj if[Y_Wb_p[i _d ad_jm[Wh WdZ Wbie i[hl[i fem[h^eki[ XhWdZi b_a[ J_cX[hbWdZ WdZ 7Z_ZWi" _i _dif_h[Z Xo XeWhZ_d] iY^eeb$ J^[ je]]b[#YbWif[Z WdZ chunky knit sweaters are at the heart of Lawonvisut’s design pasi_ed" Wi" i^[ iWoi" ad_jm[Wh ^Wi WbmWoi X[[d ^[h d_Y^[$ ÇF[hiedWbbo" ? bel[ W im[Wj[h Wbb o[Wh hekdZ"È i^[ bWk]^i$ J^[ XhWdZi Wh[ ed j^[ h_i[ _d j^[ K$I$ WdZ ;khef[" Xkj BWmedl_ikj _i Wbie beea_d] Wj j^[ 7i_Wd cWha[j je \k[b ^[h ]hemj^$ Ç<eh C_bb_edi e\ 9ebehi [if[Y_Wbbo" ? i[[ ceh[ Xki_d[ii effehjkd_ties in Asia and am expanding the business there,” she says, citing great potential due to the region opening up and the buying power
7i_Wd Yedikc[hi h[fh[i[dj$ ÇM[ Wh[ i[j kf Wi W l[hj_YWbbo _dj[]hWj[Z YecfWdo" m^_Y^ ^[bfi ki je Yecckd_YWj[ WdZ h[WYj$ M[ YWd h[ifedZ d_cXbo je j^[ [dZ#Yedikc[hi h[]_edWbbo$ H_]^j dem" ? ^Wl[ W i^emheec _d @WfWd WdZ Wc j^_da_d] WXekj >ed] Aed]"È i^[ iWoi$ Andrew & Audrey, on the other hand, is seeing a boom in Australia WdZ D[m P[WbWdZ$ ?\ BWmedl_ikj ^Wi je dWc[ j^[ X_]][ij Y^Wbb[d][ _d j^[ _dZkijho" j^ek]^" _j mekbZdÊj X[ ]beXWb Z_ijh_Xkj_edÆ_j mekbZ X[ f^eje i^eeji$ 7i Wdoed[ m^eÊi Wjj[cfj[Z W bWh][#iYWb[ fheZkYj_ed m_j^ a team of toddlers would attest, success can feel like a happy acciZ[dj hWj^[h j^Wd W fbWdd[Z WdZ fh[Y_i[ [n[Ykj_ed$ Ç<eh C_bb_edi e\ 9ebehi" m[ Z_Z Wd ekjZeeh i^eej WhekdZ ekh <Wbb Yebb[Yj_ed Wj W X[Wkj_\kb h[iehjÆWbj^ek]^ _j mWi i^ej _d J^W_bWdZ" _j beeai b_a[ Im_jp[hbWdZ$ J^[ a_Zi m[h[ hkdd_d] Wbb WhekdZ WdZ m[ m[h[ fh[ii[Z Xo mWd_d] ZWob_]^j$ M_j^ a_Zi" m^[j^[h j^[oÊh[ ^of[h eh YhWdao eh j_h[Z" oek `kij ^Wl[ je ]e Wbed] m_j^ _j$È 8kj j^[ Z[i_]d[h" who named her first kids’ line for the millions of expressions, moods and emotions of a child, knows that this is the beauty of the kdfh[Z_YjWXb[ Y^_bZh[dÊi Xki_d[ii$ ÇE\ Yekhi[ _jÊi j_h_d]" Xkj m^[d oek i[[ j^[ h[ikbji" _jÊi l[ho h[mWhZ_d]"È i^[ iWoi$
Millions of Colors Fall ‘12
Andrew & Audrey Fall ‘12
Millions of Colors Fall ‘12
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