Fashion Fusion
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Fashion Fusion When it comes to fusion clothing, East and West meet in spectacular style at Chandra. Try this at home. Make some pumpkin soup and blend in some marmalade, tofu and mango chutney. Sound yucky? It might do, but the results are very tasty. The soup is one of the discoveries of a professional chef. He learned his skills in the UK, lived in Thailand and has now gone to the Caribbean. That’s what travel does to some people – it makes them come up with startling new variations on old themes. Ever since Marco Polo went to China and brought back all kinds of exotic goodies, the West has had a lasting fascination with the East. And of course it works the other way around, too. The most routine way in which East and West mix together is literally in the cooking pot. Think fusion food and how a dozen
different
cuisines
have
spawned
countless new
variations. But if you ask anyone to name other ways in which the East and West meld together outside of cooking, the chances are it’ll take forever before they think of clothing. The truth is that there’s an increasing call for clothes that are a mix of both East and West. Think of a Chinese gown that’s decorated with a Botticelli print, or a rather British shirt with a Zen sketch of mountains and trees as a background. These are just a few of the more obvious examples you may have seen. On Samui, there aren’t many stores that go in for this kind of thing. But more and more visitors are happy to branch out and try new variations. Some of them make their way to the two stores simply named Chandra and try on rather different clothing, which is usually a catchy mix of East and West. That mix, which is being seen increasingly all over the world, can be in the patterns on the fabrics. Or perhaps in the cut. Maybe just the sheer design. You can expect lots of twists on popular styles, new takes on the traditional and, in short, a bright, innovative feel. You may experiment and find the results intriguingly unusual. A bit like the marmalade and tofu. Both of Chandra’s stores are filled with bright fashions in light and airy spaces. The atmosphere is very relaxed and you’re welcome to browse as long as you want. You’ll see a lot of stylish creativity in the racks whilst there’s perfection in the choice of materials. And although everything is lightweight and summery, these are not fabrics that will fall apart at the first wash. They’re durable and well-made. You can find dresses and skirts, bikinis, all kinds of tops and a selection of menswear, too. And, thankfully, the clothing here comes in a range of sizes. It’s ideal for wearing whilst you’re on Samui or anywhere else that’s blessed with warm weather. The two owners, Barak and Dana, are happy to speak to you about what’s on offer. Their story is an interesting one. Both turn out to be widely traveled, especially throughout Asia. This mysterious continent lured them in and they’ve been content to stay here ever since, making their home on Samui. Wherever they travel they like to collect the best of what they see. Some people do this with antiques, others with art works, but for Barak and Dana it’s clothes. When they opened their first store, they filled it with inspirations from their travels. They’d been to places where not so many others venture and had bought back the innovative creations of young designers with flair. The clothing was a fusion of styles and it sold well. Chandra was – and still is – a testament to the places Barak and Dana have visited. The business has been successful and is now entering its 8th year. The stores have at times changed location on the Chaweng Beach Road over time, but the Chandra brand remains the same. These days the two stores are next to Tropical Murphy’s and opposite Via Vai Italian restaurant, respectively Barak and Dana still like to travel and are away up to six times a year. Their journeys have become more pin-pointed since opening the stores. They’re constantly scouring Asia for the best of designs. They tend to visit Indonesia, Hong Kong, Korea,
http://www.samuiholidaymagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=175:fashion-fusion&catid=31:october-2010&Itemid=16[1/30/12 10:31:51 PM]
Fashion Fusion
India and Japan. What they bring home with them is the work of talented fashion designers. Says Dana, “The Asian styles are quite diverse. There’re traditional clothes, and then ones that are hyper-modern. And they come from not just one part of Asia but from many.” The two stores are a pleasure to explore and you can do so to your heart’s content. When you go in, the first impression you’ll have is the sheer colorfulness of what’s inside. And there’s not just clothing either. You can also find scarves, belts, handbags, jewellery and even pens and some very stylish key-rings. In addition, Chandra also sells a very popular range of bikinis. Chandra symbolizes new fashion directions in the East and West but, more importantly, by blending them together, pleasing new forms emerge. So, just as you can relish dishes that combine the best of East and West cuisines, you can also wear clothes that tastefully blend creative new fashions and style from both hemispheres. Copyright 2011 Samui Wining & Dining. All rights reserved Siam Map Company Ltd.
http://www.samuiholidaymagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=175:fashion-fusion&catid=31:october-2010&Itemid=16[1/30/12 10:31:51 PM]