Koi Suwannagate (Q4953)
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Koi Suwannagate is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Koi Suwannagate |
Koi Suwannagate is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Koi Suwannagate had a few unexpected tricks up her sleeve. Her signature cashmeres and handcrafted appliqués were still in evidence, but she worked them in a funkier, more creative way. Ironically, this sportier new attitude came courtesy of ancient Japan. In particular, the kimono was a big influence. It's a fascination that dates back to Suwannagate's college days, when she wore a kimono on the job at a Japanese restaurant and struggled with the proper wrapping technique. "I got it wrong all the time!" she confessed.Her own designs should be easier to wear. Asymmetric skirts, cut longer on the sides than in the front, came with elastic waistbands, and practically everything had pockets. Black cotton stretch pants that closed with a zipper in the back were the perfect foundation for the collection's sculpted and gathered knits. A three-tone cap-sleeve cashmere top in black, burgundy, and chocolate gathered into a knot at the front—a beautiful and chic way to wear a sweater. A short, strapless L.B.D. with abstract, oversize cashmere knot details on the front of the bodice was particularly lovely. Paired with an agate cardigan, it really popped.Dresses, however, are usually not Suwannagate's strong point, and the season's one major off-note was a black, floor-length silk satin gown: The silhouette was awkward, and the acid green-accented train only exacerbated matters. Still, Suwannagate has considerable skill with knits, and a great eye. She and her stylist created one-of-a-kind, Calder-esque jewelry out of chunky coral and semiprecious stones for the show. If she's looking to expand her brand, that might be good place to start.
14 February 2010
"We played it safe last Fall," Koi Suwannagate admitted today at her installation in Chelsea. Not so this season.Love was in the air: "Everything in the collection has a more romantic vibe," the designer said. Her creative starting point was a Thai romance novel—and the whole venture was, actually, a valentine to Suwannagate's home country, which sponsored the show. Textiles were supplied by the Queen's Foundation, an organization based in Bangkok that supports the production of local handicrafts. Her countrymen collaborated on accessories (the jewelry by Prinn was especially notable)…and all of this was in addition to the designer's usual work with cashmere and recycled materials.Perhaps, then, it's no wonder there was a somewhat cacophonous feel to the collection. Individual pieces were breathtaking: an embroidered and cut-out cashmere cardigan, in particular, and weblike hand-crocheted leggings that took two months to produce (yes, two months). Hand appliqués were everywhere; among the best—because they were the most modern and citified—were those that spelled out, in Thai, "the Love of Koi Suwannagate." The urban edge of last season was, unfortunately, almost entirely abandoned, and in its place were lots of signature flowers, as well as, oddly, deconstruction (as seen on an organza blazer and a dress with exposed shoulder pads). The designer explained that she was using deconstruction as a way to play with looser shapes, but it struck a flat note and added to the discord of her Spring serenade.
15 September 2009
Koi Suwannagate showed her 15-plus-piece Fall collection to editors and buyers in the penthouse suite at the Morgans Hotel, and the room's bright, natural light showed off the best aspects of her delicately rendered knit and cashmere offerings. Vintage brass buttons glinted on a boyfriend sweater—a big camel cardigan with a deconstructed argyle pattern in rust and steel gray—that, Suwannagate revealed, she'd hoped would be part of a men's capsule collection that she didn't have time to make. Instead, the designer spent her time on slim cigarette pants in stretch Lycra with a swath of cashmere running up both sides—"to make you look slimmer"—and paper-thin tops in soft black, nude, and pale pink. Delicately beaded fingerless gloves craftily spelled out the designer's name (and would make any outfit instantly special), and an oversize black wool cape-cum-vest had a few of Suwannagate's signature rosettes on the back to make it stand out.
13 February 2009
"People see me as 'knit girl,' " said Koi Suwannagate backstage before her show. "I want to show them what else I can do." Luckily, that didn't mean a departure from her signature cashmeres—tees and rosette-studded vests still came in Suwannagate's favorite wool, but here she lined them with silk or jersey to keep them wearable. Delicately embellished dresses, meanwhile, assumed sheer and floaty, pleasantly summery forms.Inspired by a vintage butterfly print, Suwannagate made that fanciful bug the mascot of her Spring outing, and it flitted around on hand-sewn Swarovski jewels and appeared in the fuchsia organza wings that flew down the back of an ivory cashmere cardigan. A collaboration with L.A.-based husband-and-wife artists Josh and He Yang led to a sherbet-hued fabric made from yarn with the texture of a cocoon; it was sweet enough on its own, but when combined with, say, a gauze top with butterfly embroidery, the effect was too overdone for Suwannagate's light and loose sensibility. On the other hand, the pair of floor-sweeping silk gowns that closed the show captured the fairy-tale spirit of her best pieces.
5 September 2008
Koi Suwannagate chose travel as inspiration for her sophomore Resort effort. As well worn a path as that might be, the light, feminine clothes she showed certainly seemed like the perfect thing to tuck into a little suitcase for a romantic getaway. Many pieces mixed Suwannagate's signature cashmere with hand-dyed chiffon, and hand-sculpted flowers embellished everything from summery tops to floor-grazing gowns. The California-based designer, known for her one-off knits, continued to develop her reach by including more ready-to-wear pieces in the line, but without sacrificing the intimate, homespun touch that distinguishes her brand.
13 July 2008
Born in Thailand and a sometime collaborator with Phillip Lim, Suwannagate is known among the cognoscenti for her artful recycled cashmeres, most of which are conceived in three dimensions. It's not unusual to find rosettes on the back of a cardigan, say, or a vine of appliqués running down the rib cage of a dress. This was her first show in the New York big time, however. "I realized it was now or never. You're never ready until you put yourself out there," the CFDA/VogueFashion Fund Award finalist said by phone before she left L.A. "My nomination encouraged me to take it to the next level."The environment for Suwannagate's debut was orchestrated with great care. In addition to commissioning a hand-painted backdrop, she worked with a musician to compose a soundtrack of birdcalls to reinforce the hummingbird theme, which was also reflected in the palette and embroidery. As part of her push to expand her range, she is now making her own, more production-friendly knits, like a lovely cardigan with an attached scarf. The silhouette was attenuated, pieced skirts reached the ground. Dresses were often color-blocked and embellished, sometimes preciously so. While Suwannagate's work is very artsy-craftsy, and therefore a challenge for some, many insiders have already been won over. "Just sooo beautiful," the front-row girls sighed.
4 February 2008