For the average visiting firang, South East Asian fashion is a multi-faceted plethora of cheap, knock off designer labels; last seasons Ralph Lauren shirts, inexpensive Diesel jeans and well-tailored, but none the less cheap, business suits. An excuse to stock up on fake designer labels at market prices.
But delving a little deeper into the clothing that is designed and manufactured in South East Asia, reveals there is a lot more to the fashion there than the assumed backwards approach of copying European and American brands.
Backwards indeed is Sretsis, not however in its rich and luxurious textiles and cutting edge design, but instead in its name. Sretsis is sisters spelt backwards, and this luxury Thai brand is the epitome of cool, both Pan-Asian and Worldwide.
The Sretsis sisters in question are Pimdao, Kly and Matina Sukhathuta, a Parsons School (NY) educated designer, an ex-magazine fashionista and a