Bangkok’s party scene it-girl Monlada Pongpanit shifted gears to pursue her fashion career and launched her eponymous fashion line Monlada in 2010. The designer and brand owner had to first satisfy her mom’s orders and complete Bachelors and Masters degrees in business before she was allowed her to pursue studies in fashion. Finally at the age of 28, Monlada attended the famous Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London and Parsons the New School for Design in New York. This week she opened her second store at Zen @ Central World’s first floor, just months after the unveiling of her first store in the trendy Seenspace onThonglor 13. In celebration of the opening of her second store, Monlada teased her guests with a sneak peak of her Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection.
At first glance it’s clear that Monlada’s designs are made for the modern fashion aficionado. Her bold use of contrasting color and geometric diamond shapes make for vivid, eye-catching pieces. Her clothes are inspired by historical costumes and reconstructed with a modern finishing. Her Spring/Summer 2012 line “One Collection” was created with 70s style while her Autumn/Winter 2012 “Freedomz Collection” is rooted in the legendary Titanic period of 1912. “I brought Titanic into the collection because this year is the hundredth year anniversary of Titanic. I was also inspired by diamond jewelry from the Titanic so there are diamond shapes in the collection,” she said.
Also intertwined in the theme of “Freedomz” is the idea of tattoos as an unforgettable past that is impossible to remove, even though one might long to be freed from the memories. As Monlada puts it, “A tattoo represents the feeling of not being able to forget somebody. You cannot be in doubt. You can’t erase it.”
As part of her Autumn/Winter 2012 “Freedomz Collection” sneak peak fashion show, we saw a total of five ready-to-wear outfits for men and women by Monlada. The first was a high-waist pencil skirt paired with a silky blouse, followed by a second outfit consisting of spandex slim fit high-waist trousers and a corset inspired top with geometry diamond shape patch detailing. The last item was a bustier satin maxi dress with sheer cut outs on the upper thigh and lower back – totally sexy. Of course we didn’t get to see the entire collection this time, but there are also a handful of swimwear options. For the men, celebrity model Mike Kingpayom modeled a dark blue collared men’s shirt while the other model wore a tailoring hand finished jacket with twisted collar detail that can be sported day or night.
