Teerut turned heads at last year's Elle Fashion Week with his "contraband" collection - all hidden buttons and other details - which was scooped up by a Japanese buyer immediately after the show.

"I think my designs are quite provocative, which makes me more suited to Japanese tastes than Thai," says Teerut, 24, who has since sold his outfits at a concept store there.

His new boutique, VickTeerut, opens at the

end of October on Soi Thonglor 4.

Fair warning to the faint-hearted: His creations are quite daring - for very confident women only.

There's a tendency among young designers to make clothes to suit their own personality, not the preference of shoppers. Teerut is somewhere in between.

"I don't want to produce work for the mass market," says the graduate of Central Saint Martin College of Fashion in London. "I'd rather design clothes for the niche market, because it allows you to have more individuality, even if it's not good for sales."

So what can we expect at VickTeerut? Look for outfits with a measure of 1920s art deco, female garments with strong masculine silhouettes - "and that concealed, mysterious look", he says.

The designs are subtle with delicate, hidden details. The buttons, patterns and collars might play tricks on your eyes. They might not even really be there, thanks to his technique of embedded features into the fabric.

Although his favourite shade is grey, the collection he's now completing for the boutique is all pastel, with grey putting in a few appearances. He's also including accessories like shoes that will be simple enough to let the garments seize the attention.

These clothes come at a high price, though - up to Bt6,900 and no less than Bt4,550. Who's ready to pay?

"Teerut is a quiet guy - it's from his work that I get to see his personality," says Elle Thailand editor-in-chief Kullawit "Ford" Laosuksri, who chose him for Elle Fashion Week.

"His clothes aren't too showy, and they don't satirise things, but there is some gimmick and a deep quality to his work."

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

The Nation