Siam Paragon's chief marketing officer Kriengsak Tantiphipop was rather disappointed when the government recently ended the three-year-old Bangkok Fashion Week programme.

In his opinion, that was not a wise move, given that Thailand has strong potential to excel in the fashion industry.

Therefore, Siam Paragon and three other related shopping centres have decided to join forces with the country's leading fashion designers and other enterprises to continue the programme.

It's been renamed the Bangkok International Fashion Week (BIFW), and it runs from today until Sunday. Thirteen top designers, including those with established brands such as Fly Now, Grey Hound, Kai and Yoswadee, will take part, along with a selected group of 30 talented young designers.

Kriengsak believes fashion and related industries are more crucial to national economic health than many people think.

"These industries, which include textiles and garments, jewellery and leather products, generate an estimated Bt300 billion in export sales annually. They create more than one million jobs," says Kriengsak, who has worked in the retail and shopping sector for the past 15 years.

"These industries have high potential because we are quite good at designing these products for the international market. In fact, several leading brands are now called 'original brands' and 'original design manufacturers', with annual export sales in excess of Bt1 billion.

"As well, we have the raw materials, especially fabrics and silk. More importantly, we have fine craftsmanship and the prices are internationally competitive.

"However, we still have a lot to do in terms of integrated international marketing and branding. We need to create a wider awareness among the local population, including our industries, and then broaden it internationally.

"We also have to ensure that financial and other resources - as well as opportunities - are at hand for the right kind of people who are interested in taking Thai fashion industries to a new height."

To promote the BIFW internationally, the organiser has invited more than 400 prospective foreign buyers and leading fashion media representatives to the event.

Kriengsak says that when compared with the Thai automotive industry, which has been promoted seriously by the government for the past few decades, the fashion sector still lacks proper foundations.

"Even though we already have the upstream industry for raw materials and a few good designers and products, our fashion houses often return home empty-handed after joining international fashion shows abroad.

"The problem is that our marketing, branding, advertising and promotion are still not effective. It will take some time before our fashion industries take off internationally.

"Don't forget that fashion is essentially about image. It's about the country's image. It took decades for Paris, London, Milan, New York and Tokyo to take off. More recently, we've seen Hong Kong, Singapore and even Malaysia in the fashion sector.

"The industry is attractive because fashion is highly lucrative. Profit margins range from 300 to 500 per cent. Just guess at the production cost of a Louis Vuitton handbag that retails at Bt80,000 or Bt100,000.

"In short, fashion is about our country's image and value creation. That's why we see the BIFW as a springboard to advertise and promote Thai brand names.

"Besides funding, entrepreneurs need marketing opportunities and outlets to sell their stuff. In this respect, Siam Paragon and related shopping centres - with up to 300 fashion retail outlets - may serve as an example. Collectively, we are like a giant retail outlet that attracts both local and international visitors.

"Our fashion business is huge, probably accounting for half of our total sales turnover, if we use a broad definition to also include beauty products such as cosmetics and the like.

"Siam Paragon alone now has nearly 100,000 visitors a day, with around 40 per cent being foreign visitors and tourists. So we provide a formidable showcase.

Nophakhun

Limsamarnphun

The Nation