Fashion to be in 'Vogue' from today

Vogue, the 120-year-old fashion bible, hits newsstands in Thailand today, vowing to give Thai fashion a boost.

The first Thai-language issue dated February 1 has 350 glossy pages and is priced at Bt100. The highlight is a six-page fashion set of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, published by Vogue America in the 1960s. The issue was inspired by the Queen's beauty during her visit abroad and famous photographer Henry Clarke was in charge of photography while Pierre Balmain was the designer.

Another Thai touch in the issue is the special fashion set of famous kickboxer Buakaw Banchamek, aka Buakaw Por Pramuk, by leading Thai photographer Nat Prakobsantisuk. It is the first ever fashion set by the celebrity Muay Thai boxer.

The debut issue also features fashion sets from fashion capitals such as Paris and New York by world-renowned photographers, besides contributions from international designers and stylists.

"Each Vogue edition reflects the uniqueness of women in each country; chic Parisian, American style, punk British, or naughty sexy Italian. But the Thailand edition needs clear characteristics, representing Thais in terms of fashion and lifestyle, while maintaining high international standards. Vogue Thailand is not a typical fashion magazine; it contains inspiration and aesthetic sensibility," said Vogue Thailand editor-in-chief Kullawit Laosuksri.

Kullawit is the first male editor in the magazine's 120-year history. He is a part of local publisher Woolhouse, which is run by the much-experienced chief executive officer Siri Udomritthiruj - one of the pioneers in the international magazine business in Thailand.

It took the Conde Nast International publication quite a long time to reach local readers, 12 years after its debut in Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China.