|
Even though ISSUE's founder and designer, Roj Singhakul, is madly working away on his latest collection, he allowed me a moment to find out more about the man behind the brand. The first thing I notice about Roj, is that his personal passion for traveling, discovering new cultures and spirituality is consistent throughout all his designs.
His signature style is incorporated in his recent Spring-Summer 2007 collection, called 'East and West'. The inspiration of the collection came from the song called, 'Prabhati' by Indian Musician, Ravi Shanka.
"The song, 'Prabhati' utilises both eastern and western musical instruments, creating a unique and soothing sound," Roj said. 
"It's the core concept of the 'East and West' collection." "It perfectly combines eastern and western-style designs and fabrics," he added.
After studying a Diploma in Fine Arts at the Thai Vichitsin College in Bangkok in 1990, Roj worked for Thai fashion house, Greyhound for a number of years. His career with Greyhound began as a shop assistant, where he worked his way up to become a stylist before starting his own label, ISSUE in 1999.
Roj's passion for design runs deep. When designing, he looks to his personal philosophies and spirituality for inspiration and believes clothing is more than just a basic necessity.
 "Clothes have the power to represent a person's individuality, personality and character," said Roj. "They reflect our experiences, our beliefs, our views of the world and our desires."
"I strongly believe in the philosophy of good and bad Karma and that the ability to equilibrate self-perception and creativity can bring about human individuality," Roj says.
"ISSUE collections generally swirl around the philosophical concept of 'compassion' and 'never giving up on love', inspired by the wisdoms of H.H. Dalai Lama XIV," he added.
Because Roj likes to create his own trends rather than following what others are doing, he frequently travels around the world in search of interesting ideas. Earlier this year, he traveled to Peru to meet the locals, experience the culture and look for new concepts.
 "For ISSUE, our uniqueness is our signature," Roj states. "Our style will always be fresh, interesting, and different because we like to combine our new concepts and ideas with what is suitable for that particular season."
"We work almost a year in advance, just like international brands, and we are still interested in what people in New York or London will be wearing but we always set our own trends," adds Roj.
Catering for both men and women, ISSUE offers a wide variety of items such as; basic street wear, accessories, comfortable denims, printed t-shirts and sophisticated dresses. Being more of a 'lifestyle' brand, ISSUE targets customers with a general positive outlook on life.
"Our clothes reflect the lifestyle of our customers who are out-going, truly loving life and enjoy expressing themselves," says Roj. "I will continue to make 'passion wear' for customers who share the ISSUE philosophy."
 "Our customers are modern men and women who love to experiment with new things and are not afraid to express themselves freely." "Ultimately, they are the people who are happy and having fun with their lives," he adds.
As a member of the Bangkok Fashion Society (BFS), Roj strongly believes in supporting the local Thai textiles industry wherever possible.
"I think Thai brands and the general textile industry are doing well, however, it needs continuous support from both the government and people in the fashion industry," Roj said.
"Because of this support, I believe many Thai brands are now at an international level, in terms of design and production," he adds.
All ISSUE's clothing is made locally and they purchase and print most of their fabrics in Thailand.
 |
