Thailand: Observer comments on Bangkok's potential for becoming fashion centre.

(From Thai Press Reports)

Section: Commentary - Bangkok Fashion Week has come and gone in a flurry of flouncing models, glamorous designs and hi-so hi-jinks, accompanied by the usual chorus of cheerleaders and doomsayers.

While I don't consider myself a particularly dedicated follower of fashion, I'm certainly an avid follower of fashion branding. There's a fascinating struggle at play in the region, as Bangkok vies with Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to establish itself as the undisputed fashion capital of the region, as well as a major fashion force globally.

I'd say the former is a definite possibility, the latter far less certain. It's all very well for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to pump buckets of cash into the ambitious Bangkok Fashion City project, and for government spin doctors to herald the City of Angels as the next Milan. But local fashion brands have a long way to go before we can be taken seriously on the world stage.

"We are looking ahead to see Thailand as the leader of the fashion industry in the region in three to five years," Somchai Songwatana, chief executive of At Bangkok, whose Fly Now garment brand has already won plaudits in London this year, told the International Herald Tribune recently. It's a laudable ambition, but not everyone shares such unbridled confidence.

It's true that Thailand is carving out quite a reputation as a creative hub, not just in fashion, but in advertising and design as well. It's also true that the government is pumping almost two billion baht into promoting Thai fashion between now and 2006.

But before we get too carried away with world domination, I think our very talented local brands need a period of consolidation. It's absolutely crucial that they achieve success and get a solid financial grounding in the Thai market first before they consider boldly going abroad.