SRETSIS GOES BEYOND GIRLIE

Our parents are happier than anyone that we work together, says Pimdao Sukhahuta, designer and founder of the three-sister clothing brand Sretsis. It has been one decade that the magic of backward spelling of Sisters (Sretsis) has delighted fashionista in Thailand and 18 countries around the world.
The three sisters – Klyduen, Pimdao and Matina – celebrate their 10th anniversary with a spectacular fashion show at the Akshara Theatre last Saturday. The autumn and winter 2012 collection “Sweetness” received long, loud applause from the fashionable audiences.
“I think we are very lucky working together harmoniously as sisters and business partners. All three of us complement each other,” says Pimdao.
“I remember how my mother, the backbone of the brand, gave me two days to think what I wanted to do with the available space at Gaysorn. I was 22 years old, Kly was 24 and Matina was 19. All of us were studying in New York. As a fashion design student I certainly wanted my own brand.
“I thought about things that meant a lot to me and decided my sisters came first, but I like things that are classic with a twist of the imagination, so I came up with a cameo pin that was mirrored so the word ‘sisters’ read ‘sretsis’. I was the only one who knew about it!”
Klyduen, who is responsible for marketing and publicity, says they’ve also grown up business-wise. “I try not to be strict with my sisters’ designers, but we do need direction and deadlines to respond to the international fashion market. We need not just beautiful clothes with top-quality standard but also good organisation.”
“I think our only bad point is that, wherever we are, we tend to talk about work,” says Matina, who handles the Sretsis accessories line and has her own jewellery brand, Matina Amanita. “Pimdao and I are a bit lucky now that we’re not in the same bedroom anymore because Kly moved out when she married. Her son Nitan is our main object of attention at home now!”
The latest collection sees the brand, widely perceived as “girlish”, pursuing a “sleek cuteness” with a touch of classic glamour. “It’s bittersweet”, says Pimdao, the designer.
Playful yet mesmerised by the photographic works of Horst P Horst and George Hoyningen-Huene, who took portraits of timeless beauties and Hollywood royalties in the ’30s, the Sweetness collection recaptures that classic attitude with Sretsis’ redefinition of grandeur through clean-cut silhouettes and enigmatic eminence.
Instead of the usual Sretsis animal mascots and fairytale fantasies, Sretsis chooses to adopt various sweets, candies, cakes, ice creams and desserts as representations of assumed girly kitsch mentality for their age-old affiliations to the typical notion of socially constructed cuteness.
To create an undone elegance, the collection serves up lots of cherries – Cherry Pop miniskirt, Cherry Punch pencil skirt, Bittersweet back-slit dress, slim fit tux pants, satin sculpted-bow sleeved dress, Gummy Cherry camisole and sheer silky tops among other wide arrays of sweets.
“Our cherry is unlike any other cherry – it’s awesome, fun and chic,” says Pimdao.
Tailored shirts come with crystal sprinkled collars in both sheer and shiny materials. A new silhouette arrives with a combination of Glitter Dip Tuxedo blouse over Sugar Date bustier dress. Sweatshirts and jumpers add in sporty, casual elements, but the glitz comes in form of custom French Terry fabric with additional satin coupled with subtle hemming, linings and spilt, creating a polish distinction.
Soft Cream prints; Choco Fudge, Bubble Gum and Candy Mix, and is available in silk chiffon and stretch satin. As colours of Soft Cream change, toppings also vary. Enjoy Sundaes prints on stretch satin and crepe. Cherry Sprinkles print on silk jacquard and crepe brings extra flavours to your ice cream on a hot day. Sretsis’ subtle naughtiness and cheeks seep through the use of bananas, cherries, flavourful dips and twisted knots.
For jewellery collection, Matina Amanita for Sretsis is adding cherries on top with a new sugar coated take on plastic and celluloid jewellery in fruit shapes from the ’50s.
Matina says her designed cherries earring is the actual size of real cherry but it is very light using new technique; dabbles in embossing, which process brings forth lightness in weight.
“The replicas of fruit toppings, sprinkles and chocolate dips are how we love our fondue,” Matina notes.
Ultimately, Sretsis may starts from the three sisters but today the label employ 60 employees. All collections are in their wardrobe but never feel unfashionable. “Our design is a lifestyle one. So when thinking about going to a party, to dinner, on vacation, to the beach, you might pick just one style from the one of our previous collection that suits the occasion. It’ll never go wrong or out of date,” notes Pimdao. “It just waits for the right moment and occasion to be picked and dressed up. We like that fashion is a way to express ideas. The fashion presentation, too, whether look, book or show, we really do enjoy it.”