Recently I got a chance to visit a series of stores that I never thought in my life I would step into.

Royal Project Stores.

Just in case you didn’t know, to put it simply, these shops are a part of different foundations and projects initiated by, you’ve guessed it, members of the Thai Royal Family, and each of the stores were set up to support different causes and groups of people.

Out of the ones I went to, I was most impressed by HM the Queen’s SUPPORT Foundation store at the Grand Palace. The project aims to give rural people in Thailand a secondary income by giving them training in handicrafts so they can start their own business. The project will then buy the products made by people in the program and sell them in the stores. The money then will go into the foundation that goes on helping mre people taking on their own handicraft businesses.

The SUPPORT Foundation is called “Sillapacheep” in Thai. Mention this to any Thai you know and they’d go, “Oh my god, that’s so baan baan,” evoking the image of something outdated, corny, traditional–boring.

But not anymore apparently. Despite the cliche location, the store is awesome. Unlike the Grand Palace and Wat Prakaew their area it is sitting on, you don’t need to cover your ankles going shopping here. Come in shorts and flips flops if you want, you’re welcome nonetheless. And unlike many stores in town when anyone with a camera is almost considered a criminal, here you can get all snap happy. They even encourage it.

And why not? When the store offers a lot of things they’re proud to show off.

Thai textiles like silk, woven fabrics, cotton and hemp are dyed, patched, stitched, mixed with other materials creating a wide range of beautifully unique items. Like earrings made of silk worm cocoons, “pha khao ma” rag dolls, silk evening clutches and chic home decor pieces. I got myself a Japanese-esque drape top, made from Northern Thai cotton fabric in electric blue. Electric blue. Sillapacheep does electric blue! No more brown, grey, burgundy, or any other big-haired ladies’ favorite hues.

I got a chance to talk to the manager, who explained to me that it was actually the store’s main goal to take on these changes. They want to promote the products not just to tourists, but also locals who have a rather negative image of local crafts being unfashionable and of poor quality. And that’s why they have taken on a team of new generation designers to help come up with the range of products made from folk materials by the villagers.

If you have a chance, do check out the store before the end of December. They’re currently holding an exhibition on Thai fabrics in a very interesting way–by asking Thailand’s best designers to choose their favorite kind of Thai textile and create a couture dress in their own style. Yes I’m talking Sretsis, Greyhound, Disaya, and more, even my lovely Tipayaphong, all participating in this exhibition.

And yes those dresses are also for sale. But unlike the villagers made pieces, these ones go for about B20-30,000 a dress.

Don’t you think this pink Disaya one just makes a perfect birthday present for me? It’s for a good cause, you know?

*hints to certain people reading this*

Finally I had enough time to whip up my own theme.

OK. Well. I cheated. I actually based it on another theme, as I was looking for an idea and also a template that would let me have big header space for my little collage.

Yes those are my things. Well except the cookie and the leather tag, those were obviously photoshopped in. I took the picture of other stuff myself, but thanks to my crappy Sony Cybershot and its incompetent 8-megapixel feature, it was too spotted and too blue, despite the photo being taken at around 10am this morning.

So I just nudged up the contrast and saturation bars for the funky blinding colors.

And hey, the picture has a hidden message you know. There was a reason why I spent my first day as an unemployed doing this.

The original “torn-up” look was a bit pixelated so I fixed that too and then added the paper bag background to make it look more organic.

So yeah. That’s it.

I’m not big on Thai designers really.

Not that I don’t wanna “buy Thai”, it’s just that most of the times these Thai designers price their work almost at the same level as big fashion houses like Prada and DG. It’s crazy. OK not to sound mean, but really who do they think they are? Karl Lagerfeld? For charging their simple blouses no less than B10,000.

But then my whole perception (and hopes) for Thai designers changed when I met P’ Tu, Tipayaphong Poosanaphong.

I first got to know about him from his hat exhibition he had at Emporium. BK interviewed him for Almost Famous, an introductory interview piece we give to artists, bands, and aspiring creative minds who we know have big future waiting for them.

Then, I got to know him myself when I was doing the cover story on Thai designers. Out of all the 5 designers I interviewed for the story, he was the one who truly stands out, in both his designs and personality.

He’s the most friendliest, sweetest, and down-to-earth person I have ever met, despite his experience working as the right hand of big fashion firms in Paris for years. Other local designers just slap on a few wads of cash and a flashy certificate from art schools and they can set up shops and act as if they’re best friends with Coco Chanel.

For Tipa, for short in the industry, his only shop under his self-titled brand, Tipayaphongpoosanaphong, is run by his own older sister, P’ Aor who’s more than welcome to give you stories about Tipa while you’re trying on his dresses. He’s also one of the very few designers here who are actually at the shop, interacting with customers as if he was just another salesperson.

I went to his store today to congratulate him on his fantastic show last week at the Elle Fashion Week. And also to thank him and P’ Aor for giving me a great front row seat! I mean, if the show were Paris Fashion Week, Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham would be sitting where I was sitting.

His show was uber fantastic. Speakeasy was its theme, but with a touch of modern colors. Think disco Chicago. And the 1920s being MY FAVORITE era of style, I fell it love with it.

Unlike other shows where they shower you with fancy lighting and nothing else but models strutting their stuff, Tipa took Paris home with him and stage a whole mini Cabaret, complete with divas (well, divalicous men) entertaining the guests, a tango dance number, models as roaring twenties era prostitutes and fake cat(walk) fights. IT WAS AWESOME.

Even though I’m in no way related to him, only an interview and a few store visits, I feel really proud of him. A young Thai teenager, so determined to work in fashion, he sent himself to Paris and started from scratch by babysitting and working in button-sorting department. And look where he is now.

People I know who went to shows like Sretsis and Kloset and NOT his because they didn’t know the brand, they all came to me saying they regret missing his show. The Elle coverage of his show doesn’t do it justice at all, so check out the ThaiCatwalk.com coverage instead of the complete collection.

Also worth a look is his shop on 3rd floor of Siam Center. Going through the racks of his designs you’d think they’d cost you at least B10,000 for a dress full of delicate details and fancy fabric. Now divide that by half. All the clothes, hats, suits and bags made, fabrics picked, every stitches and embroidery, all by him.

I wore his pink geometric drape dress on my Valentine’s date, too, and again to his fashion show on Sunday. I asked him about the dresses I saw at the show and he said they were not really made for sale, but he will adapt to make it more suitable for off-runway routine.

I can’t wait. I will be the first in line to own a Gatsby Tipa dress.