What Apichet Atilattana did in the past was display his interesting designs on Facebook. They are not merely designs now; the 16-year-old boy made his debut on a fashion show last November 26.
And just how interesting were these designs? Let us just say that they involve transforming daily items - such as bamboo birdcages and mosquito dresses - into wearable fashion pieces.
The boy hailing from Khon Kaen - which is northeast of Thailand and known as a rice-growing region - created these imaginative, amusing, and strange designs with the desire to expose cemented prejudice in the rich areas of Bangkok.
The materials that he uses to complete the clothes symbolize the riches and power of Bangkok, which drives the backbone of Thailand's economy. Apichet wants to show that people who live outside Bangkok also have the capability to build something creative and can contribute to the economy.
Apichet said that the people in Bangkok might think that the residents of Khon Kaen are dirty and uneducated. He claimed that there are people from their place that are successful.
Other materials used in the fashion show are banana leaves, bamboo rice cookeries, and mechanical fans.
He is really creative. One time, he just put on a hole in the middle of a chicken cage and put it on his body. He thought that the thing looked beautiful. This drives us to his point that even those items that one sees as useless can be used to create something that is usable.
Khon Kaen is the home to some of Thailand's creatives. For example, director Apichatpong Weeasethakul, a winner of Cannes Palme d'Or, is from this place.
Apichet, also known as Madeaw, claims that what he is doing simply non-political. He just wants to use fashion as a tool to help unite the social divide between the Bangkok elite and Thais from other places.
