How a Thai Fashion Consultant Dresses For Reemergence - Vogue

Fashion nomads are always on the go. When you’re jetting from city to city en route to the latest party, premiere, or fashion show, there is no slowing down. For many within the industry, the annual trek from New York to London and then Milan and Paris was routine, but when COVID-19 hit in 2020, the fashion week calendar and all other plans halted. In the last few months, though, as borders reopened and vaccinations became accessible, the industry’s frequent fliers have been reemerging. Among them, Nichapat Suphap, the stylish Thai consultant whose firm links Southeast Asia’s biggest stars and luxury’s key brands.

A regular on the scene, you can find Suphap chilling in the front row during couture week or on the red carpet in rainbow-colored Tomo Koizumi at the Met Gala. Of course, her work life isn’t all glamour; when she isn’t on the go or on the phone with a client, Suphap is working from home—for the past year, that’s meant conference calls and Zooms from her base in Bangkok. “What I wear to go out is very different from what I’ll put on in my apartment,” she says. “I’ll wear the sweatpants and pajamas or gym clothes because I love to work out, but when it’s time to see clients or do a meeting, I don’t want to greet them in yoga pants, even if they can’t see them. You feel the difference when you put a little effort in.”

Now that travel restrictions have been lifted somewhat, Suphap has been able to return to her adopted home of Manhattan. Along the way, she’s made pit stops in Los Angeles, Beirut, Camogli, and Paris, but who’s counting? “The way that I work is global, and for a long time, that meant traveling constantly. Giving that up was difficult, but everyone’s had to make changes,” says Suphap. “What’s been wonderful is now that I’m getting to see the world again, everything feels new. When you’re always on a plane, you can lose sight of how unique that experience is and how special some of these opportunities can be. Now I’m approaching things from this place of gratitude, and it’s been wonderful.”

No matter the destination, Suphap likes her clothes colorful and creative, and she’s apt to mix styles and statement pieces from her favorite designers like Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace with local finds. A contributing editor to Vogue Thailand, she knows her Gucci from her Ganni, but she’s not bound to big labels when it comes to daily dressing. “So many of my opinions about fashion have changed over the years, and I used to place so much value on having the latest, most expensive thing,” says Suphap. “Now I realize style isn’t necessarily about that. You can have all the it-items, but if it doesn’t feel true to who you are, it’s never going to work.”