It’s campaign season again, that phenomenal time when each brand is able to translate their current season’s runway outings into artful, almost editorial-esque images that capture the collection’s...
OH BOYY, A CELEBRATORY DEBUT AT BERGDORF GOODMAN
March 31, 2014 3:26 PM
The road to Bergdorf’s is no easy road for designers if the movie “Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s” is any indication of the nature of this very selective buying process. Among the millions of designers longing for their chance to be sold at Bergdorf’s, only the best of the best in the world are selected. So when Boyy bags held their Bergdorf debut event on March 27, there was much to be celebrated by the designers Jesse Dorsey and Wannasiri Kongman. For the couple, the journey started 9 years earlier in New York City, crossed several continents, and finally landed them here today.
Jesse and Wannasiri met in 2004 and started their collaboration in 2005. Jesse Dorsey was a musician, composer, and producer with works written for the Beastie Boys, Milla Jovovich, and scores for Cirque du Soleil. Wannasiri, nick-named Boy in Thailand, worked as a buyer for one of Thailand’s largest department stores “Central” and subsequently moved to New York to study at FIT to further explore her love for fashion. When the two met, sparks flew, in many ways. The two not only joined forces in their creative endeavors but also romantically; they are probably one of the most endearing and engaging couples you will ever meet. The parts of the business that Wannasiri doesn’t enjoy, Jesse loves, and likewise.
The synergy of this partnership brings together androgynous designs with both feminine and masculine touches. The geometry of classic boxy shapes as well as slouchy silhouettes are made with the softest leathers sourced in Italy. Their designs are further enhanced with modern exotic materials like stingray, crocodile and python. And the final touch that brings a unique edginess is the raw urban chain element inlaid over many of their signature designs. There’s a universal appeal to their bags that transcends sex, whether male or female, many of the bags look as great on a woman as a man. Perhaps because they spread themselves across Thailand, Italy, Paris, and New York, the designs absorb a worldly culture like a good global citizen. The Bon Bon backpack, the signature Filippo bag, the slash bag - all are in the fashion world’s top must-have lists.
The final touch is a more convicting one. As a designer, an artist, your craft is an expression of the truth within, it is a materialization of the beauty and the life that composes you. Many fortunate start up brands today have money to fund large PR teams and extravagant advertising and marketing, but Wannasiri and Jesse started with almost nothing. Wannasiri remembers having to go to 5 restaurants in Soho looking for a job just to pay her rent and fund her schooling. The trying times of surviving in New York for the two didn’t deter them from starting a brand, it just made success ever more sweeter. Through hard work, determination, and strong passion, Jesse and Wannasiri now have 3 stores in Thailand including one 2-story flagship store that includes a coffee shop known for the best croissants in Bangkok. Yes, flaky moist delicious croissants. When you are a crafter, every aspect of your creation is not shy on perfection and quality. Jesse designs the entire store from the interiors, to the café menu, to the croissant recipe. They want all elements of the entire Boyy experience to be one of exceptional quality. When asked if he ever misses music and production, Jesse responds that, no he doesn’t, because what he is creating today is just as captivating and just as engaging as when he was creating music. I guess if music was a tool to materialize an inspiration, then so is a beautiful handbag, or a croissant for that matter.
With already a huge following in Thailand, Denmark, and Paris, the couple plans to further expand their markets throughout Europe in the near future. And of course expand even more in New York City, where they first met, where they fell in love, and where they brought to life their baby, Boyy.
WRITTEN BY:TINA SHIMIZU
related posts
CAGED PYTHONS: ALEXANDRE BIRMAN PRE-FALL2013
Brazilian designer, Alexandre Birman, has been making quite a stir lately with his eponymous shoe label, which was founded in Brazil in 2008 and is now produced primarily in Italy. In 2010 Birman...
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT (AGAIN) ? GIVENCHY MENS PRE-FALL 2013
If the house codes for Givenchy’s men’s line under Riccardo Tisci wasn’t already clearly ingrained, Tisci’s new Pre-Fall collection ensured that a Givenchy look could be spotted a mile away. His...
Fashion Fights Cancer Winter Benefit
Monday night join Saskia de Brauw, face of Chanel Spring and Pamela Love, sovereign NY jewelry designer at...
MARGIELA RAISES AIDS AWARENESS IN CHINA
Although Martin Margiela himself left the brand years ago, many of his legacies still remain: the deconstruction, the highly conceptualized clothing that would have historical materialist...
BERNHARD WILLHELM x CAMPER: A COLORFUL & QUIRKY COLLAB
Each season Camper teams up with a creative selection of designers to fuse their signature style with that of the designer’s aesthetic, giving rise to the ‘Camper Together With’ footwear range.
BARNEY'S ELECTRIC HOLIDAY SPREADS PIXIE DUST, FASHION DREAMS DO COME TRUE!
Fashion can be one of the most intrinsic forms of living out our fantasies: the simplicity of throwing on a leather studded perfecto can make us feel like we’re mosh-pitting at CBGB’s, or perhaps...
PROENZA SCHOULER A/W2012 AVATARS ENCHANT DOLPHINS
Nostalgia in fashion is often associated with a wafting miasma, but there’s no denying that designers of late have been longing for a reoccurrence of 90’s era simplicity, nonchalance, and even 16-...
TWELV ISSUE #2 LAUNCH PARTY
This past Wednesday, TWELV and over 1,700 of our closest friends celebrated the launch of our Second Issue, “Transformation,” at Public Assembly in Brooklyn.
Viktor & Rolf Innovate The Baby Carriage
Designer collaborations are a dime a dozen these days, but this recent collaboration between Viktor & Rolf and Bugaboo (a luxury baby carriage brand) is particularly noteworthy as it allowed...
DIGITAL ARTIST GEOFFREY LILLEMON EMOTES BERNHARD WILLHELM S/S2013
BernHard Willhelm has always been on the cutting edge of quirky high-fashion. From endless post-modern references in his work, his collections are cheeky, playful, fun, and definitely not for the...
DIOR HOMME'S SALUTE TO "PRE-SPRING" STYLING
Pre-spring, or as they’re often called, resort collections, allow designers to present small focused collections with classic pieces to keep the retail shelves stocked, while providing fresh...
"SHEER FANTASIES" TOKYO FASHION WEEK HIGHLIGHTS (PART 3)
The final two days of Tokyo Fashion Week were jam-packed with collections filled with sheer femininity and surrealism, reminding us that fashion is a realm for us to envision and realize our own...
SUPERHEROS: SUBLIME SARTORIAL SELECTIONS
Superheroes appeared all over the catwalks for the AW’12 season. Perhaps the incessant banter of the impending doomsday this December (according to the Ancient Mayans) motivated designers to...
"NEON GEOMETRY" TOKYO FASHION WEEK HIGHLIGHTS (PART 2)
Anrealage designer Kunihiko Morinaga presented an exceptionally focused and dramatic collection drawing inspiration from structural art deco forms.
PINK PINK PINK
It’s safe to say that we are now well into the fall season.
Comme des Garçons Revives "SIX" Magazine for iPad
Back in 1988, Rei Kawakubo and the Comme des Garçons brand printed a biannual, SIX, to reference the sixth sense.
"Peasant Grunge" - Tokyo Fashion Week Highlights (Part 1)
Tokyo has secured its place as the fifth stop on Fashion Week’s global tour.
Inevitable: Chanel No. 5 & Brad Pitt
Since its creation back in 1921, a long line of femme fatales such as Catherine Deneuve, Lauren Hutton, and Nicole Kidman have leant their visage to Chanel’s iconic perfume, No. 5.
The Skinny on Slimane's New Menswear
It seems that Hedi Slimane just couldn’t resist a foray back into menswear. The SS’13 lookbook for a new men’s collection, Saint Laurent Skinny, recently emerged on the revamped YSL website. The...
Carine's Big Deal
With the fashion world rapidly embracing fashion as a truly global enterprise, it seems no surprise that Harper’s Bazaar (owned by Hearst media) would create a new position: Global Fashion...
Saint Laurent Paris S/S2013
"No Smoking,” Karl Lagerfeld recently joked in one of his spontaneous sketches.
Watch Prada's "Real Fantasy" AW'12
Melding antiquity with the intergalactic, this season the Prada man and woman live in a “world” all of their own.
Fashion Favorites from the Emmys
No, nothing exciting happened at the Emmy's. So don't ask. But there were a handful of standout performances in the fashion department.
Dior Homme re-launches it’s Flagship in Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue Shopping District
With immaculately tailored pieces, androgynous style, and a rebellious sophistication, Dior Homme has continuously been an inspiration to Twelv Magazine. Dior Homme’s ability to mix influences...
The Sign Language of Chanel Lacquer
You can thank Ruth Hogben for your current addiction to fashion video. The artist has shot for Lady Gaga, Gareth Pugh, and Louis Vuitton.
Gerlan + Minnie Mouse S/S2013
Gerlan and Minnie Mouse introduce the GERL POWER movement this Thursday during New York Fashion Week.
Farewell Anna
The ever-eclectic, fashion icon and editor of Vogue Italia Anna Piaggi died on August 7th in her Milan home.
RAD UNISEX COUTURE
Rad Hourani, the new Couturier on the scene from Montreal, Canada, now based in Paris, France since his debut in 2007, recently presented Couture's first "...
Vintage BUM-CAKE
BUM-CAKE, launched one year ago by Christiana Greene, is a vintage collection of hand-selected pieces from around the world.
NOUVEAU PR × IMG it Girl MARINE HEINE
Exclusive Fashion Story "NOUVEAU PR × IMG it Girl MARINE HEINE" is now available!
Check inside for the Special Editorial
Fashion Story "We Own the Universe"
Julia Lang is the 25 year old blogger behind www.geeksndfashion.com.
TWELV digital issue
TWELV is now sold digitally for $0.99, 12% goes to charity!
The Prada Men - Fall/Winter menswear 2012
The much-hyped Prada Fall/Winter 2012 menswear collection gives us so many reasons to get excited.