After scaling back on its international distribution amid a world economic crisis, hot Thai fashion brand Disaya is starting to make inroads in the Japanese market.
The brand, which has been worn by celebrities including Anne Hathaway, January Jones, Camilla Belle and Taylor Swift, will be carried at Tokyo’s iconic Isetan Shinjuku department store come fall. Another 10 stores in Japan have picked up the brand for fall, including Pameo Pose and Rosebud.
“We think that it’s the right time for us to start again,” designer Disaya Sorakraikitikul said of her 10-year-old label.
Years ago, the brand was carried at Seibu in Japan, as well as at such high-profile retailers as Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Le Bon Marché.
Sorakraikitikul describes her aesthetic as “girly yet sophisticated, and lavish and beautiful.”
Disaya’s pieces feature embellishments and the layering of textures. She employs prints on jacquards and embroidery on mesh for example. Dressed in black faux leather leggings, white running shoes and a cream satin coat with rhinestone-encrusted pockets, the designer herself embodies the brand’s contemporary, high-meets-low aesthetic, which is very popular in Japan at the moment.
“Maybe it’s because we are also Asian, but we also understand the culture here, and I come here very often. So in a way we kind of understand what Japanese girls like…we can develop more collections that are suited for the market.”
Prices range from 20,000 yen, or $182, for tops to 118,000 yen, or $1,074 for a long patchwork lace gown with embroidery and rhinestone details.