PHUKET
SS'26
The SS'26 Phuket Collection questions the nature of warmth itself. Anchored to Thailand's coastal city, the collection strips away tropical assumptions to reveal what persists beneath climate, labor, culture, and human presence. Through high-visibility workwear and functional silhouettes, the garments imagine Phuket colder, asking whether a place's character comes from its temperature or from the people who move through it
CITY OBSERVATION:
Phuket
February 2025
32°C / Humid Heat / Monsoon Transition Season
Longtail boats anchored at Bang Tao, engines idle.
Dock workers wear high-vis vests, not swimwear.
Heat rises from concrete piers, lingers heavy.
Tarps stretched over market stalls against the sun.
The heat is constant. The city is not.
MATERIALS:
350 GSM Canvas →
NU/VU workwear foundation. Derived from Win Mosai motorcycle taxi driver vests across Phuket's streets. The 350 gsm canvas bears the same safety orange worn by drivers navigating tourists and locals daily. The fabric makes visible what's usually functional: visibility, labor, and movement through heat.
Quitted Inner-Linning →
Diamond quilted lining borrowed from Win Mosai motorcycle taxi driver vests, mesh-backed high-visibility vests designed to ventilate in 32°C heat, now recontextualized with dense insulation for 18°C cold. Same orange, same labor reference, opposite climate function.
Reflective tape sourced from Win Mosai motorcycle taxi driver vests, neon-green and gray striping designed to catch headlights in Phuket's dawn and dusk traffic, making bodies visible to cars, buses, and other motorcycles navigating through congestion. Safety infrastructure worn on the body.
Reflective Tape →
Canvas Patch →
Neon-green canvas patch adapted from Win Mosai motorcycle taxi vest identification, patches positioned at top-middle back indicating driver's stand location and district. Geographic affiliation made visible. Now marked "NU/VU" and "NEW VIEW," displacing taxi stand names with brand territory and conceptual position.
Appliqué embroidered number "23" positioned at chest and back, mirroring Win Mosai motorcycle taxi driver vest numbering, mandatory registration system identifying individual drivers within their stand, license verification worn visible. Official identification translated to personal history. Number replaces driver badge with designer's football jersey number from youth leagues in Thailand, substituting bureaucratic ID with biographical marker. The number makes visible what's usually regulatory: identification that locates a body in a system, whether transit licensing or personal memory.
Appliqué Embroidery →
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Appliqué Embroidery
Edges deliberately distressed, fraying like vests worn daily in tropical heat and rain.
Ribbed Knit Cuffs
Reflective Tape
3 Panel Hood Construction
Two Front Pockets
Adjusted from a traditional "Win Mosai" Driver Vests zipped pocket, to kangaroo pockets for
easier accessbility.
"Win" Jacket
Appliqué Embroidery
Neon-Green Canvas Patch
Black embroidery for "NU/VU"
Neon-Green embroidery for "NEW VIEW"
MATERIALS:
Polyester Blend →
Polyester blend sourced from athletic sportswear, designed for movement and sweat dispersion. Colors reference Kiatkamlaiyok Gym in Phuket, gray from the Muay Thai ring canvas, originally black but faded through years of fighters' contact and training impact.
Polyester Piping →
White polyester piping adapted from Muay Thai ring ropes at Kiatkamlaiyok Gym, rope boundaries defining fight space, originally bright white, worn to off-white through years of fighters gripping between rounds, leaning during rest, pacing along edges.
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Logo Embroidery
White embroidery: "NU/VU" & "FBT"
Stand Up Collar
Elastic Waistband
High Tension for body contour
Polyester Piping
Ribbed Knit Cuffs
FBT Track Jacket- "Suea Warm"
Two Shoulder Panels
FBT Track Pant- "Gahng-geng Warm"
Cropped Length
Logo Embroidery
White embroidery: "NU/VU" & "FBT"
3 Panels
Grey, White, Grey
Two Back Pockets
Elastic Waistband
Medium Tension
MATERIALS:
Cotton Blend Flannel →
Cotton blend flannel adapted from Thai construction worker shirts seen across Phuket building sites, lightweight plaid worn for sun protection and sweat absorption, not warmth. Tropical workwear geometry recontextualized for cold.
Pearls →
Cotton blend flannel adapted from Thai construction worker shirts seen across Phuket building sites, lightweight plaid worn for sun protection and sweat absorption, not warmth. Tropical workwear geometry recontextualized for cold.
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Pearls Embellishment
Button-Up Closure
Brown buttons
Button Cuffs
Banyan Flannel
Pearls Embellishment
Forms a Banyan Tree
NU/VU Logo
MATERIALS:
Cotton Polyester Blend →
Mustard-toned yellow. References the Promthep Clock Tower in Old Town Phuket, a pastel yellow Sino-Portuguese landmark built in the early 1900s, originally part of the town's police station. The tower became a symbol of Phuket's tin-mining era, before tourism.
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Logo Embroidery
Promthep Clock Tower
Diagonal Seam Lines
Creates a triangle shape,
referencing the roof of the clock tower.
Old Town Jacket
Pointy Hood
References the roof of the clock tower.
Ribbed Knit Cuffs
MATERIALS:
Soft cotton base with 2-5% spandex for recovery and movement. Ribbed texture provides structure without stiffness, fabric holds shape after wear and washing. Designed for layering or standalone wear in tropical heat. Breathable, form-fitting without clinging
Cotton Spandex Blend
Ribbed Knit →
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Body Contour
NU/VU Logo Embroidery
Racer Back
Foundation Tank
MATERIALS:
Merino wool provides warmth without bulk, regulates temperature, and resists odor naturally. Nylon/polyester blend adds durability and shape retention, prevents pilling and stretching at the cuff. Elastane (5%) ensures the beanie returns to form after wear. Ribbed knit construction creates vertical texture and allows fabric to stretch horizontally for a fitted crown that doesn't slide or gap.
Merino wool-nylon blend →
Pearls →
Hand-applied freshwater pearls, individually stitched to a ribbed knit surface. Pearls vary slightly in size and luster, natural variation, not defect. Inspired by traditional Thai jewelry and ceremonial dress, pearls are a subtle ornament, not an ostentatious display. Each pearl is secured with reinforced thread to withstand wear and washing.
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Pearls Embellishment
Fitted Crown
"Muk" Beanie
MATERIALS:
Merino wool provides warmth without bulk, regulates temperature, and resists odor naturally. Nylon/polyester blend adds durability and shape retention, prevents pilling and stretching at the cuff. Elastane (5%) ensures the beanie returns to form after wear. Ribbed knit construction creates vertical texture and allows fabric to stretch horizontally for a fitted crown that doesn't slide or gap.
Woven cotton plaid →
NU/VU COULTURE signature motif applied to traditional pha khao ma. Hand-stitched using heavy-duty cotton thread (appears to be perle cotton or crochet cotton, gauge 5-10 weight based on visibility). The stitching follows the fabric edge in an evenly spaced running stitch, approximately 3-5mm stitch length, 3-5mm gap between stitches. Reinforces the raw edge while marking the garment as NU/VU. Same
White Running Stitches →
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
White Running Stitches
NU/VU COULTURE motif
Plaid Pattern
Primary Colors (Dominant):
-
Deep burgundy/maroon (dark red-purple base)
-
Cream/off-white (lighter neutral squares and stripes)
Accent Colors (Secondary):
-
Olive green (visible in thin stripes/lines)
-
Rust orange/burnt orange (thin accent stripes)
-
Coral/salmon pink
MATERIALS:
Pha Khao Ma
Heavy-weight twill weave in sand/khaki tone. Diagonal weave structure (visible surface texture) provides durability and resists tearing better than plain-weave cotton. The fabric is substantial. It stands away from the body rather than draping. Designed for tropical work environments: breathable, absorbent, and breaks in with wear.
Cotton Workwear Twill →
Snap Fasteners →
Five metal snaps per back pocket (one at each corner, one center). Allows complete removal or swapping of pocket colors.
Detachable Back Pockets →
Burgundy → Temple roofs and Sino-Portuguese shophouses across Phuket Old Town. Cultural convergence color, Chinese prosperity red meets Thai Buddhist trim.
Brown → Tin-mining rust and weathered wood. Hides dirt and wear workwear logic, not decoration.
Orange → High-visibility safety color from construction sites and roadwork. Borrowed from worker vests across Southeast Asia—seen at a distance.
White → Maximum contrast, shows every mark. Deliberate transparency, the color that reveals, not hides.
Khaki → Matches the pant base, disappears when attached. Default tropical workwear neutral, reflects heat, fades gracefully.
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Belt Loops
Wide Leg Opening
Breathability (humid/ hot climate)
2 Front Pockets
Work Trousers
Detachable Back Pockets
MATERIALS:
Polyurethane-coated textile base. Matte finish, no high-gloss sheen. Faux leather provides structure for a pointed-toe silhouette and slip-on construction. Water-resistant, easier to clean than real leather. Black keeps the loafer formal, traditional dress shoe color.
Faux Leather →
Sand-textured toe box →
Granular surface replicating wet beach sand. References the first point of contact when stepping from pavement onto beach, sand clings to toes before reaching the rest of the foot. The texture marks the transition: body meets ground. Not decoration, functional reference to the moment of contact.
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Sand Texture Toe Box
"Sai" Loafer
Vamp
"Sai" Stilleto Boot
Sand Texture Toe Box
Shaft
Tall upper section, black satin,
drapes naturally.
Stiletto heel
Thin high heel, elevates while maintaining the sand-contact concept.
MATERIALS:
Wool-dominant blend. Wool (80%) provides natural insulation, breathability, and water resistance (lanolin in the fiber repels light moisture). Nylon (20%) reinforces fabric structure, prevents stretching at shoulders and button closures, and resists abrasion. Heavy-weight fabric (approximately 14-16 oz per square yard) suitable for structured tailoring.
Wool Blend →
Pearls →
Pearl farming in Phuket: divers descend into warm water, tend cultivation beds, and extract pearls by hand. Methodical labor shaped by ocean rhythm. The pearls are sewn onto the coat by hand, but their placement follows winter logic, clustered where snow would land first: shoulders, lapels, hem. Warm-water harvest arranged by cold-climate contact points. Phuket's warmth reimagined through winter's touch.
Silk Inner-Lining →
Smooth against skin, reduces friction when layering over knits or shirts. Silk regulates temperature, cool in mild weather, insulating when cold. Fully lined construction hides interior seams and provides a clean finish.
PHUKET IMPLICATIONS:
Peak lapels
Wide, pointed lapels angling upward and outward from the collar.
Double-breasted button closure
Two parallel rows of buttons,
overlapping front panels.
Pearls Embellishment
Flap pockets
Welt pockets with flap covering at hip level.
Pearls Embellishment
Skirt/Bottom panel
Lower section from waist to hem, below-knee length.