User:Nat1966/sandbox

Koi Suwannagate (born on 22 March 1965) is a Thai fashion designer and commercial artist. Born and raised in Thailand, Koi Suwannagate obtained her Bachelor Degree in Decorative Arts from Bangkok Silpakorn University and Design and Merchandising (AA Degree) from FIDM in Los Angles. She went on to work as a merchandiser and designer for one of Bangkok's top fashion houses. After working there for two years, she absorbed every detail of the fashion industry before she returned to the United States.

Koi Suwannagate was deeply inspired by her class on draping and couture embellishment and it was a primary catalyst for her first hand-sculpted collection. This was in 1999 at West Valley College in San Jose, California, where virtually overnight, Koi realized her passion for creating exquisite hand-made garments.

Ten ideas for t-shirt designs came out exactly as Koi imagined, and then quickly sold out at Taxi, a high-end boutique in San Francisco. This was the start of a range of artful hand-sculpted cotton-jersey garments, named “DD by Koi” (an abbreviation of “Dare to Differ).

Soon after, Koi moved to Los Angeles and added hand-sculpted, one-of-a-kind tops, skirts, dresses, evening gowns and accessories in luxurious cashmere to her line.

Koi Suwannagate came to public notice when her collection was embraced by Ron Herman and Madison on Melrose. From the on, “Koi Suwannagate” was carried by more than thirty high-end stores (e.g., Barneys New York, Fred Segal, Blake and FourtyFiveTen) throughout the world and merchandised next to designer brands such as Comme des Garçons, Dries Van Noten and Prada.

Known for her unique sculptural design approach and feminine, gracious avant-garde look, each piece is a one-of-a-kind, hand-made garment. Says Koi, “My signature style is to sculpt and shape each piece to enhance and beautify the natural contours of the female body.”

Koi’s exclusive pieces have been sought after by fashion aficionados, Hollywood celebrities and consumers with a refined sense of style. Her designs have been worn by Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore, Iman, Natalie Portman, Reese Witherspoon, Minnie Driver, Christina Ricci, Rachel Griffith and Kirsten Dunst, and featured in publications like Vogue (British, U.S., Japan), Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, InStyle, Marie Claire, Madame Figaro, Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

In Summer 2007’s 3.1 Phillip Lim collection Koi collaborated with the designer, incorporating her beautiful hand-sculpted rose designs. The CFDA and Vogue acknowledged Koi’s talent with the nomination as finalists for 2007’s Fashion Fund. In Summer 2009’s WWD Women’s Wear Daily named Koi Suwannagate’s S/S ’09 collection one of The Top Ten Collections of the season.

In January 2013, Koi has moved to New York city to start her design again.