BANGKOK - Thailand will receive free consultancy services and advice from Italy’s leading fashion house, Giorgio Armani to develop its Bangkok Fashion City project in the capital.
Vatchara Panchet, vice minister for industry who was in Italy to inaugurate Thai Airways Internatonal’s (THAI) Bangkok-Milan route, said the Bangkok Fashion City project was presented to senior executives of the fashion house.
Giorgio Armani will focus on providing technical assistance and has agreed to train six Thai designers at its fashion centre in Milan.
Vatchara said a contest was being organised with the private sector to decide which designers would be sent for the training.
The Bangkok Fashion City project was launched earlier this year in an ambitious plan to promote Bangkok as a world fashion capital.
A glitzy fashion extravaganza featuring German super model Nadja Auermann was held in February followed by the ‘Fashion Extravaganza Parade’ – a huge parade through the streets of Bangkok.
The project, backed by the private sector, aims to boost the country’s textile and garments, leathers and footwear and gems and jewellery industries.
According to Panlert Baiyoke, the project’s chairman, the local fashion industry brings 400 billion baht (US$10.4 billion) into the country annually.
THAI, which supports the project, is the first Asian carrier to offer a direct connection from Milan to South-east Asia. Flight operations began on May 4 with two daily flights a week, utilising MD11 aircraft.