COVER STORY
Follow the journey of Gentlewoman from a small Thai fashion label started in a basement to an ' it ' brand in demand across Southeast Asia .
By Tong Van
Wandering around Thailand ’ s well-known shopping street Siam Square , it ' s hard to miss the large flagship store with the Gentlewoman logo and a steady flow of customers carrying its branded bags . This is not an uncommon sight . Two years ago , the brand ’ s signature bag was spotted everywhere in Singapore , from shopping malls to the streets . In fact , its popularity has reached such heights that an entire Instagram page has been dedicated to capturing and sharing sightings of these fashionable bags in various locations across Singapore .
Despite its popularity in the region , however , not many people know the story behind the famous Thai fashion brand . Many believe its popularity was born from the endorsement of Thai celebrities , others think it is because of social media . The true story behind the brand was somewhat a mystery .
The long journey Founded in June 2018 by Raya Wannapinyo , Jitpon Siriwattanamathangkul and Siripa Rueangwutthisakulchai , Gentlewoman ’ s journey started with a modest location on the B1 floor of Siam Square One .
Siriwattanamathangkul said that , while none of the three co-founders had a fashion background , they all decided to found Gentlewoman , as they wanted to start with something they loved and have less risk .
“ When we started , it was quite difficult because we had little experience . We initially picked the wrong location . It started in the basement , opposite a popular multibrand cosmetic store called Eveandboy . We thought being opposite them would attract customers ,” the co-founder said .
“ Since it ' s the basement , there was no circulating traffic . People were going to the large cosmetic store intentionally and might walk past us , but it ' s not a location with good circulation . As a new brand , you can ' t be in a stand-alone location without traffic and hope for the best . In the first few months , no one came .”
During the initial phase of brand growth , Gentlewoman made significant investments in advertising . Originally focusing on workwear , the brand showed an increase in customers after transitioning to casual wear . Over time , the company introduced more collections to attract customers . Despite the challenges of Covid-19 , the Thai fashion brand achieved sales growth for five consecutive years .
Gentlewoman posted about 65 million baht in sales in 2019 and 73 million baht in the following year .
“ During Covid-19 , big brands [ were ] advised to save money and do nothing . They had the cash to wait it out , but small brands like ours didn ' t . We had some cash , but not enough just to do nothing and survive for long . Maybe we could last six months , but eventually , we ' d run out of money .
“ That ' s why we ' ve been launching new products , selling everything we can , and focusing on online sales and marketing during Covid-19 .”
He said the star products were Gentlewoman headbands and GW beach towels as demand for home products surged during the lockdowns .
“ Our goal was to survive , and our efforts began to get noticed . Even though our voice wasn ' t loud , the absence of other voices made us stand out . We concentrated on design and brand improvement ,” he added .
In 2021 , the brand boosted its sales figures again , posting 167 million baht . This upward trend continued into 2022 , when sales skyrocketed to 593 million baht . The brand opened its first flagship store in Siam Square the same year .
“ At the end of 2022 , we started exploring other markets ,” he said , adding the brand initially rolled out marketing campaigns in Singapore .
“ We took the initiative rather than wait for the tourism industry to recover in Thailand ,” Siriwattanamathangkul said .
Last year , Gentlewoman ' s growth trajectory again reached new heights , as the brand achieved an astonishing 1.5 billion baht in sales . Gentlewoman is currently operating 15 stores across Thailand .
Crossing borders The company is now plotting its expansion plan within its home market , with three stores slated to open later this year , including its largest , inside CentralWorld . The new store will be twice the size of the current flagship in Siam Square and will feature a rebranded image and interior .
“ When we started small , we didn ' t have investors and had limited resources and money for the store . Our creativity was also limited . Now , we ' re getting bigger . We have more skilled people and better connections , like interior designers . We now have the ability and willingness to improve continuously . So , we decided to rebrand and create a new design . We want ►
August 2024 www . insideretail . asia 11