A GARDEN OF COLOUR

An immersive exhibition at Iconsiam reimagines Thai cultural elements through a vibrant and accessible lens

- STORY: SUWITCHA CHAIYONG

A chessboard garden.

Founded in 2019 by designer/ artist Khontarat Techatrisorn, the brand give. me.museums is unique for its landscape patterns and vibrant colours.

To celebrate the Year of the Horse, give.me.museums collaborated with Iconsiam to showcase the exhibition "Flower Art Garden" at Charoen Nakhon Hall.

Khontarat revealed that to welcome 2026, she decided to create a special collection, Sawatdee, which features merchandise such as fabric pants inspired by the iconic Thai elephant pants, coin purses, T-shirts and scarves.

"This event was launched at the beginning of the year. I aimed to start the year with liveliness, so the collection is full of floral designs and vibrant vibes. This concept is connected to give. me.museums and the Sawatdee collection is one of those in 'Flower Art Garden," explained Khontarat.

"Iconsiam stands out for celebrating Thai culture, therefore I had to figure out how to apply Thai elements to resonate with give.me.museums since the brand targets young people. Iconsiam also attracts international visitors. Thus, give.me.museums makes use of Thai culture with the Sawatdee collection. The collection features bright and vibrant colours associated with Thailand. Additionally, the collection also incorporates elements of city, mountain and sea."

Khontarat explained that Thai people may not notice bright and vivid colours of things around them, but she observes them and incorporates them into her design.

"There are multicoloured plastic chairs along the roadside, vibrant colours of tuk-tuks and taxis and buses. Other countries do not have the same bright and diverse colours of buses as Thailand so I incorporated those colourful elements into the collection."

Even though Khontarat has collaborated with many brands before, she admitted that designing the Sawatdee collection was particularly difficult.