Royal radiance

Esteemed designer Pichitra Boonyarataphan celebrates the 45th anniversary of fashion house Atelier Pichita

- STORY: ATIYA ACHAKULWISUT

From an early age, Pichitra Boonyarataphan grew up watching her mother Lumyong — a legendary pioneer in the Thai fashion industry and founder of the Rapee Fashion House and Dressmaking Institute — laboriously sew, embroider and modify intricate outfits.

Her youthful ambition was resolute: to avoid walking the same path as a dressmaker, a career she saw as detailed and difficult, but also seemingly never-ending.

But life, like the unique textiles Pichitra would come to champion, has its own intricate twists and turns. Now at the age of 72, having navigated the heights of the fashion business, Pichitra stands exactly where her mother once stood and does so with immense pride.

If the Rapee Dressmaking Institute paved the way for Thai fashion through bespoke tailoring, Pichitra carried the torch, pioneering the transformation to manufacturing and ready-to-wear in the 1980s.

Armed with formal training at the Chambre Syndical de la Couture and experience as a model at Torrente Haute Couture in France, Pichitra launched her first boutique, Atelier Pichita, in 1980.

With her signature clean and elegant style, she began reimagining traditional techniques and local fabrics — offering eye-catching patchworks and unique prints — and successfully recasting them for a contemporary audience.

Pichitra’s Western-style, sharp-silhouetted patterns — gracefully complemented by lustrous Thai silk or other locally-produced handwoven materials — along with her unique hand embroidery, natural dyes and prints, garnered international acclaim. The Pichita brand was not only among the most well known and respected in the 80s, but soon began to make waves on the global luxury stage with a showcase at Milan Fashion Week.