Siam Circle: the latest most fashionable upcycle brand and community
A conversation between Mariuka Corsini (founder of Siam Circle) and Sveva Clavarino
What is Siam Circle?
Siam Circle is an online platform for upcycle fashion brands.
What was your main goal when you first founded Siam Circle?
I always wanted to do something in fashion, but felt it would be meaningless to start a brand that made new clothing when there is already too much clothing waste in the world. I couldn’t create something that would add to the pollution of this planet, so I discovered upcycling. Upcycling uses recycled clothing as its fabric to make new clothing, using fashion’s waste to make something new.
What is the work ethic behind your brands?
Sustainable fashion, we strive to create zero waste clothing, without loosing quality and design.
How are your clothes produced?
Each brand has its own atelier. They source their fabric from huge warehouses in the middle of Thailand, which receive a lot of used clothing from the west. After a long process of selecting what will work, they bring the recycled clothing back to Bangkok and make their designs with their own manufacturers.
Siam Circle also does collaborations with brands where we design and produce exclusive collections for the platform.
What brands do you have and why have you selected them?
I have around 10 brands, all based out of Bangkok. The Thais are amazing, they are extremely creative and care so much about sustainability. I discovered my brands through research, walking around Bangkok, and pure luck. They each have a strong brand identity and are amazing to work with.
What is your and Siam Circle inspiration?
I get a lot of inspiration from traveling. I’ve been living in Asia for more or less 3 years. I love the colors and mixing East with West. I’m also very inspired by LA, and its laid back style.
What are your best sellers?
My best sellers are for sure our jeans. We recently launched our line with Jirawat which are our Embroidery jeans and they sold out immediately. Our Wonder Anatomie jeans are also one of our top sellers.
What is the most important thing that you care about when creating your clothes?
Creating clothes that are different! We like to take something very classic, like a pair of Levi’s Jeans, and do something completely new to them. Working with vintage clothing makes each piece very unique, since each garment is slightly different to the other.
What is the creative process of Siam Circle?
We look at what’s available to us in the second hand market, from T-shirts to blazers, to jeans and bandanas, and take that as our foundation in the making of our designs. I often look at what’s on the runway and imagine my favorite looks made with recycled fabrics. It’s a lot of fun making clothing that has a purpose.
Any future project/ collaborations coming up?
Right before the corona virus pandemic hit, we had the amazing opportunity of designing clothing for the concert tour of Major Lazer, the music group. Unfortunately their tour was cancelled, and we haven’t been able to see our designs on them. We hope to see them once everything opens up again!
