Siam Paragon may well be among the "prides of Bangkok", just as it claims. It's a glitzy clearinghouse for all the world's luxury items, a cavern of posh stuff from Paris and Milan and London and New York.

And it's a supermarket of flagship stores - all the brand names you can think of: Hermes, Chloe, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Mulberry, Chanel, Bvlgari, Mikimoto, Cartier, Swarovski, Vancleef & Arpel ...

The tireless list no doubt pleases the wealthy few who can now cut down on overseas shopping trips, but it's all a little intimidating for the Thai fashion industry, especially the people just trying to make a name for themselves.

Although local designers see the influx of foreign flagship stores as a huge challenge, it also represents a learning tool - if you know how to use it.

"Thais love shopping," says Achiraya Inkatanuvat, marketing manager for Mikimoto (Thailand) Co Ltd. "And we're fast learners and never want to be second in terms of shopping and fashion."

Thais now expect big-name brands to offer them more than just a minor outlet selling a few of their lines.

"We have very good taste, and we need a big variety of products," says Achiraya, who often shops abroad on business trips.

Knowing that shopping is a big part of family weekends in Bangkok, Paragon managing director Kriengsak Tantipipop has convinced countless brand names to open major stores in the mall.

"This is a tropical country - what else can people do if not spend a nice weekend in a nice, air-conditioned department store?" he says.

Having a chain's flagship store, with its full selection range, means that whatever is available to European and North American shoppers is also on sale here, with slight variations.

The price is more or less the same, and Thais are culturally open-minded enough to accept almost anything on the racks.

Ratchaneeporn Kitcharoen, the retail and marketing manager at Faint-Honore (Bangkok) Co Ltd, carries two different lines at her two Hermes stores - the flagship and the original, smaller outlet - clothes that are a little more conservative for the locals and items a bit more revealing for the tourists.

Thai shoppers, she says, are more than ready for brand-name flagship stores. One line her company was selling in the original Hermes outlet since 1997 wasn't enough, and its business was growing 35 per cent annually, so the parent company knew the potential was here.

Flagship stores, she contends, give local designers a closer look at the full range of products.

Seen with a positive attitude, the influx of the big stores broadens the opportunities for Thai fashion in terms of styles and business sense, Ratchaneeporn says.

 "We bring several patterns and designs to town, and the designers can check them out here without having to travel overseas.

 "They can even check out the cutting and folding of a pattern to learn why our brand has been well accepted despite the price."

She's not really worried about the ideas being copied, insisting that local designers have integrity these days.

But pioneering designer Somchai Kaewthong, whose Kai Boutique has for 36 years been a bastion of creative independence, hears the booms of the flagship guns and anticipates problems.

"I'm glad I was born early," he says.

The revered craftsman frets that the influx makes it harder for young designers to get ahead in the business. The competition will be too great, he says.

Somchai disdains the mass production of the international brands.

"I'd rather wear something from JJ [Chatuchak Weekend Market] than these mass-produced items. At least the pieces made by our young designers have something to show and they're unique.

"Even on the [Hollywood] red carpet you see stars wearing identical gowns."

Jitsing Somboon, who designs for Playground by Greyhound, sees advantages and disadvantages. The international brands are being copied even faster, he says, while the local brands face competitive prices.

Although local shoppers have flocked to the big international names, Jitsing is confident his lines offer much more than the mass-produced clothing.

"We're still considered a signature brand, and our clothes have a character that others don't," he says. His faithful fans still prefer that uniqueness.

It is, of course, a win-win situation for the customers - wider selection in patterns, styles and material and lower prices - says Jitsing. Local designers will just have to be more astute with their designs and materials.

"We can't just force them to buy our products anymore because they're seeing more things on the market all the time."

Achariya acknowledges that the coming of the flagship behemoths affects the local fashion industry deeply.

"But that's why they have to learn about their positioning, as well as the target groups, if the competition gets fiercer."

In the end, she says, everyone will win, with the designers being forced to improve to survive. And the bottom line, she notes, is that a brand name isn't the bottom line. If it's a global brand, that just means that millions of people are wearing ait.

"Sometimes I don't want to wear the exact same pattern that's been worn by thousands and thousands of people out there," she says.

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

The Nation