Theory of relativity

TV host and clothing designer Surivipa "Noo Mam" Kultangwattana never has trouble filling seats at her fashion shows - the problem is filling her oversize outfits with the right models.

She screened 500 large candidates and selected 40 to wear her gear on the small catwalk she set up at her Suri by Surivipa store in Siam Paragon. But the last-minute adjustments kept her in a spin - there was a lot of upsizing to be done.

The shop's doing fine, though, and last Wednesday's runway show unveiled her second collection.

Hefty herself by her own admission, Noo Mam doesn't think people should feel pressured to slim down for anyone.

"We're not abnormal - we're normal people who like to follow the fashions like everyone else," she says. "You notice that all of my clothes are just made for 'normal' people with sizes S, M and L."

Of course, the "S" in this case doesn't mean "small" in the ordinary way. It's all relative.

Last year's show involved mostly pretty dresses, but this year her models got to wear fun clothes in punk style and animal prints.

There was the occasional slim model, quite a contrast to the others, but the message was clear: Bigger models have bigger personalities.

Rarely are there men on the sidelines ogling the ladies, though there are crowds of students cheering - both big and petite - cheering for their chubby friends who've been turned into sexy vixens.

The models, whose weight can reach 100 kilograms, say the only thing Noo Mam asks of them is to show some personality and be confident.

"Being fat isn't an obstacle," says Tanaree "Mai" Huyanan, 21, dressed as a rocker. That's proof that being confident and having clothes you love is all you need.