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BANGKOK (Reuters) – In Thai classrooms, displaying a rebellious or creative streak through the clothes you wear is difficult.
School uniform rules are strict, down to how students’ hair should be cut and the type of socks and shoes they can wear.
But as students across the country reject what they call archaic rules and join a broader pro-democracy movement, a young clothing designer supports them in a colorful way.
Tin Tunsopon has taken the typical uniform of pleated skirts and white sailor shirts for girls and stylish shorts and white shirts for boys and expanded them into exaggerated versions with huge collars and ruffles on the sleeves made with shoelaces.
“By re-creating these uniforms and giving them various designs … people can see that we should no longer be attached to the (traditional) uniforms,” Tin, 23, told Reuters.
The ‘rule breaker’ tagged clothing line launched in collaboration with lingerie brand Wacoal in June with prices ranging from $ 100 to a top end of $ 475, for a long pleated skirt with a large bow.
Tin said they are designed for “modern girls, who are not afraid to express themselves and move with confidence.”
“The uniforms break away from traditional forms, although they still look like a uniform … I want to support the children to be as creative as possible,” said Tin.
Tin has called his label ‘Post-Thesis’, a nod to his graduation project at Bangkok University, where he examined the purpose of uniforms and how they can be changed.
The rebel movement sweeping through Thai high schools has been dubbed “Bad Student” by its leaders. Students have donned white ribbons, publicly cut their hair and hailed the “Hunger Games” in an attempt to shake up the country’s rigid educational system.
(Written by Ed Davies; edited by Jane Wardell)
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