Thakoon Panichgul (; th, ฐากูร พานิชกุล, born in Nakhon Phanom Province,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

) is a Thai- American

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashi ...

Biography

Panichgul moved to the United States with his family when he was 11 years old. He grew up in Bellevue, a town outside

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

. Panichgul attended

Bellevue West High School Bellevue West High School is a public secondary school located in Bellevue, Nebraska, United States. It had a 2013 enrollment of 1,584 students. The principal is Kevin Rohlfs. The school's athletic teams are the Thunderbirds, and their school ...

, and as a DECA member, attending the international DECA conference in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. After graduating from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...

in 1997 with a business degree, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Career

In 2000, Panichgul started his fashion career in writing at '' Harper's Bazaar'' working as an associates features editor. As a fashion writer, Panichgul developed an interest in designing, and eventually pursued formal studies at

Parsons School of Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

from 2001 to 2003. In September 2004, Panichgul produced his first ready-to-wear collection and became recognized by fashion press, editors and stylists, and celebrities like

Rachel Bilson Rachel Sarah Bilson (born August 25, 1981) is an American actress. Born to a Californian show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of Summer Roberts on the prime-time drama series ''The O.C.'' Bi ...

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera '' General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the B ...

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

, and

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...

. In 2007 he produced a fashion line for The Gap after being singled out by

Anna Wintour Dame Anna Wintour (; born 3 November 1949) is a British journalist based in New York City who has served as editor-in-Chief of '' Vogue'' since 1988 and Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast since 2020; she is also the artistic direc ...

Vogue Magazine ''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vog ...

, as chronicled in the 2009 American

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

, ''

The September Issue ''The September Issue'' is a 2009 American documentary film directed by R.J. Cutler about the behind-the-scenes drama that follows editor-in-head Anna Wintour and her staff during the production of the September 2007 issue of American '' Vogue'' ...

''. His clothing has been worn by U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, who wore a floral dress by Panichgul on the evening her husband,

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

, accepted the 2008 Democratic nomination for president. He produced a well-received limited-edition clothing line at

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

in early 2009. In 2017, Panichgul decided to take a step back and think about the fashion landscape. He realized that elevated design is not a luxury; it belongs in every woman's wardrobe. In September 2019, Panichgul launched a direct-to-consumer line on THAKOON.com. His new start-up site created comfortable clothing from a luxury designer perspective. Panichgul was also the force behind the creative platform, HommeGirls, a magazine, and retail site that celebrated menswear style and

tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men ...

style and culture among women. It was launched via

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

in March 2019 with images of menswear-inspired fashion. Panichgul also collaborates with jewelry company Tasaki.

References

External links

Official website
*
''New York'' magazine profile''Teen Vogue'' magazine profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panichgul, Thakoon Living people 1974 births

Thakoon Panichgul Thakoon Panichgul (; th, ฐากูร พานิชกุล, born in Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand) is a Thai- American fashion designer. Biography Panichgul moved to the United States with his family when he was 11 years old. He g ...

American fashion designers Parsons School of Design alumni Thai emigrants to the United States

Artists from Omaha, Nebraska People from Bellevue, Nebraska People from Sarpy County, Nebraska