THE RAPID EXPANSION OF THAKOON

Thakoon Panichgul has been generating plenty of buzz these last few months. Not only are his designs staples in First Lady Michelle Obama’s closet, but his name – and even he himself – made recurring appearances in the behind-the-scenes Vogue documentary The September Issue.

Now the New York-based American ready-to-wear designer will add creative director of the Japanese fine jewelry firm Tasaki to his long list of duties.  In addition to designing his namesake line, Panichgul is also the creative director of the Italian accessories brand, Hogan.



The move into jewelry is an exciting one, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Panichgul brings to Tasaki. He’s already remarked that his new position will "unquestionably" feed into his overall creative process, and that he he is looking forward to creating “a collection for Tasaki that is unique and powerful.” When exactly the young designer will have the time to focus on the jewelry is beyond me, because in addition to his triple creative director duties, he is one of the designers that Aloha Rag has announced they will be collaborating with as part of their new private label.



Aloha Rag will be teaming up with a number of designers for special collaborations, and Panichgul is up first, with a men’s cardigan hitting New York in February.  The cardigan will be available in two color-ways and will retail for around $850. Clearly, the designer is branching out fast and experimenting with a variety of clothing and accessories (the Aloha Rag collaboration is the designer’s first foray into menswear), and I'm curious to see if Panichgul will be incorporating any of his side projects into his namesake line.

Is President Obama in a Thakoon suit far off?