| Panichgul, Thakoon | |
| Birth Date: | 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Nakhon Phanom Province[1] |
Thakoon Panichgul (;[2] [3] Thai: ฐากูร พานิชกุล, born in Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand[4]) is a Thai-American fashion designer.
Panichgul moved to the United States with his family when he was 11 years old. He grew up in Bellevue, Nebraska.[5]
Panichgul attended Bellevue West High School, where he was a DECA member, attending the international DECA conference in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. After graduating from Boston University in 1997 with a business degree, he moved to New York City.
In 2000, Panichgul started his fashion career in writing at Harper's Bazaar working as an associate features editor.[6] [7] As a fashion writer, Panichgul developed an interest in designing, and eventually pursued formal studies at Parsons School of Design from 2001 to 2003.
In September 2004, Panichgul produced his first ready-to-wear collection and became recognized by fashion press, editors and stylists, as well as celebrities like Rachel Bilson, Demi Moore, Michelle Obama, and Sarah Jessica Parker. In 2007 he produced a fashion line for The Gap after being singled out by Anna Wintour of Vogue Magazine, as chronicled in the 2009 American documentary film, The September Issue.[8]
Panichgul was a runner-up for the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund in 2006, and nominated by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2007 for the Swarovski Award for emerging women’s wear designer of the year.[9] 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, accepted his party's nomination for president at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.[10]
In 2015, Vivian Chou’s company Bright Fame Fashion acquired a controlling interest in Thakoon Corp. for an undisclosed sum.[11]
In 2009, Panichgul launched Thakoon Addition as a capsule component to his runway collection.[12] Addition subsequently had stand-alone presentations at New York Fashion Week.[13] Through a license with Six London, the brand added shoes to the assortment by 2013.[12]
In 2008, Diego Della Valle signed Panichgul up to create a clothing brand for Hogan.[9] [14] In 2009, he ended his two-year contract as the brand's creative director.[15]
Panchigul produced a well-received limited-edition clothing line at Target in early 2009. In 2012, he made a limited-edition series of lacquers for NARS Cosmetics based on the brights from his spring runway.[16]
In September 2019, Panichgul launched a direct-to-consumer line on THAKOON.com.[17] His new start-up site aimed to create comfortable clothing from a luxury designer perspective.[18] Panichgul was also the force behind the creative platform HommeGirls: a magazine and retail site that celebrated menswear and tomboy style and culture among women.[19] It was launched via Instagram in March 2019 with images of menswear-inspired fashion.[20]
Since 2009, Panichgul has been the creative director of jewelry company Tasaki.[21] [15]
Panichgul and creative director Russell Spina have been in a relationship since the early 2000s. The couple lives in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood.[22]