The lady’s done it all
Once famed for her beautiful silk clothing, Khun Khanitha Akaranitikul is today an acclaimed restaurateur. Agneta Bekassy De Bekas talks to her former business colleague and friend to find out how she’s achieved so much
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n a trip to Bangkok in 1989, my husband and I were strolling around in the Oriental Hotel and stopped in front of a boutique with the most colorful, feminine Thai silk dresses on display. My husband said I must go in and try on a dress, but I hesitated as I felt that, unlike a typical Thai woman, I didn’t have the requisite slim waist that suited such an outfit. He still convinced me it was worth taking a look inside the shop, and so we did. There were so many beautiful dresses and in a rainbow of colours. Nevertheless, I decided to try on a few and, to my delight, they actually fitted me. It turned out that Khanitha, the name of the designer and shop owner, had European sizes. It was hard to choose between all these beautiful outfits, but I selected a few dresses. As I was trying on the clothes, my husband asked the sales woman for the owner, and a few minutes later he was on the phone with Khun Khanitha herself. This resulted in a meeting the next day at her office on Suriwongse Road. I recall walking into this combined office and shop on thick elegant wall-to- wall carpeting. Like everything else, it was luxurious. Khanitha appeared, a friendly woman with a soft voice and sharp brain. And before I knew it, I had become her wholesaler/agent for Khanitha Design in Switzerland. My husband was happy, and I was overwhelmed and wondering how it would work out. I had experience with importing garments from Sweden to Switzerland and this was potentially similar, including the fact that deliveries would never arrive on time. Khanitha gave me a specific date when my first collection should arrive at Zurich Airport. I couldn’t help smiling to myself, and thinking Sure - we’ll see….” Never in my life did I believe the collection would arrive on that day, but it did. During the next 10 years I successfully imported her garments, and not one delivery
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