Beam Ratchapol

Septembers's Designer of the month winner: From Bangkok, Thailand, Beam Ratchapol Ngaongam earned a BFA at the Academy of Art University, in San Francisco, where he specialized in men's knitwear. In addition to studying traditional knit techniques, Ngaongam was struck by the luxurious volumes that are possible with knitwear development. His graduate collection was inspired by a fascination with the human body, as well as the exploration of sadness versus beauty. The palette was derived from the work of German-born American painter Hans Hofmann.

Instagram: @beam.ratchapol / @beam.knits

ArtsThread: Beam Ngaongam

About Beam:A defining characteristic of his collection is complexity. It all started with the fascination of how the human body works and ended up being an exploration of sadness versus beauty and the point where they meet. Beam's designs show a reflection of him overcoming an internal struggle by incorporating vibrant colors into the exaggerated garments.  His journey as a knitwear designer includes sacrifice. The amount of commitment and work required are translated into a collection that symbolizes chaos in its oversized garments and excessive wrapping. A moment of revelation happened when he realized how much the body could handle physically and emotionally.

Favourite Textile Technique: Knitting!

Inspirational Designers: Spencer Vladimir, John Galliano and Rei Kawakubo.

Dream job: To work for a big company as a knitwear designer. In addition, having my own knitwear studio where I teach people how to knit as well as producing collections for the show.