Thai Designer Academy 2021 was supported by the Division of Creative Industrial Development, Department of Industrial Promotion, Thailand and was operated by Kantana Group Public. The purpose of the Academy is to:
  1. Nurture product designers to become leaders in creative design
  2. Publicise ideas to and share experiences and knowledge with both domestic and international audiences


An important approach to the development of the Thai fashion industry is by promoting and supporting designers with potential through the Academy, which:
  1. Provides opportunities for product designers to develop and increase their potential, as well as to build up their skills to become design leaders
  2. Creates experiences for designers to exchange with each other
  3. Inspires designers to come up with ideas for product development and apply them to create products in accordance with various situations
  4. Changes designers’ attitudes and perspectives so that they will become designers with a business mindset and create a positive image that helps the industry grow

At the 2021 Academy, the Thai designers were given the opportunities to learn about the operating process from start to finish. Some key activities included business design workshops, a gallery field trip to Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, production of fashion collections under the “Sense of silk: Ready to wear, Ready to world” concept, designer networking events and business matching meetings.


A total of 50 Thai designers learned to develop their product design skills and all were able to create new products. The sales of the products increased by 11.06 per cent or 4,594,000 THB in seven months. Most of the sales were directly from social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram).

Participating in international trade fairs is important for market testing and boosting sales. As such, three outstanding brands — Winya, BWildbyheart and HATSAYA — were selected to showcase their products at CENTRESTAGE, Asia’s premier fashion event.