With a knack for effortless styling, Bina Srikureja’s fashion choice always embodies her eccentric spirit.
By Praphanit Doowa
27-year-old Bina Srikureja is a carefree and innovative designer at Nanyang Textile Industry Co., Ltd. But despite designing sportswear for work, she finds her style best suited for the 50s. This creative woman loves discovering vintage pieces from her travels, which she then freely puts together to create unique looks for herself. “Casual, vintage, fun and weird,” are the words Bina uses to describe her style. “Weird. A lot of people call me weird,” she continues. Her boldness to try on different outfits is not only inspiring, but also unlike anyone else in Bangkok.
Bina completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Development from London College of Fashion. However, her sartorial selections are not influenced from the university itself, but rather from the city’s street style, where people don’t really conform to trends. “They dress how they feel,” she clarifies. “This was really eye-opening, as the people around me encouraged me to wear whatever I wanted, rather than what was on the catalogue. At the university, I was designing for other people, rather than myself. It was all about straightforward and minimal designs with a focus on a specific direction. I’m not like that. My choices now often reflect my moods.” So what inspired her love for vintage items? “When you shop vintage, what you get is secondhand, but every piece has a story, a history that you won’t get anywhere else. And once you wear the clothes, you really get a feel of how rich it is.”
Rather than browsing the racks of popular commercial brands, Bina enjoys walking the streets of Talad Rod Fai, or viewing pop-up shops at Terminal 21 for quirky finds. However, her all-time favourite are the markets in Tokyo, Japan. She went there with a colleague for design research and came back loving the vintage options for herself. She wears her favourite green trousers from Tokyo, paired with intricate accessories she created herself, in her work wear look on page 53. “It’s nice to be quirky and unlike anyone else,” she says. “I don’t go to H&M or Zara because everyone else is wearing it.”
Fashion is indeed subjective, and no one should be afraid to experiment with a variety of fads. Bina follows her instincts, and is never concerned with what other people might have to say about her. “We shouldn’t always go for the typical stuff,” she says with a smile. “It’s fun to try new things and discover what your true style is. It’s also okay to look horrible sometimes, as that is how you are going to find your best look. If people say you look weird, always own it!”
