It was when she moved to Los Angeles, however, that the brand took off and gained a cult following.
Tank Air’s tag line is “Quality clothing and ideas in service of the matriarchy”. How did you come up with the name and identity?
“So many people think it’s because of the tank tops but actually it’s an anagram of my cousin Katrina’s name.
“The brand has always been inspired by my mum and aunts. She’s one of four sisters so the Thai side of my family is very matriarchal. They’re so funny, they all have good style […] Tank Air is very much an embodiment of them and paying respect to them.
No Botox: this ageless-looking Asian TikTok star is 63. How does she do it?
No Botox: this ageless-looking Asian TikTok star is 63. How does she do it?
“They paved the way for me to become who I am, and I want this brand to do the same for other girls.”
How would you describe the Tank Air look?
“I feel like the one common thread with Tank Air’s clothing is I try to make it functional, easy to wear. I want to put out clothes that people wear often.
“I love one-off pieces, and that’s why people love our essentials – they’re pieces you can wear over and over again.
“When it comes to making something a little bit Tank Air, I love to reference Thai culture but it’s so rich, so I try to reference it in subtle ways.
“With the Butterfly top and midi skirt, I was referencing some of my mum’s old Thai silk sarongs. But it’s not something I bring up often. It’s nice when people don’t know what the reference is.”
Where are Tank Air pieces produced?
“All the cutting and sewing is done in Los Angeles, but the knitwear is sampled in Hong Kong and produced in Shanghai. China is the best place for knitwear, the quality is unmatched.”
You’ve managed to cultivate a very engaged consumer base – “community” is so overused nowadays, but it’s that, for the lack of a better term. Did you do this consciously or did it just fall into place?
“It definitely didn’t just fall into place. The brand has seen a very slow and steady growth. A lot of the girls who are part of the community and are involved in Tank Air, whether they’re photographers or models, I have friendships with all of them. They’re not just working relationships.
“When I started Tank Air, I really had no connections. Obviously, my aunt has a brand in Thailand but it’s a very old one; I was just building it from the ground up really slowly.
“I always say Tank Air is the slowest growing brand in the world, but that’s been the best thing for us, because I’ve managed to create this community, as you said, for the lack of a better term.”
Your pieces have been spotted on the likes of Bella Hadid and Olivia Rodrigo. How has this changed the business?
“It definitely helped with brand awareness, and I think we got lucky because we had a big celebrity wear one of our essentials, and typically they wear unattainable editorial pieces.
How Taiwanese label Shiatzy Chen became a Paris Fashion Week regular
How Taiwanese label Shiatzy Chen became a Paris Fashion Week regular
“I know our essentials aren’t the most affordable either, but compared with runway pieces and archive pieces, they’re much more accessible.
“That really helped put our essentials on the map, which gave us a bit more financial freedom to design more creative, more emotional pieces.”
What are your goals for the brand? Are there any people you dream of dressing?
“Our goal is to continue growing slowly and not do anything me or my team wouldn’t be able to actually manage. One side of growing a clothing company is, as you start to put out bigger orders, managing quality and making sure it stays the same is a huge part of what we do.
“And for celebrities I’d love to see in Tank Air, I’d say Rihanna, Lisa from Blackpink, and [American rapper] Sexyy Red.”
