Adulaya “Kim” Hoontrakul, Independent Curator and Researcher
Venue: Barcelona, in winter
Tell us about your outfit – where is everything from?
My outfit in this photo is pretty much high-street, head to toe. My jumper is from “& Other Stories”. I have it in navy as well, it’s super comfy and warm. The arms are nice and long, so it’s extra cosy for winters.
I generally prefer crew necks and this sits just right on me. My coat is actually from Zara Man, it’s like a long jersey-ish blazer. I have weird proportions and the length on women’s clothes doesn’t fit me the way I’d like it to, so I shop in the Men’s Department a lot.
My trousers are these wool black knitted joggers – I think these are from COS. My bag is a black Balenciaga Weekender and shoes are Converse Chuck Taylor’s.
Oh! And the headscarf is Pucci, and I’m wearing Rayban’s gold-rimmed aviators. This picture was taken in winter, but even back home, you’ll find me in Chuck Taylor’s with some sort of loose and oversized clothing.
You like your headscarves – tell us why?
Honestly, I wear them when I can’t be bothered to deal with my hair! Which is 6 days out of 7 each week. I have very thick hair and with our (Southeast Asian) climate it’s not possible for my hair to stay looking like it does when I leave the house, so I often have it in a bun.
The scarf makes it look like I made an effort, doesn’t it?
Who’s your favourite designer right now?
I’ve been a fan of Phoebe Philo for a long time now. Her take on the female silhouette is genius, with its signature oversized clothing, flats and tuxedo jackets in solid colours. They allow you to be viewed for more than just your surface appearance – that to me is power dressing.
Tell us about this T-shirt business you’ve started – what’s it about and why did you decide to start it?
[laughs] Well there are many reasons. The first one is due to the fear of unemployment after finishing my Master’s degree!
But it’s also another way of reading and writing about art for me. I am constantly researching art in politics and social issues, so it’s an interest as well as a belief in art as a tool for historical memoirs.
What I’ve done is condense my research into single, black bold font names and imprint those names onto unisex loose-fit, 100% cotton white T-shirts. The idea is for the lettering to be impactful and intriguing enough to simply start conversations.
I’m not here to force anything down anybody’s throat so each (garment) could be a great comfy T, or (some kind of statement). The T-shirts are still in the trial stages of development right now. I’m wearing them myself, I’m working in them, I’m playing tennis in them, I’m doing DIY in them… I’m just seeing how I would style them and how the T-shirts hold up. I need them to be multi-utilitarian for all sexes.
As an independent art curator and researcher, what’s exciting to you right now in the art world?
Personally, it’s what’s not there that I find exciting. Nothing is really new, it’s just a case of things being unknown or even ignored. It’s very important to stay progressive and open to new possibilities.
