For The Love Of Art: Cherlyn Ornika On Thai Design, Delicacy, And The World Of ORNIKA

In a world where Fashion is never static, it can be overwhelming to paint a picture for someone who will never understand your vision. But as a new generation of fashion designers carve a name for themselves, emerging Thai fashion designer Cherlyn Ornika unapologetically places her culture at the heart of everything she does. Unveiling her graduate collection titled Siam Love Language this past June, the JCA London Fashion Academy designer reinterprets the artisanal crafts and traditions of Thailand through fashion, manipulating national fabrics like Thai silk to echo traditional folding techniques and floral embellishments. For craft and delicacy, after all, is Thailand’s love language.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design, Branding, and Entrepreneurship, the designer’s namesake brand Cherlyn Ornika, under ORNIKA — aims to connect Thai culture with modern elegance. Notably, Ornika’s Siam Love Language collection offers a glimpse of Ornika’s phenomenal ability to blur the lines between fashion and art by mixing tradition, culture, and modern influence. From reimagining traditional Thai silhouettes such as the iconic ‘Jong Kraben’ into a refined yet modern capri pant, to open-back dropped waist dresses that exude sophisticated charm, Siam Love Language ultimately drew inspiration from Loy Krathong Day.  A day of celebration in which people craft baskets made from banana stems, decorating the sides by folding banana leaves into different shapes and placing flowers and candles in the basket. They are then used by Thais to grant a wish and give thanks to the Goddess Of The River, ‘Mae Kong Ka’ in hope for good fortune and prosperity.

Yet, these creations are only a window into the mind behind them. Chatting with EnVi via Zoom, the designer opened up about staying authentic to her roots, the delicacy of Thai design, and the world of ORNIKA.

Wear The Love 

Carrying a passionate soul in creating meaningful and inspiring garments for modern day customers, Cherlyn Ornika uses her experiences of growing up in Thailand and studying in London as a vehicle encompassing her design process. “Thailand represents who I am and London is the place that allows me to express that,” explained Ornika. Defined by its richness in culture, Thailand holds pride in artisan and bespoke craftsmanship. “I’m drawn to the authenticity of Thailand as I was born there, and the culture of course.”

This notion acts as a living thread in the storytelling of her design and essence, which is spearheaded by the silhouettes of Thai apparel and costume. Adorned with her signature flair for romantic elegance, Ornika embraces authentic Thai tailoring that is sharp, luxurious, and overflowing with draping and shape, crafting wearable modern pieces for contemporary dressers, all whilst keeping traditions alive at the core. She noted, “For London, I’m drawn to the diversity of people where I get to exchange different thoughts and opinions after meeting so many friends that came from different countries.” Not only does this add a layer of symbolism for her natural eye for intricate detail, but channels exchanges of culture as her source of direction that flourishes in creativity.

Honoring the culture that is embedded within Thailand’s heritage, Ornika creates in hopes to bring the essence of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Late Queen Mother Of Thailand’s legacy of style and diplomacy through her design. Who was notably celebrated for her unique flair for fashion and fascination of mixing Western style with Eastern tradition. “I really love the old era of Thailand, and I want to bring people back to that fashion where Thai tradition is still the main fashion of Thailand, and the Western is just the cherry on top,” Ornika said with her charming smile. 

“I love mixing fashion between cultures, so I think Queen Sirikit’s fashion sense is the feeling that I want people to feel when they wear ORNIKA, how she used all the Thai silks and made it very elegant…and I want people to feel the elegancy of that, the beauty,” she added. With a clear vision for the look and feel of ORNIKA, the designer guides the pleasures of beauty, lifestyle, and tastes of Thailand by beautifully bringing to life Queen Sirikit’s legacy of wearing traditional fabrics in a modern, high fashion context. Allowing dressing that not only is elegant and regal, but undoubtedly Thai.

Craft And Delicacy Is Our Love Language 

Born and raised in Bangkok, Cherlyn pays homage to Thai crafts to celebrate the everyday grace and humility that Thais pour into their livelihoods. “I think people still see the beauty and traditions of Thai fashion, but it’s more that they look past the value and the effort, the delicacy.” Ornika told Envi with sincerity. “For example, the local crafts like Thai paintings and Thai desserts, I think they’re very hard to make, but because the price of them is cheaper than international products, it’s more of like the small little things that people might look past.”

In order to honor Thai crafts as a living thread in Thai culture, Ornika translates meaningful techniques like the ‘Maa-Lai’ (มาลัย) into a recurring motif across her work. Using Thai silk, she manipulates the fabrics to replicate Thai flowers ‘Dork-Ruk’ (ดอกรัก), crafting them into silver and gold 18k gold-plated embellishments to decorate the pieces. Often used in ‘Maa-Lai,’ ‘Dok-Ruk’ is used as a symbol of stable and everlasting love, especially in expressing love between significant others and families. As ‘Dok-Ruk’ link together to create ‘Maa-Lai,’ Ornika weaves this cultural nuance to signify the ‘Maa-Lai’ as an emblem of respect and affection.

“I still see that people love Thai traditional fashion, but due to today’s lifestyle it’s quite hard to find a chance to actually wear it. So I think it would be nice if we could wear something sophisticated but inspired by Thai fashion and traditions, while it’s still suitable for today’s modern lifestyle. So I’m trying to create something more wearable for this generation,” she added.

For The Love Of Art

Cherlyn Ornika is not one to limit her deep appreciation for artistic inspiration, and it’s clear from her work that she is very fond of fashion, better yet, she lives for fashion. “I loved Dior when John Galliano was creative director, I think that era was crazy,” she shared with a chuckle. “I love how he took inspiration from different cultures but was still able to create in the Dior essence. I love his creations.” Despite the endless number of rough sketches, scraps of toile, and hours of adapting in the design studio, Ornika excels in preserving Thailand’s history, its culture. However, if you look beyond that, she modernizes and marks her own design license, making it her own. 

As Ornika’s brand devotes itself to ‘For The Love Of Art’, her admiration for the craft of fashion and artistic references don’t stop there. “I really love this one artistic painter, Chakrabhand Posayakrit,” Ornika explained, eyes bright and vibrant with grace. “His work and his paintings were very ethereal and he painted everything about Thai dance, every detail was very crazy. I actually love Thai Dance.” Where there is familiarity, there is nostalgia, and for Cherlyn and many Thais alike, they see the delicacy of Thai traditional dance as one defined by endless preparation, discipline, and tradition. The costumes essentially illuminate the art form.

You Is Fortune

And if there’s a vision, there’s a way. In which the phrase คุนคือความโชกดี or ‘You is Fortune’ feels most fitting to honor how Cherlyn Ornika’s ‘For The Love Of Art’ approach led her Siam Love Language collection from the walks of the JCA graduate runway all the way to its appearance on renowned Thai actress Janistar at Khemjira The Series’ finale event, Khemjira’s Final Blessing. Not only marking a significant milestone for the designer, but displaying the cultural synergy of Thailand’s soft power on the global stage.

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“I didn’t really get to process anything because it was so hectic, I had just flown back to Thailand and then like a week later she reached out to me. It was so unexpected because I never thought that any celebrity would come across my work and wear my outfit because it was a graduate collection.” Ornika reflected. “So I think it was amazing, the experience. I have no words, I’m just so grateful that people saw my work and actually wanted to wear my collection.” 

The look, titled You Is Fortune, reimagines Cherlyn’s take on the traditional craft of ‘Krathong’ (กระทง), formed by the folding of ‘Baitong’ (ใบตอง), translating it into a modern Thai dress. Serving equal parts romance and equal parts art, You Is Fortune brings to life the day-to-day items that Thais have grown up with, interpreting the Krachow top (เสื้อคอกระเช้า), a traditional garment worn by elders, into a lace-adorned, cropped yet sculptural silhouette that feels both intimate and beautifully nostalgic. Paired with the Krathong skirt, Cherlyn highlights the intricacy of forming the ‘Krathong’ through sculptural layering and precise folding, honoring its meticulous preparation, and the spiritual belief of good fortune that grounds its creation. In its details, the dress acts as a reminder of the textures of Thai life, some simple in nature and some not, but essential in anchoring the memories of Thailand’s heritage and craftsmanship.

Life After Siam Love Language

In the whirlwind of finishing her studies and life after Siam Love Language, Cherlyn Ornika remains devoted to shining her culture through ORNIKA. Although a new collection isn’t in the works just yet, the designer isn’t ruling anything out. “Its hard to tell with specific things, as it requires a lot of like, layers of inspiration with a collection but I think I would still revolve myself around Thai culture. I think Thailand around the 60s and 70s…more casual but still Thai, so I might do something around that era,” she explained.

However, among those many layers of inspiration, the world of jewelry that she was brought up in remains a constant. Surrounded by various fine and high-quality gemstones like imperial jade, Ornika holds immense value in the intention of creating. “Growing up in the jewelry industry has taught me to want to create something as a statement piece, where people who own it would feel very happy every time they wear it because it’s valuable for them,” she mentioned. “I want to create something meaningful rather than just like, just another product.” That mindset of creating with purpose is evident in her brands jewelry and embellishments, in which she designs, renders, and creates with utmost talent. Not only capturing the essence of Thai culture beautifully, but reminding people of its ethereality and glamour when paired with Thai clothing and costume.

Fashion Is ORNIKA 

As trends shift, tastes alternate, and opinions change, Ornika infinitely doesn’t let the outside noise get to her. Grounded in her design identity, the designer is always putting Thailand at the forefront. “I think, to be honest, while I was doing the [Siam Love Language] collection, I didn’t really look at the global trends. It’s more like being true to yourself, you need to focus on what you personally believe and love. I heard a quote, I’m not sure who it came from but they said that designers should be the one to tell people what they should like.” Ornika shared. “So I think, just do what you actually love and do the best I think that’s all.” Pouring her heart and soul into her work, Ornika not only creates, but reimagines the memories of Thai childhood and heritage into an atmosphere that is ethereal, nostalgic, and irrevocably emotive.

On reflecting on what she hopes Thai and international audiences take from her work in the future, Ornika noted to EnVi, “I think, I hope even just the smallest part, that I’m part of making the audience, whether it’s foreigners or Thai people, to actually look back and see how beautiful it is. Like even if it’s a small thing, you can look around in your life and anything entirely can be an inspiration. So yeah, I just want people to see the beauty of Thai culture.”

Bringing the small pleasures of Thai daily life and delicacy to light, Cherlyn Ornika has proven to be the definition of hard work, determination, and unwaveringly wearing her heart on her sleeve by giving flowers back to her roots. And as Thai design carves out its own path in the fashion conversation, she ardently crafts a space where fashion is creation, art, and tradition, but ultimately — Fashion Is ORNIKA.

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Although Cherlyn Ornika’s pieces aren’t for sale just yet, stay tuned for what’s coming soon at Cherlyn Ornika on their Official Instagram and TikTok! 

Craving more fashion content, check out EnVi’s piece on Filipino-American designer Veejay Floresca here!