Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host,
Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my students and
I bring you content that's informative, positive,
fun, and uplifting. This podcast is created and
produced with the help of students from the International
Community School of Bangkok. In the heart of
Bangkok's fashion district, three letters have
changed the game for online brands. SOS. This
SOS stands for Sense of Style. Today, we are
going behind the curtain of Sense of Style, a
retail concept that didn't just follow trends.
It created a platform for them to live in the
real world. I'm your host, Mr. Jason, and today
I'm joined by Proud and Esther, my co -host.
We are also going to be sitting down with the
visionary founder of SOS and Fit U Academy, Kun
Toi, to talk about the business of curation,
the future of tie designers, and what it takes
to build a brand that lasts. It's an episode
packed with fashion, business strategy, and local
talent. But first, let's hear our quote of the
day and get some headline news. Thank you, Mr.
Jason, for setting the stage. I'm so excited
for this interview. Our segment, Quote of the
Day, feels especially relevant today as we are
talking about building a brand and fostering
creativity. Our quote of the day comes from the
iconic American businesswoman and entrepreneur,
Estee Lauder. She famously said, I never dreamed
about success. I worked for it. This quote perfectly
captures the spirit of Kuntoy and the entire
Sense of Style journey. It reminds us that while
having a great vision is essential, like seeing
the potential in emerging online tie brands,
it's the action and the sheer amount of hard
work that turns that vision into a massive, successful
brick and mortar reality. Khun Toi didn't just
dream of a better way to shop. She built the
system, the stores, and the framework to make
it happen. It's an inspiring lesson for any student
listening right now. Success isn't magic, it's
dedication. And that's our quote of the day.
Now on to some headline news. Thank you for the
quote of the day. Now here's some headline news
from around the world, all focused on recent
developments shaking up the fashion industry.
Our first headline comes from Prada Group. Prada
Group has officially completed the acquisition
of Versace for about 1 .5 billion US dollars.
The deal reunites two of Italy's most iconic
fashion houses, bringing Versace's bold, glamorous
heritage under the same corporate umbrella as
Prada and Miu Miu. This move is being hailed
as a major strategic shift aimed at strengthening
Prada's global luxury portfolio. Analysts expect
that under the new ownership, Versace will undergo
a creative refresh and upgrade. reliant with
renewed emphasis on craftsmanship, Italian production
and expansion into accessories and footwear.
Our next headline comes from H &M. H &M is reteaming
with Stella McCartney for a new designer collection
scheduled to launch in the first half of 2026.
This marks nearly two decades since their first
collaboration, and this time with a stronger
emphasis on sustainability and responsible materials.
The upcoming collection is meant to not only
showcase stylish designs, but also to highlight
responsible textiles, recycled materials, and
more eco -conscious manufacturing processes.
The collaboration reflects H &M's growing focus
on sustainability, especially in response to
growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly
fashion. And finally, our last headline comes
from Nike, Superdry, and Lecos. Major brands
including Nike, Superdry, and Lecos have had
adverts banned in the UK for misleading green
claims, accused of greenwashing their products'
environmental benefits. The ads reportedly touted
sustainability without providing sufficient evidence
to back up the environmental impact claims. This
crackdown underscores rising scrutiny on sustainability,
marketing, and fashion. Regulators are demanding
greater transparency and accountability from
brands about their environmental practices. The
industry could be entering a new era where marketing
claims are more strictly regulated and brands
must prove their clear proof of their green credentials.
Thank you for the quote in the headline news.
If you have ever walked through Siam Square lately,
maybe you have seen the letters SOS. Sense of
Style has revolutionized how we shop for local
Thai brands, turning online Instagram hits into
brick and mortar reality. But building a multi
-brand shop doesn't happen by accident. Today
we are joined by the woman behind the brand and
also the founder of Fit U Academy. an entrepreneurial
ecosystem and coaching initiative. Khun Toy,
so welcome to the show. Proud, go ahead and get
us started. Welcome to the show, Khun Toy. So
first question, could you please introduce yourself
and tell us a little bit about your background
and what you do? Hello, everyone. Thank you for
having me here. So feeling so grateful having
a chance to share my journey to you guys. So
my name is Toy. For now, I am 31 and I'm a business
owner. My first business is SOS Zen Love Style.
I'm a co -founder of SOS Zen Love Style. Not
only me, but there's a lot of founders. And my
another business is Fit You Academy. So it's
a kind of ecosystem for transformation because
I do believe that every people in this world
were made with a gift. So it's my mission to
help them find their gift and shine the brightest
with purpose. Starting with our very first question
about SOS, what inspired the creation of Sense
of Style and how did the brand begin and what
vision were you trying to bring to life? Okay,
so back to like 10 years ago. So actually, first
group that started SOS, it's my partners. Four
of them started when I was in last year of university.
So they started SOS and then at that time, I
was... taking my final exam and then they reached
out to me because i know one of one of the founder
and then she reached out to me and asked me like
do i want to join because at that time because
i studied accounting yeah do you know like accounting
that actually the direct part is kind of cpa
auditor and then i had a chance to go to internship
and i was like uh this is not this is not me
i was not made for this And then at that time,
I went to SOS, like when they start like first
year. And then I asked them, do you have any
job for me? Because I just don't like auditor.
At that time, in Thailand, didn't have this much
opportunities just like you guys. Like I don't
have opportunities like you guys. I just like,
if I don't do audit, so maybe I will go to be
kind of air hostess. Or maybe I will be in Dubai
right now. But maybe... God direct me to this
path so yeah so I say yes to my co -founders
and then that's the beginning stage of how I
start my business and going to business owner
path since since that time until now for 10 years
yeah so so to answer your questions the vision
of SOS I think it's quite clear since day one
like we have we don't want to be only give rental
for other people. We don't want to be only space
and give rental, but we want to be some place
that can help brands and customers meet in our
place and grow together. These are kind of mindset
I was planted since day one until now. Wow, that
sounds really amazing. Could I ask you, Pithoi,
how would you want to describe SOS brand's identity
and what makes it stand out in Thailand's fashion
landscape? Okay, I would say, Simple luxury and
variety and selected. Yeah, so three words. There's
a lot of people asking me these questions and
every time I would say the same. It's like, I
think all the founders' mindset is all aligned
to all of the, because our customers will be
all the brands that brand our space and all the
end customers that come to buy in our shop. Most
of the time, we always think about our customers,
the brand and end customers. And I think we want
them to, when they come to our store, we want
them to be like all -in -one. Yeah, all -in -one,
like from head to toe. Yeah, and variety of products
and also have value -added service. Because some
of the customers, when they come to the store,
they were just like, no idea. They just want
to browsing around and if they have... have like
staff to come and educate or come and like kind
of personal shopper so like oh i think this one
this style match you this kind of things so i
think this turns to be like kind of unique selling
point for us like variety and great service so
as you mentioned also every time me and my friends
went to sam we would always stop by sos because
like there's tons of varieties of clothes for
us like even pants and like sweaters and all
the things that you want to find so one might
wonder who is the sos woman what kind of customer
naturally gravitates towards your band okay i
would say what kind of sos woman is like kind
of simple luxury and classy yeah i would say
and more to feminine because actually our stores
were very well known of like special occasion
dress yeah so the perception of our customers
when they look at SOS they would say I want to
come and find some special dress here yeah so
so that's how I describe SOS woman I've actually
have an experience going to SOS for like our
ICS banquet I was looking for a dress and then
I happened to pass by Mecca Bangna and I went
in and I saw the SOS dress and it looks so pretty
so like I can agree with what you just said.
And this makes me wonder, how does Thai culture
or lifestyle influence your designs and brand
directions? First of all, I think because in
Thailand, there's a high season of wedding will
be beginning of the year and the end of the year.
So every time when it's like first quarter and
last quarter of the year, we will like... the
all of the dress will be like very but best -selling
thing like people come and grab dress to a special
occasion apart from like special dress in like
occasion i would say during low season like for
summer like second quarter or third quarter it's
gonna be trend more trendy about casual casual
thing like jeans shirts blazers tees yeah so
And then back to our unique selling point because
we have a variety of products. So wherever you
go, whenever you occasion you have, we have it
all. This reminds me that SOS creates many rising
Thai designers. So what criteria do you use when
selecting which brands to bring into the store?
Okay. So first of all, the brand should have
strong identity, strong branding. We look...
forward to working with them in long term so
the very beginning or the very important thing
is to look for the brand that really have strong
identity strong of like what values they bring
what emotion they try to create and second thing
is how passionate the founders are because 10
years of my journey I found lots of I know lots
of insights and I found out lots of things like
some founders, they were so passionate at first
and then they lost their passion or maybe they
fight with their co -founders or their partners.
So I think one of the things that make them last,
make their business last long is their passion
in creating and sending values and emotion to
the right target. Yeah, so I would say this.
These are two important things we're looking
for in the brands. Wow, that sounds really great.
Furthermore, P 'Toy, how does SOS support and
evaluate new designers and brands once they join
your ecosystem? Okay, me and my team, I will
let them educate our customers that actually
each brand will have... different customers and
different styles. So we will give them insights.
For example, Make a Bangla Target is quite different
from Sayam Target. But there will be some mutual
interest. So these are our insights that we have.
And we will educate to our customers, to the
brands, that if you want to join this branch,
This kind of insight is what we want you to prepare
your things for. Because we want them to grow
with us also. So these are the first things that
we want to support them. And along the way, we
also have feedback. Each store will have a store
manager. Every week, store manager and the sale
team will call and feedback to brand owner that
this kind, I think this week, this season, this
item will very like best selling. Can you add
more stocks? Yeah. So I think these are supports
that we give to all of our customers. I have
another question for you. Yes, please. So you
went to school for accounting. Yeah. And then
is that the reason why? your partners ask you
to join them? Is it because they wanted you to
work on the accounting side of the business?
No way. I think one thing that I got from accounting
is not hard skill, but I think it's a soft skill.
Like it's a skill of detail -oriented and perseverance.
Yeah, that kind of thing. Patient. Yeah, so I
think this skill is more valuable than only hard
skill that i in in auditor term yeah so i think
this kind of skills and also one of the founders
told me that she want me to join because she
saw that i had a good grades because i graduate
with first class honor i love to learn and then
and then she said she told me she said she saw
me have a good grade and maybe because i am kind
of responsible people and i know lots of like
influencers at that time because i used to play
dramas or work in this kind of entertainment
thing so this is what she told me before she
invited me All right, so thank you. It is fascinating
to hear how SOS acts as an incubator for Thai
talent, not just a store. So we're going to pause
right there. When we come back, we want to look
at the bigger picture. We'll discuss how the
Thai fashion industry has changed over the last
decade and ask Kuntoy for her advice on how new
brands can survive in this competitive market.
So we'll be right back after this PSA announcement.
Quick reminder before we dive back into the conversation,
as we discuss the sense of style, it's easy to
get caught up in the latest trends. But before
you hit that buy button, take a moment to ask
three key questions about your new piece of clothing.
One, do I need this? Two, do I love it? And three,
who made this and how? Choosing clothes that
are made responsibly, whether that means high
quality pieces that last, or items sourced from
ethical companies, is the most stylish choice
you can make. Great style is also conscious style.
Now let's get back to the main discussion in
part two. And we are back with our second part.
Before the break, we discussed how SOS identifies
and elevates new talent. Now we want to look
at the bigger picture. Kuntoy has been navigating
this fast -paced industry for a decade, and we
want to tap into that experience to understand
where Thai fashion is heading. But first, we
want to also understand what Fit U Academy is.
So Proud, go ahead and get this segment started
for us. Let's quickly talk about the Fit U Academy
before we jump back into the fashion industry.
Could you describe what FITU Academy does and
why you started it? FITU Academy is a place that
believes that real transformation comes from
within. So purpose of FITU Academy is I want
to lead people and organizations and align them
to their purpose so they can grow with peace,
clarity, and impact. So why FITU Academy starts
is actually... from my pain point because actually
i as i as i told you guys i didn't have this
kind of chance as you guys these days so i spent
30 years of myself finding what i love what i'm
good at and i had a lot of like desperate moment
and and the worst point in my life is once When
I was in university, I had an accident. It's
an accident that my car turned upside down. And
I was the only driver in the car. And I forgot
everything. I just remembered when I was in hospital.
My last memory is like I drive and then I woke
up in the hospital with lots of friends around
my bed. And I lost two front teeth. And my backbone
cracked. And I have to sleep on my bed in the
hospital for one month. And I have to take examination
for final exam on bed. Yeah, but thanks God,
I still survive. I survive. Yeah, so all things,
all experience I learned in all 30 years. I think
I experienced lots of career. I sailed lots of
things. I had accident. I had crisis in my life.
So, and one day when I was like 30 years old,
just like last year, I had a chance to do my
ikigai. Have you heard of ikigai before? Have
you heard of ikigai before, Mr. Jason? It's a
kind of Japanese philosophy talking about the
purpose in your life, why you want to wake up
every morning. So last year, I found my ikigai.
So I am here in this world to inspire people
and align them to their purpose because actually
I have experience from finding my own purpose
for 30 years. Yeah, so this is quite my passion
and what I'm good at. So I want to create Video
Academy and help people to find their calling
and shine brightest with purpose. I would say
having guidance can really lead us into like
taking a bigger opportunity and... having more
success in life absolutely yeah i really love
this pit you academy you know and then back into
our fashion industry question after 10 years
in the fashion industry what major shifts have
you seen and like how has sos adapted to stay
ahead okay there's a lot of challenges but the
most important thing i would say it's the disruption
of e -commerce and shopping mall Because actually
it's 10 years ago, SOS started when there's no
Shopee, Lazada, TikTok, no. Only offline store
and some few Thai online brands. So at that time,
people come to our stores because they want to
try. Yeah, and I think first three to five years,
our growth is so high, like very high. Yeah,
so because of the disruption, Not only e -commerce,
but also shopping mall. For now, lots of big
shopping mall. They also have spaces for local
Thai brands. And I would say 90 % of all the
brands located in shopping mall, they were all
used to be in my store. Yeah, so because these
challenges happen, that what make us reflect
like... our strength and our value. So I would
come back to actually we still survive because
I think our purpose and our core value is clear.
Because even there's a disruption of lots of
things, but we are placed it. We are placed it
that we want to grow brands. Like it's a kind
of relationship that I water you, you water me
and we grow. I think these values were clear
since day one. So I think these things is the
core behind that make us still survive. That's
really nice. Since many Thai brands have creativity
but struggle with business side, from a professional
perspective view, what advice would you give
to designers who want to grow sustainably? I
think first of all, they have to have clear purpose
of why they start their business, what values,
what emotion they want to create, what is their...
unique selling point because actually fashion
industry is kind of a great ocean. Everyone can
entry this battle like so easily. So they have
to have like very unique selling point and all
the partners or all the co -founders should have
aligned vision. So there's one of the core thing
that make their business last long. So in your
opinion, what do you hope people feel or think
when they wear SOS clothing? Confident. Especially
confident in their own skin. Yeah, just confident
in how natural beauty they are. Yeah, because
we have a variety of products, so each style
will match different interests and different
types. Yeah, confidence. And in many years of
experience, what do you believe helps a fashion
brand survive beyond trends and truly growing
as a business itself? I would say the same thing.
The founders have to have clear purpose of why
they start, who they serve. And founders must
have passion. towards what they are doing because
I think having passion towards something, it
will make you stay even you face struggles or
obstacles, but you will remain in the battle
because you love it. Lastly, how important is
community for emerging brands and how does SOS
help cultivate that? Actually, it's my role right
now. It's my project right now that I'm trying
to... create a co -create communities and actually
it's aligned with marketing in 2026 so as you
as you can see lots of brand this day they go
together like let's create something together
let's be a community instead of let's competing
let's be community yeah so for now actually i
work i still work with my team that i want to
create kind of journey like 30s 360 like view
of like SOS Women journey not only fashion but
also maybe dining beauty wellness yeah so for
now I'm trying to create this kind of experience
in my CRM like customer relationship management
and also kind of awareness through co -promotion
actually we just had we will have collaboration
promotion and also yeah and also CRM together
this month yeah yeah yeah so so we co -create
so I really do believe in power of co -create
something together as we end this episode we
want to give a big thank you to Kuntoy for sharing
her incredible journey and insights into the
world of sense of style Her vision and dedication
to supporting emerging Thai designers is truly
inspiring. My biggest takeaway today was how
SOS isn't just a store, but an incubator, a place
for creativity and where it meets the business
structure needed to survive. Whether you are
a designer or a shopper, it's clear that the
future of Thai fashion is about community and
curation. If you enjoyed today's episode, please
make sure to subscribe to our show. on your favorite
platform and leave us a review. We drop a new
episode every week. We'd love to hear from you
as well. And as always, this podcast would not
be possible without the hard work and support
of our international student production team.
All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay
.com, a vibrant community of creatives sharing
copyright -free images, videos, and music. And
we are signing off until next time. We are Students
Incorporated, because your voice matters. Ooh.