From a very early age Thai-American Angelys Balek knew art would be a big part of her life. In terms of the aesthetics of couture, her appreciation for fashion was initially influenced by her mother. “She liked to get her own outfits made. She would explore the styles and materials and then have a tailor to cut garments just the way she wanted,” says Angie. “I got that from her—an eye for line and fitting, as well as colours and patterns. ” As for art, Angie found inspiration all around her as a child. “I always kept a notebook with me when I was young so I could sketch anything I saw that interested me. It was the beginning of the path to studying Fine Arts at Bangkok University.”
And it was while at university that she took a first proper interest in couture. “Fashion TV was becoming popular at the time,” says the 39-year-old. “I would watch it constantly to keep up with international trends. At the same time the Thai fashion industry was starting to take off, driven by pioneering Thai designers who had studied in London and come back to open their own fashion businesses. I very much wanted to do the same thing.”
After graduating from Bangkok University in 2001, Angie got her wish and moved to the UK to study at the London College of Fashion. Graduating in 2003, her intention was to stay on in England and gain work experience. She even toyed with the idea of starting a business but the paperwork and bureaucracy involved put her off. In the end, after coming home and “a few years of trying this and that and some self-exploration”, Angie decided to go to America to continue her fashion education and hone her own style. “I enrolled in a course at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and really started to look at art as the basis for a style. My design process always starts with making art. I then implement facets of that art into my pieces.”
