Breaking through in fashion can be likened to standing out in the sea of similarity. To differentiate yourself in such a sea, first, you have to be in the sea, and, second, you have to understand that the surface isn’t the whole thing. Because beneath the tranquil facade lies an ecosystem. In fashion, that ecosystem is a rich world of luxe Italian leather handbags, designer stilettos, and too-chic-to-wear ready-to-wear. In order to break through, a brand must compete a brand must be both better and one step ahead.
So, how does one actually stand out in this overpopulated sea of similarity? Ask, BOYY, a fashion favorite that carved a name for itself by mastering the high-end, luxury accessories game. The brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Wannasiri Kongman and Jesse Dorsey, BOYY landed on the scene nearly two decades ago, in 2006, when offensively low-rise jeans and juicy-couture tracksuit sets still reigned supreme.
Ever since, the duo has nurtured their firstborn, growing BOYY 100% independently from the ground up; preserving the freedom of what the brand is, could be, and will be. BOYY’s first point of action was throwing the rulebook out the window, and relying on audaciousness. For example, the Wonton 20 Balloon handbag, which took the likeness of a puffer jacket and packaged it down into a sassy purse. It was this unforgiving attitude that attracted the likes of “It Girl” Chloë Sevigny, who was snapped wearing the label shortly after its inception.
“There’s no denying the field we’re in has become very saturated since we first launched,” the designers tell Highsnobiety. “That said, we believe our independence and freedom helps set us apart.” With this independence allowing BOYY to maintain a true heartbeat, one that fosters organic evolution, or as Wannasiri and Jesse see it: “Behave as an organism rather than a machine.”
BOYY is alive. It’s not just another fashion brand cog in the industry's machine. Rather, it’s a life form, a living organism that continues to evolve and adapt to meet the conditions of its ever-changing environment. As designers, the couple respect the “classics” and understand why these specific garments remain timeless, but believe that one has to be able to distort and challenge the conventional tried-and-true. “It’s these efforts and risks that we seek that can create conversations,” they share.
“Defiance and rebellion have become key attributes to the brand, but this wasn’t a conscious effort per se,” Wannasiri and Jesse share, “Rather these attributes came naturally to us because we really knew no other way.”
Neither Kongman nor Dorsey were schooled in fashion, business, or design. There was no guideline to refer to, no prescribed strategy to lean on, or a presence of rules to abide by. The driving force behind BOYY was genuine creativity and ambition, with decisions made purely from gut instincts and, of course, good taste. Wannasiri, originally from Bangkok, moved to the United States in 1999 with a degree in Journalism and a contagious obsession for fashion. Jesse, born in Montreal, was a seasoned musician/DJ/Producer for 10 years before he transitioned into the fashion scene. After meeting Wannasiri in 2004 he instantly fell for her and her infectious love for handbags.
A global citizen at heart, BOYY was founded in NYC only to later be relocated to Milan and Bangkok, boasting quite an impressive travel resume. Kongman and Dorsey accredit New York with instilling hustle and culture, Bangkok for adding color, warmth, and a certain lawlessness to the mix, and Milan, an air of noble eclecticism.
With success came the threat of becoming formulaic, aka, turning corporate. To nip this potential in the bud, Kongman and Dorsey created the Index series: “A platform of no rules or requirements, just creativity, and experimentation in whatever form it becomes.”
The most recent release, Index 02 examines the notion of luxury by elevating everyday objects that often go unnoticed, inviting us to consider the inherent value in the ordinary. “When we’re inspired, and the gut is telling us something, we allow that to drive the direction blindly.” The scarves, mitts, ponchos, boots, and mules styled in the most bizarre of ways – pumping life into the mundane –– intended as an exploration into the brand's industrial surroundings.
It took BOYY over fifteen years to venture into collaboration territory. “Collaborating is something new to us, for many years we wanted to keep things internal and private as we felt we had a message to express and didn’t want it interrupted or knocked off course,” they share. But as we all know, with time comes maturity, along with curiosity, and what Kongman and Dorsey call a simple boredom with their own thoughts and ideas, pushing them to cross into untapped terrain.
Index 01, the brand’s debut capsule collection of the series was made in collaboration with Danish artist FOS and London-based design studio OK-RM. When they reached out to OK-RM and FOS, Wannasiri and Jesse asked both brands to tell them who BOYY was. “Sometimes we believe we suffer from ‘When you’re too close, you can’t see it’ syndrome,” with this redefining of BOYY gifting the couple a refreshing new perspective, opening up a vast new landscape for them to run in. Part of Index 02’s boundary-pushing came out of these reimagining and new perspectives on their own brand.
The capsule collection is a nod to BOYY’s commitment to merging playful designs with superior craftsmanship, making its designs inventive, yet timeless. Currently, BOYY Index 02 lives in-store at the brand’s Milan flagship, but will soon be online at boyy.com.
With two Index collections down, and Index 03 on the horizon (supposedly the most unusual one yet), we can’t presume to know what’s coming, except to say, we’re ready.
