A modern interpretation of Thainess built from everyday objects and personal cultural experience through The Only Market Bangkok.
“I describe my experience as a monument, because I have collected experience from everywhere, from graphic design to styling. To build this monument I embraced every opportunity and immersed myself in the environments I am passionate about.”
Conversation with Jirawat “Maan” Sriluansoi reveals a creative. With more than 17 years of experience spanning styling, graphic design and visual storytelling, Maan has worked across multiple creative disciplines, with each chapter informing the way he understands objects, culture and meaning.
“You might get a little confused from the technology and styling to fashion, graphic design or even sustainability. They may seem like separate threads at first, but as you follow my journey, you’ll see how they all connect,” Maan laughs.
He describes himself as someone who loves graphic design, calligraphy, sustainable thinking, souvenirs, fashion and even technology. While these interests may seem like separate threads, they come together in The Only Market Bangkok, a brand that reimagines what souvenirs and “Thainess” can mean today. Through this journey, we trace his evolving vision and the path that has led him to where he stands now.
Courtesy of Koktail Thailand
Maan’s Path to The Only Market Bangkok
First: Experience as a Foundation
“There was a moment when I did fashion trading, which allowed me to connect with many Thai designers. I was constantly speaking with buyers and designers, and eventually began running showrooms in Japan and later in Paris, acting as a bridge to represent Thai brands on a global scale.”
Maan’s path into fashion was shaped by a wide range of hands-on experiences. He began as a graphic designer at a magazine working across photoshoots, art direction and visual storytelling, while also working as a stylist. These roles naturally connected him with a close circle of creatives he respected. During this time he led Thai fashion brands such as Sretsis, Dry Clean Only, PONYSTONE, among many others, to buyers resulting in their launch in showrooms in Japan and elsewhere.
In 2017 Maan got the opportunity to work with a showroom in Paris. He was then approached by Patipat “Best” Chaipukdee, founder of Dry Clean Only, who wanted to create a collection to be presented and sold through this showroom. Best asked Maan for his assistance; for Maan the timing was right and Dry Clean Only launched in Paris with his help.
Second: Discovering Power Through Calligraphy
“Because of my work I was travelling frequently to Japan. I remember trying to memorise letters without fully understanding the language, yet the forms of the characters themselves fascinated me. Around the same time designers across the world were boldly embracing their own languages, such as Russian, Korean and Chinese, printed on clothing. I’m not sure whether this shift happened collectively or was influenced by Gosha Rubchinskiy, but he made the Russian language feel cool and powerful. Seeing these languages on streetwear made me realise that any language could stand confidently on clothing.”
He went on to study how to design calligraphy with Jinda Nerngchamnong, an expert in Thai handwriting and calligraphy. He began with the Thai script for Krung Thep Maha Nakhon printed on T-shirts in collaboration with Dry Clean Only. That was the moment Maan realised something fundamental: the Thai language worked too. As a graphic designer, he naturally saw everything as elements, and the Bangkok name itself became one.
“If you strip away the need to understand Thai and look at it through the eyes of a tourist, or even an outsider like an alien or a ninja,” he laughs, “the structure of the letters is powerful on their own.”
That shift in perspective became the starting point. After returning from France, Maan was approached by Barom “Tay” Bhicharnchitr, the visionary behind Central Embassy and founder of Thai multi-store SIWILAI, with an invitation to create products for the store. He began simply: T-shirts, tote bags, caps, lighters, and even picture frames, all featuring the Krung Thep Maha Nakhon typography.
From there The Only Market Bangkok continued to grow, expanding with new branches across leading department stores including Emporium, Emsphere, One Bangkok and Siam Discovery.
Third: Thainess, Interpreted Differently
“When you travel somewhere, local friends there take you to the most obvious places. If I came from Mars and met you in Bangkok, you shouldn’t take me to department stores or Wat Phra Kaew as I can go there easily on my own. What foreign visitors really want to see are the local corners of the city.”
For Maan Thainess is not expressed through the clichés often associated with Thailand, such as elephants, temples or Buddha imagery. Instead his products reflect a quieter, more personal understanding of Thai identity.
His creative direction blends art, fashion and culture to give everyday objects new meaning. Drawing from personal memories and lived experiences, he weaves familiar moments into the brand’s identity, creating a sense of connection through shared emotion and nostalgia.
For example, he incorporates the iconic duck paddle boats into his designs, alongside the words “Lumpini Park”, referencing the way many people visit the park to ride them and enjoy simple moments of fun.
In another design Ganesha appears as a recurring motif, reflecting both the team’s personal fondness for collecting Ganesha figures wherever they travel, and the wider Thai belief in Ganesha as a symbol of wisdom and good fortune.
“Thai culture can be interpreted in many ways. Everyone sees it from their own perspective, and it can still feel authentically Thai without obvious ‘Thai’ elements. For m, it’s difficult to translate things that aren’t part of my own life. I can’t take temple murals or traditional motifs and turn them into my work if I don’t truly understand them.
I create from what I know, what I’ve lived and what I am. I’m not here to repeat symbols or decode clichés. If you create honestly from yourself, the work already carries value. I’m Thai, so the work is Thai. There’s no need to add more.”
Fourth: Purpose Over Production
Sustainability became part of The Only Market Bangkok because Maan had witnessed waste being created and discarded too easily, and he was determined not to add to it.
“I used to criticise restaurants for using plastic, even created a page to call it out. But I realised blaming doesn’t change behaviour. So I started asking better questions. If plastic has to be used, it must have a purpose. For me it’s about responsibility at every step — questioning materials, reducing excess and choosing to produce less, not mass-producing without meaning.”
Instead of mass-producing new products, he prefers to work with things that already exist in the world. For example he uses ready-made T-shirts from manufacturers, as well as ceramic producers whose items are already in circulation. His aim is not necessarily to solve recycling outright but to reduce the need to construct or produce something new in the first place.
His approach is simple: whenever possible, do not create from scratch. Instead use what already exists, give it new meaning and allow it to tell a story. For him sustainability is not only about recycling but about consuming less, building less and extending the life of objects by giving them value.
Fifth: Using Technology to Reduce Waste
Nowadays Maan’s curiosity about AI and technology has become an integral part of both his practice and his teaching. Alongside his creative work, he is also a lecturer at Rangsit University where he teaches students how to understand and work with AI, not as a shortcut but as a tool for thinking, questionin, and creating more responsibly.
“I hate how wasteful production sets can be. People are throwing away food, piles of plastic bottles after just one shoot.”
Seeking a way to create impact with less consumption, Maan immersed himself in AI studies. Today AI has become part of his creative process. He uses it to generate photoshooting or others that might otherwise require large-scale production.
Altogether: Maan’s Monument
“At the very least I hope people don’t feel repelled by it. The Only Market Bangkok is a new kind of monument for Bangkok, seen through my perspective. It stands on solid foundations: Thai typography, design thinking, sustainable approach and an understanding of contemporary culture. Now there’s even a new kind of craftsman involved, AI, helping shape it.
I don’t want my monument to be something people have to worship. If it can simply exist, be seen and not disturb anyone, that’s enough. I’ve been searching for the meaning of this for a long time.”
