BANGKOK – The elite of Thailand continue to lead the nation forward with its newest generation of hard-working sons and daughters. Just ask Yinlak “Pip” Chinthammit, who despite being born into one of Thailand’s ultra-rich families has taken the road to independence and self-determination by spending part of her vast inheritance on a small business venture at the tender age of 24.
“I’ve always been very independent,” says Pip, who was educated in private school in the UK before earning a business degree at the University of San Diego.
“During my sophomore year at college I even lived without a roommate for six months!” she recalls, referring to a brief period in 2004 when she was alone with her maid in a 450-square meter seaside bungalow in La Jolla, California. “I even drove my Miata by myself.”
This strong will and adventurous spirit led to Pip’s most daring and radical decision of all: To not spend the rest of her life in idle luxury spending the family fortune, but to pursue her life-long dream of being a famous designer. Towards that end she has opened up her own boutique in Bangkok’s high-end Décor Mart named Glamour Inc, where she sells what she calls “my own brand of style.” Although none of the items Pip sells are actually designed or manufactured by her, she does pick them out herself from catalogs and websites, as well as the occasional buying trip abroad.
“I pick only the very best in quality and cutting-edge design,” she explains. “I especially like the work of Sigi Moeslinger and Yves Behar – and I think that in a way we’re kindred spirits. They manage to create what I think I would have created too, if they hadn’t done it already. So it’s sort of like my work.” These fine examples of industrial design are often available nowhere else in Bangkok, which helps Pip justify the high prices she charges. “These are elite items,” she insists. “Very exclusive.”
The response to her shop has been unanimously positive. Elle Décor (Thailand) selected it for their “Now Open” section in their September 2007 issue, and Pip says all her friends have told her that the shop is “cool.” She was also profiled in Living in Thailand magazine as one part of the “New Generation” issue, and was interviewed by her friend Lisa Panichsamai on Channel V. Store sales have so far been “slow,” but Pip remains very optimistic that word of mouth will soon turn into profits. Luckily, her initial seed capital of ฿450 million, invested by her father, should last for a while.
As for her future plans, Pip has ambitions to make it into a high-profile design school at some point, after which she hopes to start creating her own products. “Dad says we have a few under-utilized factories up north that could be re-tooled to manufacture almost anything,” she says. “And my aunt is a major shareholder in the Mall Group, so she said she could get me some retail display with a phone call.”
Such resourceful use of her assets is just one reason Yinlak “Pip” Chinthammit is sure to make it on her own. “I’ve always said, ‘you either find a way, or you make one.’ Actually, someone else said it, but I like to think that if I’d been born first it would have been me.”
