Issue 66

Darunotai Vajrodaya, owner and designer of Magical Realism tells Horizon on how she turned her passion for jewelry into a profession.

Can you tell us a little bit about Magical Realism?
I wanted to be a jewelry designer since I was 15 because I love fashion, and jewelry is my passion. Founded in 2015, my company now has four jewelry and accessories brands including Darunotai, Magical Realism, Charming Realism and Maya Luxana; each of them has different characteristics and target customers.

Could you explain more about your brands?
My first brand, Darunotai is a fine jewelry brand. This collection was developed from my graduation project, Lost at Sea, which I did at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, University of Arts, London. This collection was inspired by the tentacles of an octopus. I considered the tentacles as free form lines, and imagined how they could take shapes and forms on the human body. So came the design of the Darunotai collection. The Magical Realism brand focuses on fashion accessories such as bag and rings, inspired by everyday objects, which are redesigned with added functions and gimmicks such as a handbag that looks like a liquor bottle. The Charming Realism brand offers fashion jewelry at an affordable price while Mayaluxana is ultra luxury fine jewelry with the concept of mythical creatures from the Himavanta Forest, a legendary forest in Hindu mythology.

What are the strengths of your brands?
We deliberately select good quality materials from different sources domestically and internationally to ensure the pieces of jewelry will help improve the wearers’ personality and they should feel comfortable wearing them. All collections are handmade and can be customized. We allow our customers to choose the materials they prefer for their jewelry and the price will be based on these materials, such as gemstones, gold and silver.

What is your proudest success?
I was chosen by Wallpaper Magazine as a jewelry designer to watch for 2014 in the UK. My work, Darunotai collection – then my graduation project – was featured in Wallpaper Magazine’s Next Generation January 2014 issue.

Where do you sell your jewelry?
Customers can find and purchase our jewelry collections at the Emporium department store in Bangkok as well as online channels, such as Facebook, Instagram and Line.

Who are your customers?
Currently, 60% of our customers are international and the rest are Thais. However, each brand has different target customers. Europeans prefer Darunotai, while people from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Middle East like to buy the Charming Realism collection. Mayaluxana, so far, targets Thais because they understand the background of the Himmavanta Forest, and are ready to pay for this ultra-luxury collection. Magical Realism’s target customers are Russians and Chinese.

What are your future plans?
I want to have a flagship store in Thailand and will actively expand to international markets by opening a pop-up shop or showcasing and distributing my collections in famous jewelry trade fairs. I will focus more on boosting brand awareness through the website and social media where I can closely monitor the customers’ purchasing behaviour, interact with them and get feedback in real-time. This helps me to better create the collection to meet their demands. I also plan to submit my jewelry collection to the Design Excellent Award (DEmark) and I believe that if I win the award, I will get a greater opportunity to penetrate these markets.

For more information, please visit www.darunotai.com or follow FB:MagicalRealismWorld, Instagram:MagicalRealismWorld and Line ID: Houseof Magic.

Photo courtesy of Magical Realism