Kulawit discusses about his denim collection, dress code rules and a new normal of way of working. 

If you have a chance to visit dtac House, you might witness a big difference from other big firms. Yes, here has no a particular section of dress code rules.

Sitting on the 37th floor, Kulawit Khumwansa is a team lead of corporate brand management and social engagement function. As his job is highly involved with creativity, it can be reflected from his clothing style, particularly jeans and denim clothing.

Outer expressions of the inner self

“In fact, I’m a big fan of jeans. But the turning point happened when I was visiting in Japan and had found a brand labelled Bathing Ape. It’s a Japanese streetwear brand known for their iconic ape head logo and recurring camo and shark motif. Once I had them a try, I’d say it’s a perfect fit for me, boosting self confidence and I started becoming a big fan of BAPE ever since.”

His obsession with signature print of jeans had established his style and outshined himself since the day one at dtac.

“Being myself makes a personal meaningful day, which also plays a significant part of my creative job,” he said.

“I got this pair of EVISU jeans when I traveled in Osaka. It’s one of my most favorite pair due to its unique collection of colored Osaka prefecture.”

From the love at first sight until today, Kulawit has become a denim collector influenced by Japan’s rich culture and his 20-year experienced denim-obsessed trader.

Jeans offer fascinating stories behind the products and that is a true charm of the collecting part. Among denim collectors, there are a broad range of specialties and favorite areas. For Kulawit, he chose to collect “street brand” due to its signature prints and timeless styles, which differ from western jeans.

A dilemma between professionalism and freedom

There has been a big debate about dress-code rules for decades, but not for advertising industry where he had worked for more than 10 years. To me, outer appearance is a form of inner self expression, but you supposedly weigh on a certain context. And that is a statement of professionalism.

At dtac, diversity and inclusion are one of the company’s core value. The firm believes in the balance of power with respect to worker shifting in favor of employees. Its staff, however, must take ethics and business practices into account themselves.

“In the early days at dtac, I was responsible brand communications with the focus area of corporate branding and network. Later my role was expanded to cover to social engagement and online community, which was anew to me. I think my boss (Sasitorn Khoopatanakul, Head of Brand communications) had seen an acquaintance of my creativity and strength of thinking differently.”

A new normal of working life

Asked if I still wear jeans for a conference call during work-from-home measures. No, I’m not. In fact, it’s a good opportunity for me to collect rare items of jeans. Once second-hand clothing market shut down, the marketplace has migrated online. I saw a lot of rare items online and I don’t wait to grab them.

The aforementioned example is one of the new normal caused by the spread of COVID-19, showing how people are adaptive to survive during this tough time. It is accelerating the completely digital era. Digital will become a core channel, including communication and transaction. The number of dtac app usage doubled during the lockdown, showing the huge opportunities in crisis.”

“Adaptive ability is one of key qualities in digital workforces. Remote working is likely to become a new normal too. We just need to be open-minded and adaptive,” said Kulawit.