Fashion veteran “Duang” Wannaporn Poshyanonda is the founder of DUANGPOSH Brand, Fashion and Image Consulting. She was the former Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Thailand and is also official promoter for private Italian fashion and design school, Instituto Marangoni.
I can heal people. I’ve studied Reiki to Level 2 (intermediate) and have been certified by established British and American Reiki masters. I do self-healing on my chakras (the body’s energy centres) upon waking at 8am every day. I also meditate, which creates good energy and a sense of loving kindness throughout my day.
Music inspires me and I play different tunes depending on my mood and the time of day. Every morning, songs like “Let’s Get Physical” by Olivia Newton-John or Goldfrapp get me dancing immediately.
I curate playlists and DJ too. I’ve created playlists for myself, Harper’s Bazaar Thailand’s Anniversary issue and my DJ sets at Fendi’s grand opening events in Bangkok. My musical tastes evolve over time. I’m currently into Brit Rock like David Bowie and The Cure, old-school and new Hip Hop like Tupac, NAS, Tyler, the Creator, Pharrell, ASAP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar. I also love vocal jazz by Chet Baker and Nina Simone. If I’m in the mood for French oldies, I’ll choose Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin.
I’m both a morning lark and a night owl. I usually go to sleep before midnight and try my best to sleep around 11pm. This gives my body at least an hour before midnight to release growth hormones that aid in glowing skin and a sense of wellbeing.
I’m Buddhist and am greatly inspired by Buddhist philosopher monks like the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh, whom Time magazine hailed as “the father of mindfulness”. Having said that, I’m a deeply spiritual person and respect all religions and positive energies.
Carine Roitfeld is my inspiration. She was Harper’s Bazaar Global Fashion Director and is now the publisher of CR Fashion Book. She’s such a cool, charismatic woman and has great taste in fashion. I love the modern way she interprets fashion editorial shoots – her images are so inspiring.
I get the greatest career satisfaction from creating something new in fashion. I’m a huge believer in Asian fashion and wanted to support regional talent. So I organised Harper’s Bazaar Asia NewGen Fashion Award together with the Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, India and Indonesia editions at Bangkok International Fashion Week in 2013. This annual design competition for final-year students studying fashion design was created to discover and nurture young talent while helping emerging designers across the region find a launch pad for their work, and has run for seven years now.
I inspire my team by listening to them and being considerate but also taking control and leading when I know the right course of action.
All my meetings are neatly organised on my iPhone’s notes and calendar apps.
I sometimes send emails after work hours, especially when there are urgent projects. But never during weekends – I value work-life balance.
I disconnect from work by healing myself with Reiki in a hot shower, by visualising a clear, positive aura and making Reiki signs on my crown and heart chakras. And I recharge my energy by holding selenite and angel clear quartz crystals in my hand before going to bed. I also use my Bhutanese singing bowl when I need a boost of good energy. I love the sound it makes – it has such strong vibrations.
Best piece of work advice? The Buddhist philosophy that work should not merely be endured but instead embraced as part of living meaningfully.
When stressed at work, I calm myself by using my secret breathing technique. Just breathe in for five seconds, hold your breath for three and exhale out to the count of five. I also find it helpful to massage my acupressure points with high-quality calming essential oils from Rakxa and Erb Asia.
I try to sleep as much as possible on flights. I also listen to my playlists, meditate and drink lots of water. I like to use Korean moisturising water-based masks as well as my favourite ones from Thailand – Panpuri’s Revive Aruna Youth Hydrogen face masks – they really make your skin look fresh and awake!
My favourite city is Florence in Tuscany. It’s so full of charm and I love visiting the small towns and vineyards there, especially those belonging to my Italian friends. My must-go every time I’m in Florence is the Santa Maria Novella apothecary, said to be the oldest in the world. It’s in such a gorgeous space and filled with delights like niche perfumes in classic packaging. I’m a fan of their Latte per il Corpo, or Body Milk. I also make sure to head to Ferragamo’s Florence flagship to shop their limited-edition archive designs.
My least favourite city to travel to for work is New Delhi. I just hate the traffic jams and constant blaring horns.
I wouldn’t call myself successful yet. Life is full of opportunity and possibility and I’ll never stop learning and improving myself. I believe there are many successes yet to come!
