Inland Island clothing was popping up in our social media eyes, the beachwear looked beautiful and very fitting to the Phangan feeling, so we tracked down the lovely Somi who makes all of these versatile pieces to find out more.
Hey Somi, so what brings you to Koh Phangan?
I am originally from South Korea, then I travelled and studied in Australia. I studied textile design and met my boyfriend out there. He already had it planned to move to Koh Phangan.
I have been here since May this year. I had been to Thailand before but didn’t know how I could use my textile skills. Then I thought about working with local artists and decided that it could work! 
Where and how did you learn your art?
Inland Island beachwear is all crochet, I make all the clothes myself. I studied making fabric and my favourite was weaving, knitting and screen printing which was not actually related to crotchet. I wanted to make something more productive to sell, something I can make on the beach. You can be more free with crochet, I learnt myself with a book and youtube tutorials. I already have the knowledge of yarns and textiles so it wasn’t hard for me to start it.
What is the inspiration for the pieces?
I normally research online, places like Pinterest, and see how I can change pieces from ‘theirs’ to mine. The most important aspect for me, because of my study, is the yarn. Thinking about fabric that is suitable for beach wear, the island and the tropical climate.
Do you make pieces just for island life or also for other climates?
At the moment my first collection is beach wear, because I am on the island and it is the need for the customers here.
How long does it take to make a bikini?
It depends on the design, if it is simple then I can make it in one day, but normally I take two. I work at home in my studio there. My boyfriend is working at home also, on opening his coffee shop where I will make a pop up store.
What materials do you use and where do you source them?
The two main yarns are cotton and linen, most of them are mixed with elastane because of the stretch for bikinis and beachwear tops. All of the yarn is sourced from Turkey, I trust one of the sustainable yarn stores there. I want to make all my clothing organic and fair trade. In the future I would like to move to more local suppliers but this the best that I know for now.
What do you like to do on Koh Phangan?
I work a lot as I am new here but I like to go driving around and exploring the island.
How can people buy your beach wear?
On my webstore, facebook and instagram.
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