DITP Think Thailand talks to Orakarn Sayatanan, Founder and Designer of young-but-niche eco brand Para, who started her business out of a passion about the environment and an entrepreneurial sense of adventure.

Could you tell us the story behind Para?

Para brand originated from three key words, namely Thailand, environment and innovation. We use these three words to drive our business. Our main intention is to find raw materials in Thailand to add value to them, and then create environmentally friendly products. We use our product design skills to create simple and innovative eco products to make a difference in the market. 

What makes your products special?

Simple innovative design is at the heart of all our products. For example, our Three-in-One product, which was our first collection, has three functions – closing, filling and pouring water. We encourage people to use glass bottles. We use innovation as the main concept in designing every product, including making environmentally friendly packaging that can be reused.

Who are your potential customers?

The main market is people who lead an environmentally friendly lifestyle, which are mostly in European countries, such as Italy, France and Switzerland. Domestically, it’s a niche market for those interested in design and innovation. Our customers are 70% foreign and 30% domestic. 

How do you view the Thai Product Design industry?

These days the Thai product design industry has developed considerably compared to the olden days. Now, we have a better understanding and cooperation between designer and manufacturer. Designers know traditional production processes and can apply the methodology to help create a Thai identity in their work. With continuing government support, this development will continue well into the future. 

What is the future for Para?

We plan to be a sustainable business. In addition to increasing product lines, we will find other Thai materials to add value. However, in the next one to three years, we will still focus on rubber as it is a material that can be developed further. We’d like Thai people to see that our country has many good things that can be sold on the world market. It only needs our passion and effort to drive us forwards. 

Have you won any awards?

We have gained quite a lot of awards and achievements. For example, in 2019, we appeared at Fuorisalone during the Milan Design Week. In 2018, we joined Maison & Object for Paris Design Week. We also received The Best Young Designer from THAIAIM, including Thailand Green Design Awards and also joined Taiwan Creative Expo, Taipei and The Finest Thai, Singapore. Some of these fairs and awards we received from the DITP, and some were other projects.

Words by Natthinee Ratanaprasidhi