Cover Story: Here and Now with Thai Heartthrob, Dew Jirawat
The Thai revolution shows no signs of slowing down. This time, it comes with a gentle sweep of hair, sheepish smile, and in the towering form of Dew Jirawat, Bangkok’s latest leading man.
Like his fellow Thai superstars, “Dew” Jirawat Sutivanichsak projects an earnestness and amiable appeal that happens to align with fashion’s present tastes, at least in this part of the world. Before his fresh-faced debut as an actor in 2021, the now 23-year-old had been putting his soaring 1.9m stature to good work as a model. But it was his gentle yet powerful portrayal of Ren Renrawin Aira in GMMTV’s F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers that set him up as one of the most promising young talents to watch out for.
Since starring in the cult teenage series — which is adapted from the Japanese manga of the same name (Hana Yori Dango), with previous regional renditions in Taiwan, Korea and China, all wildly successful — everything seems to be happening for Dew all at once. Last year, he expanded his acting repertoire with the Thai suspense-horror series Home School and romance drama Faceless Love, and in the upcoming romantic comedy Because You Are My First Love, he takes on the role of Chadjen, allowing his bashful boyish charm to shine once more.
Beyond entertainment, Dew has become a familiar face in fashion and luxury. Along with his recent appointment as FRED’s Thai friend of the brand, he was a noteworthy guest at the opening of Fendi’s Siam Paragon men’s boutique, and a regular attendee of the runway presentations at Bottega Veneta, Loewe and Onitsuka Tiger. All of this has made Dew hugely, internationally famous. Fresh off Milan Fashion Week, the actor-model sat down with L’OFFICIEL HOMMES SINGAPORE to have a chat about the here and now.
Hello Dew! How was Milan Fashion Week?
I’m just so happy and proud to be back at Milan Fashion Week, and to participate in the fashion shows happening there. Milan is such a great place to visit, and I enjoyed meeting people from all over the world.
What does fashion mean to you?
To me, fashion means having a variety of styles that is not fixed from one to the other. The same person wearing the same clothing can have a totally different look depending on their character and how they mix and match. That’s amazing to me, and is what I try to do all the time.
“THERE WAS A LIGHT SHINING ON MY LIFE THEN, AND THAT LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS OPPORTUNITY WOULD CHANGE MY FATE.”
If we wanted to be a style icon like Dew, what two rules would we need to know?
First, you need to know yourself. Who you are, what your personality is. Once you’ve figured that out, next is to understand what kinds of styles and colours you can pull off. Combining these two rules is how I became a fashion icon! It’s fair to say that F4: Thailand changed your life.
Do you remember what was going through your mind when you were asked to audition for the role?
I always remember when I went for that first casting, I felt strangely optimistic about getting the role. There was a light shining on my life then, and that led me to believe that this opportunity would change my fate. Needless to say, I’m quite happy to end up where I am today!
Outside of entertainment, you are also interested in art.
Yes I enjoy drawing and painting! When it comes to art that I like to do, I like creating structure, shadows and gradients. Maybe even black and white photos, cartoons or 3D art — I find all of it interesting and I love it
“IT’S ABOUT PUTTING MY CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY INTO EACH OF THEM — FASHION, ACTING OR ART — THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT. TO HAVE MY OWN STYLE.”
You’re involved in fashion, acting and art — do you have a favourite, or are you still discovering new interests everyday?
I love them all equally and try to do my best in them all the time. Thing is, they’re all somewhat related to art, which has no fixed definition; it’s about putting my character and personality into each of them — fashion, acting or art — that is most important. To have my own style. Besides those three, I’d love to explore music and have been putting more effort into my singing!
Describe what a perfect day in your life looks like.
The perfect day for me would be a normal one: wake up, bring my parents out for breakfast, meet up with friends, and then come home to sleep. Just a normal day with the people I love, doing the activities that I enjoy. Actually, what would make that even better is to have a normal day after completing some work to the best of my ability — the positive energy of a job well done is just too good!
Photography PLUG SUTTHIWAT
Styling FELIX WOEI
Producer AUNG APICHAI
Hair AKKARAPONG PUNKAEW
Makeup YOTHIN CHUAYSRI
Photography assistants YURANAN BUNPENG, AMNAJ WAIMALEE, CHOTITUD JAINKIATFU & PAK LEUNG-ON
Fashion assistant THITIGORN
