Couture Design Educational Curriculum

In the aftermath of Thailand's 1997 Tom Yum Kung financial crisis, Eggarat boldly closed his pioneering studio, "Egg-Karat," and refocused his creative energy on education. As a trailblazing educator, he spearheaded the undergraduate industrial design program and later became director of the Master of Fine Arts program in design.

Eggarat's groundbreaking vision led to developing a multidisciplinary postgraduate program that delved deep into Thailand's rich cultural heritage, artisanship, and design wisdom. This innovative program shattered conventional Western-centric design norms, instead embracing the beauty of Thai history and traditions. Eggarat empowered students to craft distinctive design identities that resonated worldwide by fusing local essence with global trends. He was invited by several foreign universities to give lectures on this topic, including the renowned Savannah College of Arts and Design(Georgia Atlanta), KAIST University(Daejeon, Korea), The One Academy, and Universiti Petra Malaysia (UPM) (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).

Determined to carve a new path, Eggarat immersed himself in the heart of Thailand's manufacturing process. He studied factories, dissected production lines, and uncovered a critical difference between Thai and Italian craftsmanship. In Italy, machinery and production were meticulously aligned with the original designs of architects and designers who understood materials, marketability, and the art of creating products tailored to European and American tastes. In Thailand, however, the focus was solely on labor intensity. Machines were often manually operated, and some were even custom-built for handcrafted processes. It was here, in this fusion of hand and machine, that Eggarat discovered the soul of Thai design—what he called "Industrial-Crafts."

Eggarat's pioneering approach not only transformed his institution but also inspired a seismic shift in design education across Thailand. His legacy continues to influence a new generation of designers, ushering in an era of "Glocal" design that seamlessly blends local roots with global appeal.