On a crisp winter evening high above the Manhattan skyline, FUNDAO—Thailand’s emerging leather goods house—made a New York debut. Hosted by advertising and marketing agency WHAT DO YOU WANT NY (WDYW) in collaboration with Velvet Co., the launch unfolded on the 38th floor of Virgin Hotels, where The Summit Room glowed with candlelight and panoramic views of the Empire State Building.
Guests gathered for an intimate dinner, met the brand’s founders, and experienced the refined elegance of the Ava Mini Vintage handbag—a sculptural ode to delicate power, transformation, and nature’s quiet precision. It was a night that marked more than a product reveal. It marked a cultural arrival.
Founded by Designer & Creative Director Yinyin Bae and guided by Project Director Tan Sawaddichai, FUNDAO enters the luxury landscape with an ethos anchored in harmony and craftsmanship. Nature is the brand’s blueprint.
“For me, nature is the core of every FUNDAO design. Its textures, movements, and hidden symbolism all guide the shapes and details of our bags,” Bae shares. The butterfly, in particular, is an emblem woven into the brand’s DNA. “Its curves, layers, and delicate strength embody both fragility and power,” she adds. That juxtaposition yields silhouettes that feel soft yet confident—pieces meant to accompany life’s transitions rather than just accessorize them.
The craftsmanship behind each FUNDAO bag is equally deliberate. The brand sources leather exclusively from colder climates, where fibers tighten under temperature, ensuring structure without compromising fluidity. “Because many of our silhouettes are free-form, we individually test the elasticity and strength of every batch of leather before it goes into production,” Bae explains. It’s a detail most will never see, yet it defines the feel—supple but resilient, like the wing of a creature evolving mid-flight.
In many ways, FUNDAO itself is a story of metamorphosis. Bae’s artistic awakening began far from her initial path in finance. Studying design in Milan became her chrysalis. “That period felt like being in a cocoon—difficult and uncertain… But going through that experience allowed me to grow my wings,” she recalls. The brand’s signature Ava Mini—graceful, layered, quietly radiant—became both symbol and starting point.
As FUNDAO steps onto the global stage, it does so with a balance of cultural reverence and contemporary clarity. Bae roots her perspective in a Thai approach to making—gentle, patient, precise. “Honoring Thai roots isn’t about using traditional patterns—it’s about carrying mindset and care into every piece,” she explains. Paired with clean silhouettes and universal form language, the result is Asian luxury redefined: thoughtful, modern, and deeply intentional.
To FUNDAO, luxury is no longer external—it is experiential. “People today care about the story, authenticity, quality, sustainability. Luxury now comes from meaning as much as aesthetics,” Bae says. The brand imagines a future where consumers buy less, but better. Where leather goods age beautifully—worn, softened, deeply lived-in.
FUNDAO’s next chapter begins this winter at 3NY Concept Store, where the Ava Mini and forthcoming silhouettes will find new hands, new wardrobes, new wings. And for the guests who watched the city glitter below them that night, it felt like the beginning of something—quiet, powerful, unfolding. Like a butterfly poised for flight.
