Origins in Southeast Asia: 1950 – 1970
In 1950, Mr. Chaiyen Sethi, Tharin’s paternal great-grandfather, established Sethi Chaiyen Textiles in the bustling old markets of Sampheng, Bangkok, to facilitate textile trading, thus laying the foundation for the Sethi family’s business ventures in Southeast Asia. The firm remains operational today as part of the Sethi Chaiyen Group and Benchasiri Park Property owned and operated by Mr. Sanchai Sethi (Tharin’s uncle) and their flagship hospitality assets include The Bangkok Marriott Sukhumvit and the upcoming Conrad Sukhumvit Queens Park.
A few years later in the mid 1950s, Mr. Iqbal Gulati, Tharin’s maternal great-grandfather, migrated to Thailand from India and established Rajawongse Textile Trading in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. This business primarily catered to customers from the nearby U.S. Air Force base and soon expanded into tailoring to meet the growing demands of U.S. military personnel stationed in Thailand.
Today, the Gulati family remains among Thailand’s most sought-after tailors, with different family members owning and operating Gulati Bespoke, Rajawongse Clothier, Raja’s Fashions & Empire Tailors. Their hotel portfolio also includes Radisson Suites, On8 and the upcoming Radisson Red Sukhumvit Soi 4.
Preliminary Expansion & Diversification: 1970s & 1980s
In the early 1970s, Mr. Amrit Sethi, the eldest son of Mr. Chaiyen Sethi and Tharin’s grandfather, saw an opportunity to expand from textiles to modern machinery, specifically auto parts. He established Chaiyen Auto Parts in Trang, Thailand, and built the business into one of Southern Thailand’s most successful auto part traders.
Simultaneously, Rajawongse experienced several years of sustained growth. Under the advice and guidance of the U.S. Defense Attaché, the Gulati family relocated to Nana, Bangkok, Thailand, where they remain today. The company was strategically divided into several separate units, Gulati Bespoke, Rajawongse Clothier, Raja’s Fashions and Fashion Avenue to better cater to the large clientele the Gulati family had amassed over the years.
In the 1980s, Mr. Amrit Sethi further diversified the Sethi family’s business interests by founding King’s Shop and King’s Pewter to manufacture and distribute pewter products in Thailand and global markets.
Today King Pewter remains one of Asia’s most successful pewter manufacturing houses and is operated by Mr. Amrit Sethi’s successors.
Expansion into Real Estate & Hospitality: 1990s & 2000s
The 1990s saw both families expand into real estate and hotel investments and management.
The Sethi family built and sold several shophouses, apartment complexes, and other commercial assets before establishing The Euro Inn Hotel Sukhumvit Soi 31 and The Euro Park Hotel Sukhumvit Soi 1.
In addition to real estate, the Sethi family also established Siam Euro Leading in partnership with Siam City Bank (now part of TTB), thus marking its first foray into the world of financial services.
Concurrently, the Gulati family bought and sold various strategic greenfield plots as well as shophouses, primarily in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. In 1997, Mr. Amarjit Gulati, Tharin’s grandfather, opened the famous Parkway Inn Hotel on Sukhumvit Road at the Nana intersection, thereby establishing the Gulati footprint in hospitality, which remains one of the family’s largest interests today.
Both families survived the 1997 ‘Tom Yum Koong’ financial crisis and spent most of the early 2000s strengthening their foundations and recovering from the losses suffered during the country’s worst financial calamity in history.
Present Day
Today, Mr. Chaiyen Sethi and Mr. Iqbal Gulati are survived by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, all of whom have inherited the sincerity and business acumen of their forebears.
Different members of the family continue to independently participate in the family’s legacy businesses, including textile trading, textile manufacturing, tailoring, pewter manufacturing, real estate development, and hospitality, while also prioritizing diversification, modernization, and expansion into new ventures to meet the requirements of the ever-changing economy.
SethiG is Tharin Sethi’s humble contribution to this illustrious legacy and serves as the vehicle through which he seeks to honor his lineage and embrace his responsibility to his family.