Actor Got Jirapat Designs Lion Headguard for Rodtang, Gifted to Chris Hemsworth

Thai actor Got Jirapat Tantrakul quietly partnered with Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon to design the special-edition LION COLLECTION headguard, which was gifted to Chris Hemsworth, the actor behind Marvel's Thor. The design drew inspiration from artist Thawal Dachni.

After Chris Hemsworth, who plays the Asgardian god Thor, traveled to Thailand and posed for photos with Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Rodtang presented him with the custom headguard bearing his signature, creating a viral moment on social media.

Most recently, at a press conference ahead of Rodtang's bout against "Nong-O Hama Muay Thai" in the ONE Muay Thai Flyweight World Grand Prix, Got Jirapat shared that he has personally loved leather goods and art for about 10 years since entering the entertainment industry. During breaks from acting, he pursued this passion full-time, expanding his family business by opening an art studio producing leather goods for export under the brand AscendStudio (@theascendgallery).

"When I met Rodtang in Japan, we talked before the project became the ASCEND STUDIO X RODTANG JITMAUNGNON Muay Thai collection named LION COLLECTION, a co-design with Rodtang. However, it must be understood that we are not making these to sell headguards, but to be viewed as art — a collaboration between an artist and a fighter. Usually artists collaborate with singers or celebrities, but I think it's cool for an artist to collaborate with a fighter, and I couldn't think of anyone better than him."

"The inspiration for designing this special headguard came from ancient warriors before they had lion patterns or other animals on their bodies. Modern workout gear only considers function — just a screen print and it's done — but this tries to bring inspiration from ancient warriors into the design. It wasn't easy; many aspects had to be considered, and we experimented for over a year before arriving at this version. Another inspiration is my great admiration for the work of Thawal Dachni, so I wanted to incorporate the spirit of animals into usable equipment, which includes not only headguards but many other items."

When reporters asked how Rodtang reacted upon seeing the final product, Got Jirapat said, "He was happy because this is his name, and the lion design comes from his own tattoo. We discussed it together; Rodtang came to the studio and contributed many suggestions. Since he is a professional fighter, we had to listen to him on function, while we collaborated on the design."