Thakoon Panichgul (English pronunciation: /təˈkuːn pəˈnɪtʃɡəl/,Thai: ฐากูร พานิชกุล, born in Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand) is a Thai-American fashion designer.

Panichgul moved to the United States with his family when he was 11 years old, and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska.

Panichgul attended High School at Bellevue West (Nebraska) and as a DECA member, attending the international DECA conference in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. After graduating from Boston University in 1997 with a business degree, he moved to New York. As a fashion writer, Panichgul developed an interest in designing, and he eventually pursued formal studies at Parsons School of Design from 2001 to 2003. In September 2004, Panichgul produced his first ready to wear collection and became recognized by fashion press, editors and stylists, and celebrities like Rachel Bilson, Demi Moore, Michelle Obama, and Sarah Jessica Parker. In 2007 he produced a fashion line for The Gap after being singled out by Anna Wintour of Vogue Magazine, as chronicled in the 2009 American documentary film, The September Issue. His designs have been described as "timelessly feminine" and "as romantic and sensual as they are modern and innovative." His clothing has been worn by U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, who wore a floral dress by Panichgul on the evening her husband, Barack Obama, accepted the 2008 Democratic nomination for president. He produced a well-received limited-edition clothing line at Target in early 2009.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School before returning to Chicago and to work at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband. Subsequently, she worked as part of the staff of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, and for the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Throughout 2007 and 2008, she helped campaign for her husband's presidential bid and delivered a keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She is the mother of two daughters, Malia and Sasha, and is the sister of Craig Robinson, men's basketball coach at Oregon State University. As the wife of a Senator, and later the First Lady, she has become a fashion icon and role model for women, and an advocate for poverty awareness, nutrition and healthy eating.