An insider’s guide to shopping in Bangkok
A new wave of creatives has transformed the Thai capital into a retail mecca. Discover our picks of the best stores, designers and names to know from someone who actually lives there.
Seeking more Bangkok for your buck? There’s never been a better time to shop the Thai capital. In the last few years, a new guard of adventurous retailers, gallerists and cafe owners has emerged, tempting travellers with a diverse mix of high-end stores, quirky spaces and tantalising eateries far beyond Chatuchak Weekend Market.
Emotional baggage
Hitting the sweet spot between functional and fashionable, Boyy’s handbags can be clocked by their oversized buckles, boxy shapes and masculine names. Conceived by husband-and-wife duo Jesse Dorsey and Bangkok-native Wannasiri Kongman, the brand opened its third store in Bangkok’s Gaysorn Village mall in 2017. Here, powdery pastels are juxtaposed with sand-coloured marble and onyx displays, putting their colourful wares in the spotlight (lambskin mules and oversized sunglasses are also available). Next door, a coffee at the brand’s terrazzo-covered Boyy & Son Café feels like sipping cappuccinos in 1970s Milan. boyy.com
Design mecca
From the team behind TCDC (a design library that moved into the Grand Postal Building in 2017), Warehouse 30 cements Bangkok’s riverside area as the city’s de-facto creative district. Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag took the lead in renovating the row of World War II-era warehouses and fitted them out with an indie cinema, restaurants, and retail spaces. Seek out concept store Horse Unit for its well-curated collection of vintage keepsakes and adjoining Woot Woot for handmade jewellery and apparel by homegrown designers. For an art fix, cross the road to gallery-slash-concept store ATT 19, which takes over a beautifully refitted school building from the late 19th century. Here, curator Mook Attakanwong has her finger on the pulse of Bangkok’s contemporary art scene and sells everything from affordable curios to works by some of Thailand’s leading artists. warehouse30.com; facebook.com/ATT19.BKK
Heart of glass
Taking over an industrial warehouse in the northern outskirts of town, Eastern Glass is the shoppable showroom of one of Thailand’s longest-running glassware manufacturers. In business since the 1950s, the company underwent a Gen Z-pleasing makeover in 2020, and now stocks its shelves with a Memphis-meets-Murano mix of bubbly glass vases, technicoloured flutes and whimsical, textured vessels that are all worth of display. The lofty entrance lobby doubles as a specialty coffee shop serving iced espresso tonics and yuzu lemonades between antique glass-working tools. facebook.com/Easternglass
Spill the beans
Founded by a Thai lawyer duo who took over a small cocoa plantation in northern Thailand, Kad Kokoa became a trailblazer in the city’s budding bean-to-bar movement. The beans – now sourced from multiple farms around the country – are roasted on site and end up in a range of indulgent creations: chocolate-scented candles, chocolate-nut spreads, and single-origin chocolate bars, some spiced with perilla seeds and Chanthaburi peppercorns. All come beautifully wrapped in packaging inspired by tribal motifs reflecting the beans’ source. The on-site café serves up chocolate concoctions and desserts, with its complementary cocoa husk-infused water as a welcome thirst quencher. kadkokoa.co
In the market
Behind a quartet of heavy teakwood doors on the fifth floor of the ritzy Central Embassy, Siwilai is on the money when it comes to street-style trends. The design maestros from Yabu Pushelberg developed the space as a luxurious rendition of a Thai market square, replete with wooden shutters, woven straw floor covers, and rattan ottomans lined with vibrant Thai silk. The goods on its racks are of a similar design calibre: smart shirts, handbags, and sneakers from international hipster brands such as Simone Rocha, JW Anderson, and Stussy. It’s the homegrown labels that stand out, though, including upcycled shirts emblazoned with Thai and Arabic scripts by The Only Market, and swimwear in eye-popping patterns by Timo. siwilaibkk.com
Interior lives
ODS, short for Objects of Desire, occupies the better part of the third floor at the Nendo-designed Siam Discovery mall in the thick of Siam, Bangkok’s prime shopping district. On its long display tables you’ll find a cross-section of contemporary Thai design, providing visitors with more insight into the local design landscape than many museums are capable of. From colourful framed photo collages by Bangkok-based Pariwat Studio to cheeky handmade ceramics by ZXXG, the merch spans all ends of the design spectrum. The gallery space at the heart of the store often hosts exhibitions from up-and-coming Thai artists (Gongkan and Jirayu Koo among them) and is worth a visit in its own right. siamdiscovery.co.th
A strong brew
Despite its location in the labyrinthine depths of riverside enclave Talad Noi, Citizen Tea Canteen’s bold façade is impossible to miss. Tiled like a giant cross-stitch pattern in poppy orange, this converted townhouse stands out between its crumbling neighbours. Inside, Bangkok-born artist and designer Saran Yen Panya purveys artisanal Thai tea blends inspired by this district – a herbaceous mélange that nods to the legendary duck noodles served a few blocks away, or sweet varieties with notes of khanom (traditional sweets). The space doubles as a showroom for Panya’s craft-centric shirts and homewares, including bamboo serving trays. facebook.com/citizenteacanteen
Bijou beauty
Hidden behind the mid-century villa of lifestyle hub Siri House, Sarran Youkongdee’s eponymous atelier, Sarran, teems with statement jewellery in elaborate floral designs. Inspired by Thai motifs and traditional techniques like rattan weaving and silver melding – which the jeweller picked up during his travels around Asia, from Kyoto to Beijing – the pieces are small works of art and made to order on site. The atelier, with shelves of antique porcelain and glass cloches stacked ceiling-high, doubles as a tearoom where custom tea blends come served with canelés dusted with matcha powder and edible gold. sarranofficial.com
Scents with sensibility
With licks of shou sugi ban wood and brutalist concrete, the austere interior of Copenn feels like a Japandi concept store somewhere in Copenhagen or Kyoto. The shop, spearheaded by four Thai friends working in different creative fields (from fashion to graphic design), specialises in home fragrances in all shapes and sizes – think handcrafted scented candles, incense cones with notes of palo santo, and room perfume sprays in glass bottles with quirky names such as Burning Cabinet, which smells of sandalwood and cedarwood. instagram.com/copenn.official
East meets East
Something About Us, an all-white store on tourist-thronged Phra Sumen Road – just around the corner from the infamous backpacker hub of Khao San Road – serves as the perfect antidote to the nearby stalls hawking dime-a-dozen tourist trinkets and ill-fitting elephant pants. Set up by Korean-born Kim Jinyoung and her Thai husband, the shop aims to curate the best of both countries. Locally sourced highlights include stationery from illustrators Ease Around, cute soy-wax candles by Summerstuff Marine, and all-natural wellness products by Vera, while the clothing racks are mostly filled with pastel-tinted imports reflecting Seoul’s latest street-style trends. facebook.com/shopsaubkk
