Thailand has a formidable reputation as a regional leader for graphic, product and furniture design, as well as for fashion. Exploring this scene is not just an opportunity to take home something special but also a window into the country’s cultural soul and modern spirit. At one end of the spectrum are the vast shopping centres selling goods ranging from luxury brands to fresh produce. On the other is a new generation of designers and makers using local materials and time-honoured techniques.
In Thailand: The Monocle Handbook, we explore the studios, workshops, independent boutiques and shopping malls that are making the nation’s retail offerings an irresistible magnet for so many. Below, we spot some of the makers and venues profiled in the book, including spots where you can refresh your wardrobe, browse ceramics and pick up some first-class skincare products.
1.
The Decorum
Bangkok
At the centre of Bangkok’s growing community of style-savvy residents sits The Decorum. The retailer, founded by Sirapol “Guy” Ridhiprasart and Warong “Ball” Phattharachaikul, caters to all aspects of a modern wardrobe, with a stock that includes made-to-measure formalwear hand-sewn by tailors in South Korea, shoes from UK labels Baudoin & Lange and Crockett & Jones, Echizenya trousers and socks by Bresciani. The considered mix has won over businessmen and high-fashion obsessives alike.
thedecorumbkk.com
2.
JBB
Bangkok
Before Jirawat “Bote” Benchakarn debuted his menswear label in 2007, shopping for clothing in Bangkok was often limited to looking through drab, ill-fitting business attire sold in department stores. “There was a big gap in the market,” says Bote, who started the brand by designing the kind of well-cut shirts that he wanted to wear. At JBB, you can slip into comfortable linen tailoring and breathable Oxford button-downs. There are informal pieces too, such as safari jackets inspired by Yves Saint Laurent.
jbbmenswear.com
3.
Pañpuri
Bangkok
Vorravit Siripark was inspired to launch Bangkok-based fragrance and skincare company Pañpuri after noticing that Thai spas almost exclusively used foreign products despite the country’s unique wellness culture. The label combines organic ingredients, such as Moroccan rose and Madagascan vanilla along with indigenous plants, including Thai jasmine and lemongrass, in its range of hand creams, facial cleansers and perfume oils. Equal care is paid to its packaging, with the company using only unbleached paper and environmentally friendly soy ink.
panpuri.com
4.
Sprout
Koh Phangan
Satika Ozsanay made her name by cooking traditional dishes and spreading regional culinary knowledge while working as a private chef. She has since set up Sprout, a lifestyle shop that allows visitors to dial into the rhythms, flavours, scents and textures of her home island, Koh Phangan. Baby clothes sewn by her mother can be found in the shop alongside hand-poured coconut-wax candles, plant-based skincare products and homemade chilli paste.
sproutthailand.com
5.
Earth & Fire Ceramics
Lampang
Earth & Fire Ceramics is the maker of the kind of crockery that you only see in tasteful uptown restaurants. An eclectic range of elegant and colourful ceramics – plates, mugs and bowls among them – all line the shelves in the space, which is hidden away in a small compound set back from the bustle of central Lampang. The property is home to the workshop, factory and studio, as well as a relaxing café, an art gallery and a shop.
371 Lampang Luang
6.
Siam Paragon
Bangkok
Located in central Bangkok, Siam Paragon is a hub of luxury retail. The plaza contains shops belonging to more than 70 coveted fashion houses, jewellery maisons and watchmakers. Fringed with palm trees and framed by thick windows that filter in the tropical sunshine, it’s a fine place in which to wander. Thailand’s supermarkets are also best in class, so it’s worth heading to Gourmet Market on the ground floor, where the first customers of the day are greeted with a cheerful sawasdee.
siamparagon.co.th
‘Thailand: The Monocle Handbook’ is available now on monocle.com and in Monocle shops worldwide.