Mango Mojito
Suanlum Night Bazaar, 081-833-4742. www.mango-mojito.com
Also at ONEs, Room 236/11 under Lido Theatre, Siam Square soi 2, 081-585-3500, 083-220-1122.
The item: Men’s shoes
The designer: Actually not one individual but a group of four fashion-conscious guys who turned their passion for shoes into a business. Silratth Sukwatthanasiri and Jirarot Pojanavaraphan have been friends for almost twenty years. While Jirarot was busy pursuing his studies at Bunka Fashion School, Silratth was in college in Japan where he met Tomoya Ono. All three shared a common interest in Japanese fashion and decided to launch a shoe brand reflecting Nippon trends. They later met Phatthara Lertsukittipongsa, who became the brand’s design director. Silratth and Tomoya are based in Tokyo and take care of design matters while Jiraroth and Phatthara are responsible for marketing and scouting out feedback from customers in Bangkok.
The design: These Japanese-style shoes are designed for Asian feet, so you’ll find a broader more comfortable fit than your usual Italian loafers. Every pair is made from calf skin which ensures a softer touch and an even color finish. Forget the vivid hues of the flashy designs you usually find at Siam Square. Mango Mojito’s palette is more mature, so expect burgundy red, mustard yellow, classic green and navy blue instead. At present there are two brands for sale: Mango Mojito which offers trendier items, like the must have of the moment boat shoes, while Mohito Homme Plus tends to features more enduring, classic styles for slightly older shoppers.
The price: Regular Mango Mojito items range between B2,500-4,000, while the Mango Mojito Homme Plus range starts from B4,500.
The shop: Mango Mojito is located just inside the Suanlum Night Bazaar about 30 meters from MRT Lumpini station, on the left hand side (see map). The tiny shop is bathed in dark blue with a dark wood wall providing a classic backdrop for the latest collections.
Mosstories
Siam Square Soi 2, 02-658-3971, mosstories@gmail.com
The item: Women’s Accessories
The maker: Chatkeo “Moss” Srisuwan, the owner and designer behind this store, completed a drama degree at Thammasat before finding that the stage wasn’t really for her. She took a step back and decided to pursue her passion for fashion and accessories by taking a diploma course at Chanapatana Interior and Product Design Institute (CIDI). During her summer break, she put together some handmade accessories and sold them at Saladaeng market, selling over 500 pieces in just a few months. Emboldened by this unexpected success, she decided to open small accessories stores, first in Suamlum Night Bazaar and Chatuchak Market in 2006, and then at Siam Square in 2007. Moss has now moved to the UK where she is pursuing her education, and love of shoes, with a course at the London College of Fashion.
The design: Mosstories offers fashion accessories from head to toe and combines a variety of materials and colors to create fun, yet functional, fashion items. The designs are not necessarily trendy, as the designer tends to get her inspiration from travel and the people she meets. As she studied the dramatic arts, it’s perhaps no surprise that she loves to turn her experiences into stories through pretty fashion pieces. That means you can expect to see everything from colorful plastic earrings and metallic pearl necklaces with satin straps to multi-purpose bags.
The price: Earrings from B200, necklaces from B500 and shoes from B1,000.
The shop: Mosstories’ Siam Square flagship store sits quietly on Soi 2 with a small but welcoming entrance. Stepping through the glass door you’ll find a wider space decked out in oak-colored wood displaying several styles of earrings, necklaces, laces, shoes and bags.
Poem
236/10 Siam Square Soi 2, 02-658-4755. www.poembangkok.com
The items: Women’s wear
The maker: The son of a tailor, architecture graduate Chavanon Chaisiri combines both an understanding of materials and bold construction techniques into his structurally-inspired women’s fashions. He founded Poem as soon as he graduated, in a bid to fulfill his dream of dressing women in his own distinctive style.
The design: “My clothes might not be comfortable, but you will look great wearing them,” Chavanon honestly explains. Inspired by European fashion from the 1950s, and with Christian Dior as an idol, Poem’s clothes are a mix of pretty romantic details—laces, satin, silk and pearls—and strong structural edges, lines, cuts and patterns. These are clothes that celebrate women with curvy, feminine bodies and feature a color palette of monochromes and classic pastels. They are proving particularly hot with feminine office workers and executives.
The price: Basic items start from B1,590, dresses are from B7,890.
The shop: Located in Siam Square across from Mosstories (above), Poem’s entrance is so small so that you can easily miss it. The first floor is a tiny space displaying the latest collection while the second floor is an area for fitting and measurements as they also offer a tailoring service.
Button Up
113/6 Soi Thonglor, Sukhumvit 55, opp. Market Place, 02-712-6111/-2.
The Item: Men’s shirts
The maker: Ever since she was studying art and graphic design in Boston, Julalak Ponpipom has had male friends asking her where they could buy good quality shirts that fit perfectly. In fact, demand was such, she decided to partner up with long-term friend, Bunka School fashion graduate Chamaimas Karnasuta. Together they launched a brand of dress-shirts designed to fit Thai bodies but using the finest materials from around the world.
The design: Men’s shirts, pants, suits, neckties as well as buttons, collars and cufflinks. Button Up offers three styles of shirt: classic, slim-fit and casual. As you might guess, classic shirts are designed especially for businessmen and include little details like a longer back so they won’t slip out of your pants. Slim-fit shirts with extra details cater for the skinny bodies of young professionals, while the casual shirts come in a variety of colors and prints for a more relaxed, informal look. Positioned as high-quality shirts, Button Up’s craftsmanship and attention to detail can be seen in their 17-stitch-per-inch sewing lines (regular shirts offer 10 stitches). All classic and slim-fit shirts you buy come with two collarbones, and also cufflinks if you buy a shirt with French cuffs (double cuffs).
The price: A ready-made shirt starts from B1,800 but if their standard sizes don’t fit then you can have one tailor made for an extra B500. Depending on the fabric selected, from Egyptian cotton to Italian silk, your shirt can cost as much as B10,000 apiece.
The shop: Sitting across from Market Place on Thonglor, Button Up is dressed to impress with its marbled floors and high-ceilings. Just push the display shelf and you’ll find a concealed but spacious fitting room filled with mirrors and a comfy sofa, where your whole group of friends can hide away. If you want even more exclusivity, then head up to their VIP lounge on the third floor reserved for big spenders.
Common-T
Common-T Commonsense: Block 293/294, section 2 Soi 3, Chatuchak Market, 02-615-8998; Common-T Black: Siam Square Soi 3, 02-658-1989; Common-T Couture: Siam Square Soi 4, 02-658-1981
The items: Casual wear
The maker: Three years ago, Songwut Thong-thou was working as a designer at Greyhound when his friend mentioned there was a vacant space at Chatuchak Market. It gave him the idea of selling stylish t-shirts that people could easily afford. “I don’t want people to have to save up money to buy my Ts,” he says.
The design: When you come to Common-T you expect T-shirts. And, even though they come in only black, white and grey, the variety of prints, techniques and cuts available mean you won’t be disappointed. Common-T now owns three lines for different audiences: Common-T Commonsense offers basic-t-shirts with different screen prints, Common-T Couture features more details, patterns and craftsmanship and Common-T Black focuses on monochrome colors and more mature styles.
The price: T-shirts start from B350.
The shop: Though there are three shops, all share the same theme and concept with black and white colors, simple decoration and window displays. While the Chatuchak store is bustling with sweaty shoppers and Siam Square Soi 4 is pretty tiny, the Siam Square Soi 3 shop has the largest space so girls can try on their favorite pieces without accidentally punching each other.
Rotsaniyom
Chatuchak Market, section 2 soi 40
The items: Unisex casual wear
The maker: Pongsak Kobrattanasuk and his girlfriend Thita Kamonnetsawat just want to share their personal rotsaniyom (style) with others, which means his pan-Asian ethnic and her vintage styles. They first started with a small t-shirt brand to sell at Fat Festival #3 back in 2003. The surprising success have brought them two shops in Chatuchak Market today.
The design: Positioned as a vintage-style brand, Rotsanoyom’s t-shirts might not look brand new but are all unique designs. They come in ivory and feature striking screen prints ranging from the shop’s brand name to vintage patterns. Most t-shirts in the shop are unisex but it does also stock dresses, skirts, pants and bags available for the ladies.
The price: T-shirt starts from B350.
The shop: Rotsaniyom is located in a dead-end soi, right next to the MRT Kampaeng Phet. With wickerwork walls and vintage furniture, it’s like you’re in someone’s house shopping for vintage clothes.
Shop Online
Two new internet based stores so you can look good without leaving the house.
Jinumo
www.jinumo.com
After years working in the fashion industry as a stylist and photographer, Jin Thammachot decided to launch his own menswear label this year. But rather than go to the expense of renting store space, he did it online. Jinumo items combine contrasting colors and bold patterns with intricate details. As it’s online, and you don’t get the chance to try the stuff on before you buy, there is detailed info about size and materials for every single item. If it doesn’t fit when you actually get it, then there is a simple returns policy that lets you change the size (or if you don’t actually like it after all) return the item and then use the credit to buy something else. T-shirts are from B990, pants are from B1,690.
SiamSquare.co.th
www.siamsquare.co.th
The rise of global shopping websites like threadless.com gave Thunsuda “May” Limsirtipothong the idea of doing something similar in Thailand to help promote young fashion designers who might be good at design, but bad at business. This led to the official launch of www.siamsquare.co.th last month. The web portal acts as an online mall that encourages local young designers to submit their designs. The Siamsquare team will then select what they think might sell and take care of all production and marketing matters. Designers whose products get picked up will get B2,000 for each design, and then 15% from any sales. Shoppers can go online to shop for their favorites but also vote for submitted designs that they think should actually be produced. More information at 087-512-0682 and info@siamsquare.co.th.
