Exploring the Lifestyle Destination That Houses All the Best Brands Bangkok Has to Offer
A guide to the experimental retail concept, Siam Discovery.
Pursuit
A formal menswear multi-brand store, which is designed and decorated like a gentleman’s club to reflect the nightlife style of males. Taking a different approach to the traditional method of men’s tailoring, Pursuit offers numerous exclusive items, as well as customization services to make every experience truly unique.
1. What was the idea behind the design of this new retail space and the products it offers?
Our designers got the inspiration from gentlemen clubs in Europe and we wanted to make it more modern so we mixed in a European twist. We do tailoring for pants, suits and shirts in a modern way. The silhouettes don’t follow traditional tailoring so we incorporated a more fashion-forward touch to the shapes and patterns. We also have a shoe shining service here and leather care service as well, where you can maintain your bags and shoes.
2. Can you go through some of the brands here?
Most of the brands created a new line for us. Thai brand, Greyhound, never separate their concept from male or female but they are starting to separate a menswear corner which has 20 or more products. The brand Painkiller, which is a young and casual label, came out with another concept called Mr. Painkiller that focuses on a mature/sophisticated demographic. We also have Premyth, which is a ready-to-wear division, as well as Premyth Black Label, offering a more premium set of pieces with evening gowns and evening suits.
3. Why did you feel it was necessary to open this retail project here?
The idea behind opening the new retail space is because we did a branch store for menswear in Siam Center before called Gin & Milk. The target over there is younger than here so this is the extension project from what we had before. We strongly see that the potential of menswear in Bangkok is growing as the people here are getting much knowledge of dressing better.
DENIM BY VANQUISH & FRAGMENT
Founded 2011, DENIM BY VANQUISH & FRAGMENT is the collaborative brainchild of Japanese designers Ryo Ishikawa and Hiroshi Fujiwara. The duo has built a reputation for their experimental denim creations, featuring patches, rips and tears that take distressing to the next level.
FACETASM
Founded in 2007 by Bunka Fashion College grad Hiromichi Ochiai, Japanese streetwear brand FACETASM reflects an avant-garde, punk sensibility that plays with balance and imbalance in clothing. The Tokyo-based label creates inventive silhouettes that experiment with asymmetry and volume, creating apparel that is not only eccentric but wearable at the same time.
BOSTON CLUB
BOSTON CLUB is a signature eyewear retailer in Japan that is respected and regarded for its vast attention to detail and aesthetics. Every piece is man-made throughout all the processes with an industrial look. All production and design is married by charm with a vintage feel. BOSTON CLUB is found exclusively in Siam Discovery and it’s also the first time it can be found in Bangkok.
FACTOTUM
Founded in 2004 by Koji Udo, FACTOTUM is a Japanese brand that draws inspiration from artists, musicians and cultural figures, as well as the designer’s own travels around the world. With an emphasis on “real clothes,” the label is comprised of five key lines: basic, collection, denim, accessories, and a recently added womenswear project.
CAZH
A multi-brand store for unisex casualwear that takes inspiration from street style around the world. Males and females are able to find unique pieces that add an extra aesthetic sensibility to their looks.
1. Can you walk us through the brands found in Cazh?
Some brands that produce womenswear have started to do menswear specially for this location. For example, Rosa Neon, who is famous in womenswear has started to do an extension line with menswear too, which is an extension concept from its original label and the style reflects street fashion. We also have SSAP and a vintage corner with vintage tees, where they change the vintage T-shirts to become even more special.
2. Where do these vintage products come from?
Mainly from the U.S. We have everything from bomber jackets, military jackets, tees and denim pants.
3. What do you think of the Thai streetwear scene?
This is a huge market in Thailand because everyone can wear something with a street aesthetic. You can wear street fashion and create yourself and come to work with very fresh ideas everyday. This is more flexible in the market. You can wear something like tees with sweatpants and a nice jacket. The new teenager in Thailand is pretty updated with fashion news with the internet and blogs; this is now a bigger market.
Levi’s
Since the invention by Levi Strauss in 1873, Levi’s jeans have been capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. The Levi’s space in Siam Discovery is the first location in Bangkok to feature the fan-favorite Levi’s Vintage Clothing collection.
Issey Miyake
As the first concept store outside of Japan, this World of Issey Miyake location offers a full line of products including Miyake for men, which is also the first time it is available in Thailand.
Tokyo Fashion
A melting pot of the best collections from Tokyo Fashion Week where you can find the best up-and-coming designers that are pushing the boundaries. This open space area is your new hunting ground for the latest Japanese designer brands. Explore the story-rich collections from labels such as Dressed Undressed and Muller.
COMME des GARÇONS
The biggest COMME des GARÇONS store in Thailand that features products from the lines of -
- COMME des GARÇONS Girl
- COMME des GARÇONS Shirt
- COMME des GARÇONS Shirt Boy
- COMME des GARÇONS PLAY
- COMME des GARÇONS Perfume
- COMME des GARÇONS Girl
**COMME des GARÇONS Boy and COMME des GARÇONS Shirt are available exclusively at this store.
Discord by Yohji Yamamoto
This line of bags, hats, and scarves is a creation of the legendary Japanese designer whose signature look always involves his iconic black hat and black jacket.
Opening Ceremony
Opening Ceremony was founded in 2002 by two friends from UC Berkeley, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, as a place to share their passions for travel, art and fashion. Inspired by a trip to Hong Kong, the two decided to leave their jobs in corporate fashion to realize their unique dream.
RIMOWA
Founded all the way back since 1898, RIMOWA has been the epitome of function and aesthetics for all things travel. Its signature corrugated aluminium has been an iconic fixture for the most stylish travelers and advancements in technology has allowed for new features such as electronic tags to be implemented.
Loft
With over 160 brands on offer within 600 square meters, the new Loft was designed by world-renowned designer Nendo and Loft Japan’s talented designers. A wide range of products are on offer including stationeries, IT products and accessories, health and beauty items, as well as Loft’s private-label products. Over 80% of the imported products are from Japan so customers can be sure to find something interesting and unique at this location.
Moto Culture
A place where you can personalize your own Big Bike helmet from three famous helmet painters in Thailand.
tokyobike
A “slow ride” is what Tokyo-based independent bicycle company tokyobike has focused on since its inception in 2002. First designed to be a city bike in Tokyo with the “Tokyo Slow” concept, its bicycles are also the perfect one to bike in any other cities due to how lightweight and user-friendly they are.
ODS
Multi-brand lifestyle store for decorative home objects recognized by experts for design-orientated individuals with over 130 Thai designer brands.
1. What can you tell us about ODS?
ODS means Objects of Desires Store. Some people are crazy about product and design as well. This market branch store is the collaboration between the Export Promotion Department of Commercial Division of Goldman. It’s the first time there has been a collaboration in Thailand with them. ODS is the multi-brand store under the project of the goldman main core in Denmark. Denmark is an award project where every year, they will select designers who have good designs and give them recognition with the Denmark design certification.
2. Was there any difficulty creating that space because there is so many products and laying them out?
There are over 130 products. We divide the right locations on the table. Each table has a different category. There is a garden and spa and we have to differentiate which garden has spa products, which is really difficult. We divide each table by categories like stationery, designs, lamps, object design, home use, kitchenware, ceramics, and small categories for garden and such.
3. What was the idea behind the cafe located inside ODS?
Cafe Red Roaster inside the ODS is a project from the government in Thailand to use innovation inside the ingredients to make it more suitable for lifestyles. The coffee beans come from Northern Thailand and their special knowledge of the craft has brought them a lot of awards. Their factory supplies beans to a lot of hip cafes in Bangkok. They study about the Thai coffee bean and their dream is to export the Thai coffee bean abroad. With the temperature in Thailand, we cannot make a good coffee bean, but they believe they can make it. They did it. In Thailand, the coffee bean taste is sour so they put some sparkling water in the water to make it more sweet. It’s like a chemical reaction.
Toy Station
Toy Station and Sony collaborated as it celebrated it being the official distributor of PlayStation, giving infinite surprises, including limited edition products. Its biggest branch is in Thailand at Siam Discovery.
I+D Cafe
I+D has become a beacon of inspiration for all cafes with its design, technology and concept of sustainability in one place.
Starbucks
Unlike any other branch of Starbucks, this location features a new interior design found only at Siam Discovery where coffee ground will also be transformed into sustainable products such as drink tray sand decorated counters within the shop. It is also a first branch of Starbucks in Thailand using the revolutionary Syphon machine.
Cafe Now
A cafe collaboration between design store Propaganda and Chef Bo; Duangporn Songvisava who is the one of 50 in Asia’s greatest female chefs from Bo.lan restaurant.
1. What was the vision for the space when you were designing it?
We worked with the location where we face the southern side. We get the full sunlight so we used a filter to give a feeling of openness but also the theme of the branding uses simple materials with a twist. These tiles are usually found in local Thai bathrooms but when we use it with a good combination with other elements and architecture, we have a good effect. We did white paint for the whole room to make everything as minimal as possible. Finally, we used the line and clip found on a pattern of a tie and used metal rods to create a grid. It combines the whole thing in a powerful way.
2. Can you tell us about the coffee culture in Thailand?
It’s growing so fast. There is something hidden inside. From experience, we think it’s the Japanese coffee that should be good. Maybe Hong Kong, Brazil and other countries better than Thailand. We try the very popular coffee shops in many countries in Asia and we want to go back to Thailand. They are cool shops but we don’t find the taste we really like. In Thailand, there are good coffee roasters and many producers of coffee. There are many good baristas here too. The branding of Thai coffee is not well known though. We did the cafe to promote the Thai potential and coffee to show the world. We use Thai beans and people cannot tell the difference.
3. People say the temperature makes the bean not as good?
I think the problem is keeping the bean fresh. The method in collecting the bean has changed now. Actually, I think the temperature is very good, as well as the soil. Most of the Thai coffee beans are grown in different provinces. Here, we need a barista to test and make it. It depends on the shop. The best bean to use is the Thai bean. For the last couple of years, it could not compare to Brazilian or African coffee beans. But in these two years, Thai bean is rising because the producer is taking care of the process better. At first we want to use the blend from many countries but now there is no need. Everything is perfect. The aroma, acidity and everything has a good balance. We don’t know how it got better. We just tested it. Before that it was not so good, we could not find the right coffee shop or the right barista to take care of the beans. These two years, the whole industry learned together and improved so fast. At the moment, many coffee shops at Bangkok are specialty or craft coffee. It is difficult to find because Bangkok has so much traffic.
Food Lab
Pushing the boundaries of food and drink, Food Lab ingeniously indulges your taste buds with its selection of edibles that are as creative as they are tasty. Waffles instead of bread for hot dogs and playful tacos are just some of the goods you can find within the space. Aside from the savoury, you can also find Sweet Lab, which has everything from cotton candy and fresh melons imported from Japan, to more traditional egg tarts and macaroons.
On top of this guide, Siam Discovery has offered all HYPEBEAST readers an option to sign up for an exclusive privilege card that will earn points for rewards and access to exclusive spaces. Head here for the sign up page, which will expire on August 31.
