FASHION

183 Crafted Store

Crafty ceramics and comfortable indigo cotton-wear are the go-to pieces at this hip new store at River City. The collaboration between two local brands—Cone Number 9 (ceramics) and Kasa’ Maya (indigo-wear)—sees them share an as-yet unnamed space for the collection of dreamy designs in charmingly imperfect patterns.

Carnival

Unlike Carnival’s other branches, this white-washed venue focuses exclusively on sneakers from Nike, Adidas and Vans, with some special limited editions to soon be available only at this branch.

Cote&Ciel

Known for its functional design, Cote&Ciel’s bags are equipped with compartments to ensure your tablets, laptops, smartphones and valuables are safe and secure—even Apple approves of them.

Disaya

Shimmering copper rails, smoky shagpile carpets and rainbow-tinted glass provide a beautiful setting in which to browse Disaya’s feminine yet rebelious designs—and those of similarly chic brands.

Horselegmarking

Artist Chalisa Pornmuttawarongturns everyday Thai culture into vivid prints for sneakers made from extra-soft cotton handprinted with silk-screens, rubber sole and suede waxed cotton lace. Available as both high- and low-ankle kicks, at prices starting from B3,290.

#Live Like Hound

Greyhound’s latest is designed like a homey apartment: find the Greyhound collection displayed as a walk-in closet in the bedroom, ceramics from Cone No. 9 in the kitchen, and Erb beauty products in the bathroom.

Pur.Suit

At the follow-up to local menswear multi-label boutique Gin & Milk, you’ll find more formal designs like Oxford shirts, suits, tuxes and accessories.

Roseman Club

Roseman Club’s shtick is all about eyewear that’s handmade in Japan but not too pricey: B3,950 for the Jarvis Mahogany (a classic, rectangular eyeglasses for every face shape), for example, or B4,850 for the Darwin Cloud with clip on.

Swimmy

You’ll find nothing but Thai design at new multi-label store Swimmy, a minimal store on Ekkamai that pulls together brands from Facebook, Instagram and Chatuchak Market, as well as fashion finds from Chiang Mai.

Treasures

Run by celebrity and vintage collector Nita Tejapaibul, the store focuses mainly on elegant luxury night-wear. Nita says that every item is one of a kind, mostly sourced from the UK, France and Italy, while they also offer a tailor service to ensure the perfect fit.

BOOK STORES

Fathom Bookspace

Bangkok’s latest bookstore actually wants you to hang around reading even when you’re not buying. The shop doesn’t just sell books, it also houses a library of material to read in-house, which includes an impressive selection of horror novels and thrillers mostly in Thai, and a big space in which to enjoy them.

Think Space B2S

Take your love for books and stationery to the next level at the ginormous Think Space B2S at Central Festival EastVille. Not only is it way, way bigger than any other B2S store around Bangkok, it also has more variety.

Zombie Books

Is it a book shop? Is it a bar? RCA’s newly opened Zombie Books is both, with a gallery and co-working space thrown in too.

COSMETICS

Aesop

The cult Australian natural skincare brand’s arrival means we no longer have to ask friends to carry bottles of Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum back from Melbourne.

Lush

The UK brand is best known for its colorful bath bombs (B200-450), shower jellies (from B395), face masks (B550) and wackily named soaps (B295) with fruity flavors like honey, avocado and vanilla, Lush is a staple of cities all around the world.

TECH

B&O Play

Premium Danish sound system brand Bang & Olufsen arrived in Bangkok with its younger B&O Play brand this year—on-the-go wireless speakers and headphones that still keep to the signature minimal design.

Sound City Mahajak

Expect quality sound systems from brands like Denon, Geneva, Harman Kardon, JBL, Shure and Tivoli Audio, at comparable prices that will make you never want to set foot in a department store again.

INTERIOR/DESIGN/KITCHEN

183 Crafted Store

See Fashion.

Cutboy

Every home cook needs at least one great cooking knife. In Bangkok, Cutboy is your answer to exactly that.   The brand has been selling its super-high-quality handmade Japanese knives to Bangkok’s chef community (the chefs from Gaggan, Nahm, Bo.lan and Quince all get their knives here) and cooks in-the-know for a few years now, but has finally just opened a proper showroom on Sukhumvit Soi 38.

Habitat

Our beloved Habitat has returned to the inner city. It’s been six bleak years since design legend Terence Conran’s furniture label upped sticks from Siam Discovery, taking with it those beautifully chic statement pieces in muted tones and smooth matte woods.

Hay

Hay makes furniture which looks like it belongs on designer blogs about niche and hideously expensive brands. The truth, though, is quite different. Design blogs; yes. Expensive; no. This cult Danish furniture label turns out a whole lot of items that are perfectly affordable for your average design junky.

Objects of Design Store (ODS)

You'd have to look long and hard to find better contemporary Thai design than the beautiful pieces at this studio. Straying from the other imported big brand names at this shopping mall, ODS focuses on affordable home decor pieces, jewelry and other accessories from breakthrough Thai names

RECORD STORES

Big Tiger Studio

In a three-story townhouse originally meant to be the owner’s home, the record store sits on the second floor while an additional space has been turned into a bar to keep his customers and DJ friends coming back to dig out new stuff.

M-Tanakorn Records

The shop’s specialty is Thai string and luk krung (central Thai orchestral pop) music from the ‘70s-‘80s. Highlights from our digging include releases from luk krung queen and National Artist Mantana Morakul, legendary luk krung band Sunthraporn, founder of GMM Grammy Rewat Buddhinan and luk thoong-string act Don Sornrabiab.

VEHICLES

Life & Kustom

Both a showroom for beautiful big bikes (brands like Ducati and Harley-Davidson) and a riders’ accessories emporium, it houses some seriously cool statement pieces.   Check out visor-less fullface helmets from Biltwell at B8,800.