Thrifting gears: The secondhand festival winning Bangkok’s retail market
From vintage clothing to emerging Thai fashion labels, Bangkok’s flea markets are thriving. DJs, drinks and independent brands draw thousands, offering a human connection missing from the city’s mega-malls.
Thais have a curious relationship with old things. Generally, they won’t want to live in a traditional teak house (often believing them to be haunted) but they enjoy nothing more than spending a weekend rummaging through racks of vintage clothing and piles of pre-owned ceramics and homeware.
Flea markets are deeply embedded in Thai shopping culture and almost every city has its own speciality. Khao Yai, northeast of Bangkok, is the place to go for collectables, according to Vudi Somboonkulavudi – a 42-year-old who has been running Bangkok’s coolest flea market, Made by Legacy, since 2012. “I am a shopper but I don’t like malls,” he says. “Everything I buy I want to pick with care.” Appropriately enough, his love of vintage was handed down to him by his father and he has turned the often dusty shopping format into a retail festival held at warehouses, rooftops and car parks across the Thai capital. Roughly 15,000 people attend his ticketed fairs, which run into the evening with DJ sets and plenty of drinks.
During a break from his latest event, Somboonkulavudi gives Monocle a potted history of Thai flea markets, from the first stalls set up in the 1940s alongside a royal palace to the establishment of the mighty Chatuchak Weekend Market in the 1980s. The 250 vendors at Made By Legacy sell a mix of mid-century furniture, clothing and food. A third of the line-up is refreshed each year and there’s a two-year waiting list to join. At a time when Bangkok’s ever-growing number of malls are struggling to find tenants, there’s clearly demand for alternative formats. Many big-name retail landlords have come to Somboonkulavudi to “activate” their spaces before they open. Markets bring the buzz and social elements back to physical retail. But they’re not just about flogging second-hand gear – they are a stepping stone for emerging Thai brands too.
Bangkok-based label Local Made Goods was founded in 2024. It designs welders jackets, everyday shirts and accessories that are hand stitched and woven by Thai craftspeople who specialise in particular textiles. Somboonkulavudi invited the brand’s two founders, Chotiphat “Aroou” Suwisuttagul and Kantawan “Milly” Narakulmongkol, to take part in Made By Legacy. The pair see these marketplaces as a critical platform to build awareness of their label. “During the first six months of the brand, we could barely sell pieces and no one understood what we were doing,” says Narakulmongkol. “For us, going to markets isn’t primarily about selling. It’s about meeting people and finding connections. We speak to our potential customers in person and receive feedback right away. That’s how we grow and that’s what we value.”
So why do Thais love flea markets? “Shopping malls are everywhere in Bangkok and the retailers feel the same,” says Narakulmongkol. “Markets are different and more human – you can talk directly to the owner of a brand and exchange ideas.” Narakulmongkol and Suwisuttagul, who met as students at a concert, are today living their dream. Still only 25 years old, the couple have big ambitions for their young company, which is no weekend hobby. Their next stop is a showcase during Paris Fashion Week in 2027. Somboonkulavudi is also eyeing his next move. During his drives around Bangkok, scouting for locations for the 20th edition of Made By Legacy in June, he set eyes on a permanent site – a Chatuchak for Thailand’s new generation of market fans.
