Step into Sorasak ’House’ Chanmantana’s multi-label Bangkok shop Onion.
When musician Sorasak “House” Chanmantana isn’t performing with his band, Slur, he’s busy at work as the founder of Bangkok multi-label shop Onion. “Our store places equal emphasis on international and local brands, with a focus on quality and a commitment to design,” says House, who is also one of the retail experts featured in our new publication Thailand: The Monocle Handbook.
Last year, over coffee at the One Ounce for Onion café, which adjoins his flagship in Bangkok’s Ekkamai neighbourhood, he told Monocle that he was on the lookout for a second physical location. We went through a list of potential spots, ticking off the pros and cons of each. Silom? Chinatown? A return to Siam Square, the site of his first physical shop? We made a pitch for Ari in the north of the city. “Been there, done that,” he said. Was it time to enter a shopping mall and embrace all of that foot traffic? No chance. A recent concession at department store Central Chidlom might have been a step too far from his street-level comfort zone.
In the end, the winner was none of the above. Onion – The Mansion opened in March on Soi Sawatdi, an alley running off Sukhumvit Road. Hats off to House and his letting agent: this area has the makings of an independent retail cluster. AMR de Saíson’s flagship is nearby and Fewer Better Things opened there last year.
House describes The Mansion as an elevated selection of global brands. “As both our shop and our audience matured, the focus moved towards garments with greater complexity in pattern-making and construction, pieces that required more space, physically and conceptually, to be properly experienced,” he says. “This led to the introduction of brands such as UJOH, Kolor, Beautiful People and Studio Nicholson.”
The shop is a nice contrast to the one in Ekkamai (though it can’t compete for charm and cosiness): bright, spacious and right at the heart of the action. Soho House and shopping mall Emsphere bookend a buzzing neighbourhood that includes bar Alone Together, trattoria Appia, boutique hotel Public House and Michelin-starred restaurant Gaggan (again, pick up our handbook to learn more).
A collaboration with Tokyo’s Cluél magazine introduces brands from Japan and there’s also room for Onion’s label, which is now more than a decade old. Thai fragrance and skincare brands The OBA, Rati and Copenn have joined the fashion line-up, while The Mansion’s extra floor space also allows for pop-ups and events, for which the till doubles as a DJ booth.
House started selling fashion and eyewear online to raise money to build a production studio. He named his business Onion to surprise his friends because they knew that he hated eating them. Fifteen years later, he’s still playing music and asking for onions to be removed from his food – and his eye for fashion and retail is as sharp as ever.
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