Rocked up to Central World Plaza not knowing what to expect ... I know expectations were riding high, and as usual, a million cynics and a million critics were waiting to pounce.
This is the scene that greeted us at the Manga Grand Slam Opening Party:
Holy shit ... more than 2,000 ppl turned up for this shebang and this was definitely one of the best (if not the best) store launches I have ever been to.
Hats off to the Manga and playground! crew .. amazing job of transforming the whole fore-court in front of the store into a club. Shit was mad, I tell you.
Part of the whole process of this "lifestyle" that we are immersed in involves "educating" (I prefer the word "cultivating") people about the things that we like, whether it be music, literature or fashion.
I think the playground! crew have created a great platform to do this in Southeast Asia.
I always love custom made stuff, because I know it's hard to manufacture, which makes it limited and unique. Manga had loads of custom made shit everywhere.
Racks and racks of goodness everywhere. Good shit from Know1edge, Crooks & Castles, Hellz Bellz, Fucking Awesome, Head Porter, Vans X Marc Jacobs, Recon, Undercover, Creative Recreation, Maharishi and many more of the hottest labels make Manga a streetwear heaven for those in the know.
The store's decor is playground!'s interpretation of the urban lifestyle, so it's a little bit more refreshing than the anal-retentive underground bullshit that you see in so many other places around the world.
VIPS got a nice gift bag at the door, which included this sweet T-shirt:
I cannot stress this enough, if you are in the region, you MUST visit Manga.
Manga,
Forum Zone,
1st Floor Central World Plaza,
Siam, Bangkok,
Thailand
Labels: store