Clothing shopping in Asia
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A
Samatoa
If you find yourself in need of a party frock, this designer dress shop offers original threads in silk, with the option of a tailored fit in 48 hours. Samatoa promotes fair trade.
reviewed
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Navjyoti Tailors
Pushkar is a good place to get clothes made and a reliable option is Navjyoti Tailors.
reviewed
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Fabindia
Founded as a means to get traditional fabric artisans’ wares to market, Fabindia has all the vibrant colours of the country in its cotton and silk fashions, materials and homewares, all in a modern-meets-traditional Indian shop. The Santa Cruz outpost is also good.
reviewed
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D
Hoi An Cloth Market
Pop into the Hoi An Cloth Market for a selection of local fabrics.
reviewed
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E
Gobi Cashmere Shop
The major cashmere and wool factories are Goyo (Mongolian-American joint venture), Gobi Cashmere (government-owned) and Buyan (owned by the prominent politician Jargalsaikhan). Excellent products can be purchased at the Gobi Cashmere Shop opposite the Russian Embassy.
reviewed
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Zarif & Royah
Kabul’s other fashion house (along with Tarsian & Blinkley), Zarif & Royah recently hosted Kabul’s first fashion show. Elegantly cut women’s clothes in traditional Afghan fabrics wouldn’t look out of place in Milan or Paris.
reviewed
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G
People Tree
This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shop sells cool, etching-style T-shirts, many featuring Indian gods, as well as skirts, dresses, shirts (for men and women), shoulder bags, costume jewellery and books.
reviewed
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H
Sānlǐtún Yashou Clothing Market
After slogging through this hopping, five-floor bedlam of shoes, boots, handbags, suitcases, jackets, silk, carpets, batik, lace, jade, pearls, toys, army surplus and souvenirs, ease the pressure on your bunions with a foot massage (Y50 per hour) or pedicure (Y40) on the 4th floor and restore calories in the 5th-floor food court.
reviewed
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I
House of Fashion
This three-storey surplus outlet for the nation’s garment industry is the place to go for serious clothes shopping. Many items are hugely discounted.
reviewed
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Raja’s Fashions
One of Bangkok’s famous tailors, Raja’s gets a mixed bag of reviews but the majority swear by the service and quality.
reviewed
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Thowfeek
Exceptionally cheap prices on name-brand clothes. The store is above a vendor selling cheap kitchenware.
reviewed
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K
Yaly
Hoi An is bustling with tailors; get something made up to order here.
reviewed
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Zhejiang Huzhou Bedding Factory
The ‘factory’ is no more than a large outdoor workbench where family members measure out and comb silk quilts ( 蚕丝被; cánsī bèi ) right on the street. A popular Shànghǎi purchase, silk quilts (comforters) are lighter weight and more breathable than their down counterparts. They are sold by density (1.5kg or 2kg are reasonable choices). The prices are fixed (Y650 for a 2kg queen-sized quilt) and cheaper than anywhere else in town. They also sell their quilts at the Wangjia Docks Fabric Market (( 王家码头丝绸面料市场; Wángjiā Mǎtou Sīchóu Miànliào Shìchǎng; 191 Nancang St; 南仓街 191 号 ), across from the South Bund Fabric Market.
reviewed
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Shanghai Tang
Hong Kong-based Shanghai Tang flies the flag for the Middle Kingdom in the world of high-end fashion. The designs are classic Chinese with a twist, incorporating fluorescent colours, traditional motifs and luxury fabrics like silk and cashmere into the clothes and accessories. More affordable items include the slinky tops (from Y1500) and the scarves (Y985), but if you have to ask the price of an item here you can’t afford it. There are other branches in the Jinjiang Hotel complex and Pudong Shangri-La.
reviewed
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Shokay
If the sign outside (‘100% yak!’) doesn’t catch your attention, we don’t know what will. Shokay is one of the few places in the world where you can pick up hand-knit clothing made entirely out of, yup, yak wool – which is a surprisingly soft, supple material. A nonprofit organisation, they support Tibetan herders (who gather the wool) and Chongming Island farmers (who do the knitting) and use revenue to help Chinese minority groups start their own businesses. Scarves start at Y980.
reviewed
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O
Ahyeon-Dong Wedding Street
The one-off designer dresses in the shop windows provide an amazing fashion show with plenty of revealing insights into Korean ideas of glamour. Glide down the aisle in billowing white embroidered lace, shimmer in a tight-fitting lilac gown glittering with thousands of sparkly sequins, or tango at the reception in a red Spanish-themed outfit with a sash. Local designers let their rococo imagination run riot here – if you loved Project Runway this street of dreams is for you.
reviewed
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Puthu Mandapam
Madurai teems with cloth stalls and tailors' shops. A great place for getting cottons and printed fabrics is Puthu Mandapam, the pillared former entrance hall at the eastern side of Sri Meenakshi Temple. Here you'll find rows of tailors, all busily treadling away and capable of whipping up a good replica of whatever you're wearing in an hour or two. Quality, designs and prices vary greatly depending on the material and complexity of the design, but you can have a shirt made up for around Rs150.
reviewed
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Bhuttico
Shawls are sold all over Manali. A good place to start is at the cooperative Bhuttico which was established in 1944 by a group of village women. It charges fixed prices, so it’s a good place to gauge price and quality. Expect to pay upwards of Rs300 for lambswool, from Rs1000 for angora, from Rs3000 for pashmina and Rs6500 for the exquisitely embroidered shawls worn by village women. It has another store located in Manu Market.
reviewed
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Q
Silk Street
Seething with shoppers and polyglot (and increasingly tactile) vendors, Silk Street was for long synonymous with fake knock-offs, and some pirated labels survive. The market sprawls from floor to floor, shoving piles of rucksacks, shoes, silk, cashmere and tailor-made qípáo into the overloaded mitts of travellers and expats. Haggle fiendishly (credit cards accepted).
reviewed
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Mega Mega Vintage
Classic vintage clothing shop hits the nail on the head with a mock-up of an old British red phone box as its fitting room and a great selection of blouses, leather jackets and retro togs galore.
reviewed
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Huā Yàng Nián Huá
Huā Yàng Nián Huá takes its name from the Chinese title of the Wong Kar Wai movie In the Mood for Love, which featured Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung in an array of stunning qípáo. Fittingly, they make fine tailor-made qípáo here from Y1200, but there’s no guarantee you’ll look like Ms Cheung once you slip one on.
reviewed
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Orangutan House - Lorong Hang Jebat
Having mushroomed to an impressive three outlets, this hip and brightly painted T-shirt shop adds its own brand of zest and colour to Chinatown's multifaceted personality. All shirts are the work of local artist Charles Cham and have themes spanning from Chinese astrology animals to rather edgy topics (at least for Malaysia) such as 'Use Malaysian Rubber' above a sketch of a condom.
reviewed
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Uniqlo
Qlothe yourself in brilliant basics at this low-cost chain. There are dozens of branches around the city, but the Ginza location is the flagship behemoth with an entire building devoted to each gender.
reviewed
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Muji
This Japanese mini-department-store chain is somewhere between the amazingly diverse iterations you’ll find in Japan and the slightly blander versions you’ll find in Europe. You name it – this place has a smart, inexpensive version of it whether it be smart and wearable his and hers fashion, stationery, accessories, snacks or household items.
reviewed
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Daiso
When Japan's economy crashed, hyakkin (100-yen shops) began raking in the cash...and haven't stopped. Among the hundreds in Tokyo, Daiso is easily accessible and stocked with four floors full of merchandise costing around ¥100. It's a great souvenir stop, where you can find rice bowls painted with cute animals, vampiric nail polish and random, silly kitsch.
reviewed
