Bangkok: a city of skyscrapers, spicy food and…sustainability? From vegan cafes to eco-hotels, sustainability appears to be running strong through the city’s current trends. So here’s a nod to the conscious brands emerging as eco heroes in Thailand.
Green Is The New Black co-founder and photographer, Paula Miquelis, spent a few days in Thailand at the back end of 2019 to tap into the conscious scene (and pack in as much veggie green curry as possible, obvs). While there, she uncovered a conscious community that is looking to change the way people shop in Bangkok. From fashion labels that weave culture into every stitch to a plethora of brands that make shopping mindfully for your mini humans a breeze, Bangkok is brimming with shops with sustainability at their core. Then there’s the up-and-coming wellness scene that embraces beauty without cruelty using natural ingredients — we were spoilt for choice. Here is what we found in Thailand’s City of Angels.
SOPHIE GARCIA
Sophie Garcia hand makes her clothes in Laos, and we can’t get enough of her super chic designs. This French-born designer graduated from La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and worked in Paris before moving to Laos to launch her own brand of ready-to-wear called Les Cocottes. A complete collection followed inspired by draping and folding details from Southeast Asian outfits like the traditional Lao-Thai pant. Overall, she combines French couture with the traditional knowledge of Lao weaving, including patterns of Vientiane’s modernist architecture.
NOVESSENCE
Nobody knows beauty quite like the French. And Novessence is a French-born, Bangkok-based natural and organic beauty brand with a team that’s passionate about aromatherapy and natural cosmetics. It uses the expertise of the best French laboratories to answer your skin issues with efficient organic solutions. It will also help you find natural alternatives to traditional cosmetics. It’s well-stocked with other eco-brands too that offer products for your hair, skin and hygiene as well as things like vegan brushes, travel sets and candles. Novessence also has a tailor-made lab, which you can find in the heart of Bangkok’s Thonglor neighbourhood, where it hosts DIY cosmetic workshops led by experts where you can learn how to create your very own skincare, cosmetics or make-up.
MELODY FROM PARIS
If you’re looking for a way to let your child’s imagination run wild and inspire the perfect playtime, then you need to know about Melody From Paris. The French mum of two is based in Bangkok and crafts soft toys, accessories and super cool teepees by hand. Each teepee is made to order from fabrics of your choice in vivid colours and patterns that kids (and kidults) will love. Melody also customises things like pillows, full bed sets and even Thai pillows which means you can design and decorate with a conscious. Fun fact: Melody also makes mini teepees for dogs and cats too!
LITTLE FROGGIES
For a conscious shopper, it can be hard to source things like backpacks for your kids that aren’t mass-produced in a factory far away but are still cool enough that your kids will want to use them. Based out of Bangkok, Little Froggies look to remedy that by making school supplies with some serious style. Alongside backpacks and classic school bags, they also make pencil cases, PE uniforms, caps and more. Prints come in a colourful array of patterns for boys and girls.
THE EXTRA SMILE
The Extra Smile is a too-cool-for-school ethical kids brand that operates under the mantra that good habits start young. It believes that conscious choices don’t just sit with parents; kids have a role to play too. And that starts every morning when they wake up and get dressed. It weaves conscious living into the lives of green warriors in training by dressing them up in very cute clothing that’s ethically made with natural or non-toxic dyes, recycled materials and innovative fibres that are made to last.
HAPPY EARTH FARM
For starters, Happy Earth Farm make products you can eat. We might not recommend making a meal of it, but because it only uses fruits, leaves, and seeds from plants grown on the farms within their organic farming community, you CAN eat it. The certified organic farm in Uthaithani, Thailand, makes 100% natural, chemical-free and biodegradable body care products the traditional way. Through everything it does, Happy Earth spreads a “live, learn and grow with Mother Earth” mantra to inspire change and reconnect with Mother Nature. Our favourite product is the No-Poo Head To Toe Wash, which breathes new life into the term ‘food for beauty’; it’s made with limes, orange, and leaves alone. Best of all, it’s a triple threat, working as a shampoo, hair conditioner or body wash.
