Thailand - "Real" name brand clothing in markets?
 

Hi there,

We are in Thailand right now (Chiang Mai) and we are wondering if we will see any 'real' name brand clothing in markets for cheap. I had heard in SE Asia, they sell Gap, Tommy, Banana Republic etc., clothes that were manufactured here for cheap in the markets. Kind of like the falling off truck/factory seconds idea.

Does anyone have any insight?

Thanks!
Alanna

Everything you see that is cheap is a copy. The only real items are at the name brand stores in the upscale malls.

There are a few shops around Siam Square that sell brand name clothing's that were purchased from the various official outlets in Italy and France(mostly Armani, LV, Chanel etc).

Clothing made in Thailand for the brand you've mentioned(Gap, Tommy..) are closely monitored by the their respective buying offices(and their lawyers) and most will have a manufacturer's identification code on the label. Very hard for the factory to sell even the stock lot or seconds without having to mutilate the label or logo.

I've seen some real Hollister, Abercrombie, Gaps plus a few other brands around the weekend market in Bangkok. Most of these were from factories in Cambodia and Laos and have manage to find their way to Bangkok. It will be a challenge for most untrained eyes to sort the real from the fake!

If you have seen real stuff at the markets, I would imagine that it is not super cheap?

Brad,

The Hollister or Abercrombie denim skirt that I saw were selling for around 300 - 500 baht and they are retailing those in the US for about $80 - $100. The factory's FOB prices are around $8 per pce so I guess they were selling the run over or defected goods.

Thailand isn't used by many of the big name manufacturers any more. It's gotten too expensive. Indonesia (especially Bandung) can be really good for this, especially denim items. You can get last year's overstock at dirt cheap prices.