There’s a particular type of person who treats second-hand markets like others treat religion. They speak of provenance the way art dealers do, they’ve learnt the precise weight of a Levi’s Type III from 1971, and they can spot real suede from a metre away. These are not casual shoppers. These are pilgrims. And for three days, June 27-29 at 3pm-midnight, they’ll be heading to PAPAYA Studio, where the BANAKE x Michelui Flea Market promises to scratch every last vintage itch.
Set between towering sculptures and retro filing cabinets, the event is less car boot sale, more parallel universe. The kind where a Brutalist ashtray might sit beside a pristine Comme des Garcons jacket, and no one bats an eyelid. Curated by Michelui – the elusive vintage whisperer whose Instagram feels more like a time capsule than a feed – the market spans everything from peculiar homeware and rare books to mid-century furniture and fashion that remembers better days.
But it isn’t just about rummaging. This year, the soundtrack matters too. Yokee Playboy crooning as you debate between a crushed velvet armchair or an embroidered waistcoat. Slur, Greasy Cafe, Penguin Villa and H3F are all set to perform, along with a host of others whose names sound like they’ve been scribbled on a cassette tape from 2002. DJs will carry the evening into something looser, cooler, half-danced, half-dreamed.
Food and drinks will flow, of course – this is still Bangkok. Expect the heat, the buzz, the slight delirium of bargaining in twilight. Entry costs B200 a day, via hellobooku.
Whether you’re a serious collector or just enjoy pretending you know the difference between Bauhaus and brutalism, this is not a weekend to miss. There’s no theme, no dress code, just the quiet thrill of the find.