Design team: Pitupong Chowakul, Napapat Lasavanich

Completion: 2021

Project size: 100 SQ.M.

Location: Silom Soi 8, Bangkok

Client: Pronto

Photograph: W Workspace

It was during tail end of 1st COVID wave that hit the world, with long lock down and Work From Home situation, we had a phone call from our client asking if we are interested to design the 3rd Freitag flagship store, the famous F-store, in Thailand. We agreed to the job a few sentences into the phone conversation. Everyone in the office is a Freitag fan. However the whole design discussion process with Zurich had to be done via VDO calls, everyone is more or working together in a new circumstance disrupted by the pandemic.

The site of the Freitag’s newest store is in Silom Soi 8, a few hundred meters from Pat Pong, a famous entertainment district that was extremely dynamic pre COVID era. It is a little peculiar location for a brand retail, but not for Freitag. The street is full of diverse small shops like cafe’, Bank & Thai massage parlors. The space used to be a small pub.

Our idea is pretty straight forward, present to the customer as many bags as possible at the first glance. One side of the shop is to be filled up with floor to ceiling F-boxes containing in each of them a unique bag. They are franked by 2 big mirrors to create the endless illusion.

Approximately at half of the store height, we insert the catwalk by suspending it from the new steel beam. The new structure is in famous Freitag green. Customer can access to the mezzanine by the new staircase attached to the catwalk.

Coming down from mezzanine level, customers can choose how they are comfortable with. We provide 2 methods, one is to walk down the same staircase they climb up or they can jump down the whole using the fireman pole which expected to be more exciting. One that decide to jump will be welcome with the unique yellow tarp crashing pad that is the collaboration work between Freitag HQ and A gymnastic pad making specialist. The small element is one of a kind.

Towards a far end of the store, situates another important element, the “SWEAT YOURSELF” , Freitag’s very own D.I.Y. product line. Here we incorporate 2 elements into one, tarp display and sewing table. The display cage is suspended using mechanical hoist. When customers want to choose a specific tarp to create their bags, the cage can be lowered to hand level. While the custom bag is being made the display cage is hoisted us freeing space below for a bag maker.