One of the things western men complain about in Thailand are the small shoe sizes. Thai men are often small in stature and, with that, comes small feet, which means for western men visiting or living in Bangkok, buying shoes that actually fit can be a pain. With Bangkok’s thousands of shopping venues though, never fear. There are many places to buy larger size men’s shoes that are still quite cheap. You just have to know where to look.
Central Department Stores – A Thai friend swears by Central department stores when it comes to buying his shoes. He’s a tour guide, so also used to westerners asking him where to buy things and, for larger size shoes he always recommends Central department stores first.
All Central branches have large shoe departments with a huge variety of men’s shoes, in all sizes, including those for larger-sized western men. Expect to find brands like Timberland, Doc Martens, Hush Puppies, Adidas, Versace, Nike, Dunham and more -with everything from dress shoes, to sandals, to running shoes.
Prices at Central are western price or higher (they are imported) but Central is a great place to buy shoes when they’re having one of their many sales. Shop particularly at Central on Thai holidays, Songkran, Christmas etc. as here’s when you’ll find the best sales and best prices, and when you could walk away with a beautiful pair of men’s designer shoes cheaper than you’ll find in the west.
There are Central department stores all over Bangkok, but the most popular ones are at Chidlom sky train station, Central World Plaza (Thailand’s largest shopping mall, and Central Pinklao).
Udom Agg – One of the best cheap shops for buying designer men’s (and women’s) shoes in Bangkok is the popular Udom Agg store at Mahboonkrong (MBK) mall.
Udom Agg is actually a designer shoe shop with a brand that’s particularly popular in the UK. Soes are Thai-made shoes and most are also all leather and not the cheap plastic shoes you find in many other MBK shops.
Although some of their men’s shoes are smaller size, Udom Agg still does sell larger size men’s shoes as they also make shoes for the export market so are used to westerners needing big sizes. Expect to find conservative dress shoes, casual sandals and some pretty funky snake skin and crocodile skin shoes, as well as leather shoes in a bright patchwork pattern – very cool and trendy.
Be warned, sales staff at Udom Agg have minimal English at best, so don’t expect to get many of your questions answered here. But, you will get a beautiful pair of well-made leather shoes for a fraction of the cost of back home.
You’ll find Udom Agg at MBK Mall near the belt and accessory stalls (MBK Mall is next to National Stadium sky train station).
Geox Shoes – Another favorite with western men in Bangkok is Geox Shoes, with more than 58 branches around Thailand, it’s one of the country’s most successful imported shoe brands.
Geox Shoes is an Italian designer brand, specializing in supremely fashionable shoes with styles you won’t find anywhere else. At Geox, pick up a pair of their new Respira sneakers, with their special breathable fabric, or a pair of bright red Italian leather loafers or sandals. They also sell several styles of classic dress shoe in black, gray or brown.
Of course, Geox shoes aren’t cheap, after all you do pay for quality. But if you’re looking for a comfortable pair of larger size men’s shoes, Geox will have everything you need.
Also check out the new Geox Shoes concept store that’s just opened in the upscale Gaysorn Plaza. Both the Central World branch and Gaysorn are easy accessible from Chidlom sky train station.
