V is for VINTAGE

JUST REMEMBER when you’re up to your eyebrows in great stuff for sale at this weekend’s Made by Legacy flea market: “It’s not really about shopping.” So says Vudi Somboonkulavudi, the biannual event’s founder and director. With so many terrific vintage objects on offer, your wallet will be keen to jump into the action, but consider each one in turn carefully. “Most of the time you buy a vintage item because of its story.”
The fourth edition of Made by Legacy is at Studio 61 in Sukhumvit Soi 61 tomorrow and Sunday with an immense range of nostalgic gear, including some rarities. Home decor and collectibles will predominate as usual, but a lot of browsers will also to scrutinising the US military memorabilia from the Vietnam War.
Made by Legacy is a group of individuals from all walks of life who share a passion for the holdovers of a bygone era. “I was inspired by all the flea markets, garage sales and antique shows I went to in New York City,” says Vudi.
“Each of those events has its own concept and style, but what they have in common is they bring together like-minded people. They all love vintage, they exchange stories and they become a community. I knew I’d miss that kind of event when I came back to Bangkok, so I was determined to make it happen in Bangkok to.”
But Made by Legacy’s first sale – in December 2012 on the roof of the Sibunruang Building in Silom – drew mixed reviews. “Some people said the prices were too high and others said the market was too small,” Vudi explains, “but it was good start for our own vintage community – we made lots of friends.”
The second sale, also at Studio 61, featured loads of unusual items, including industrial furniture, classic cars and even animal skeletons and taxidermy. Last time out, the market was on the grounds of State Railway of Thailand headquarters, surrounded by the classic old buildings. And this time it’s back to Studio 61, with the focus on “classics” of an entirely different variety: American military gear. The event’s theme is “GI movement during the Vietnam War”.
“Military gear always goes hand in hand with vintage goods,” says Vudi. “I couldn’t find a solid theme the past three times, so this time I wanted to theme it properly. Plus I’ve built enough good connections with collectors of vintage military memorabilia to put it together.
“American GI culture is very iconic. I was reminded of that recently when I watched my favourite film again – ‘Full Metal Jacket’ by Stanley Kubrick. And it’s not like it was all very distant from us – we’ve seen lots of GI gear, the utensils and weapons, in Thailand. The Royal Thai Army Volunteer Force’s Black Panther Division fought in Vietnam too, from which there are a lot of collectibles that I find very interesting.”
So collectors can really get locked and loaded this weekend (though none of the weapons would be of any use in a modern-day insurrection, the National Council for Peace and Order will be pleased to know).
And, if GI knickknacks aren’t your thing, it’s still highly unlikely you’ll be going home empty-handed. The sale will be teeming with vintage furniture, watches, boots, T-shirts and bags, crafted leather goods, hand-made accessories, exotic plants, home decor and vinyl records both ancient and new. The prices vary from a few hundred baht to several thousand. All sorts of food and drinks will be available too for as little as Bt100 a share.
Antiques appeal to different people for different reasons. Vudi takes his cue from the “memories” in memorabilia. “For me, vintage is all about the stories that are passed on from one generation to the next,” he says. “Everything new these days is actually a reproduction of a prototype that was recognised by the people before our time. That pride and legacy passed on to us and, if you love vintage stuff, you love and treasure it and hope to pass it on to the next generation too.”
 Shiny shoes never go out of style
 THE SHOESHINE is pretty much a thing of the past now, seen only a old movies – the kid with the dirty bucket mooching for pennies in exchange for a buff of your leathers. Shoeshine does survive, in fact, though it looks a lot different. Mason and Smith of Singapore will have a booth at this weekend’s Made by Legacy Flea Market. John Chung started it just last year on Boat Quay and later set up a stand at the Marina Bay Stands.
Having “each and every piece of leather polished strictly by hand and treated with the best leather-care products available to lovingly restore its deserved lustre”, as his brochure boasts, could cost you anywhere from Bt375 to Bt2,000 in Singapore. It varies depending on how long the job takes – 10 minutes or 48 hours. Chung will also clean or dye leather bags, belts and wallets.
“I was selling second-hand leather shoes right after I came out of army,” says the self-taught Chung. “I got the shoes in bad shape and I had to learn how to restore them to re-sellable condition.”
He says every kind of leather item “needs this pampering – cleaned and polished frequently”. “They can really last a long time if they’re taken care of well. Once the surface starts to crack, the damage is irreversible. Even after repairs they might never look exactly the same as before.”

 MADE NEW AGAIN
The Made by Legacy Flea Market takes place tomorrow and Sunday at Studio 61 on Sukhumvit Soi 61, close to BTS Ekamai. It’s open from 1pm to midnight. Admission is Bt100.
Find out more at www.MadebyLegacy.com.