Oct 03 2011
Shopping on Sihanouk Boulevard, Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh isn’t a bad city to shop for women’s clothing, if you know where to look. Local markets like Orussey are good for local fashions (think orange floral pyjama sets), head there. But, if you prefer more international style in your wardrobe, many international brands are on sale in Phnom Penh.
Russian Market is a great place to get big brand knock-offs, factory over-runs and items that have mysteriously vanished from Cambodian garment factories. In the coming weeks, I’ll devote a post exclusively to where to shop at the Russian Market. Today, I’ll focus on a few stand-alone stores on Sihanouk Boulevard where you can find international brands and women’s clothes in Western sizes.
Mango
The arrival of Mango is the ultimate validation for a city.
Spanish clothier Mango has stated that its company goal is to be present in every city in the world. It’s no surprise, then, that they were one of the first Western clothing shops to venture into Phnom Penh. Shopping at Mango will bring you back to a time when you thought spending $70 on a top was reasonable. They’ve also got a good stock of accessories, including shoes and bags. They don’t carry large sizes in every style, but do have a good range of Western sizes overall.
31C Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 223 066
shop.mango.com
Axara
Axara, for when it gets a little chilly in Phnom Penh.
Axara is a women’s clothing line from Paris. This is one of the better options if you’re looking to do high-end shopping in Phnom Penh. Amusingly, they don’t seem to tailor the items they carry to the climate they serve, so right now you can pick out an autumn wardrobe that’s more suited to Paris than steamy Phnom Penh. They have nice clothing — mostly in smaller sizes — and the overly-attentive staff are a good antidote if you’re feeling lonely or ignored.
43 Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 628 2828
axara.com
Wexport
The name is Wexport, thank you.
Wexport (please don’t argue that it’s meant to be We Export, it’s clearly only got one E) has locations all over Phnom Penh, but the one on Sihanouk Boulevard is the most impressive. It should be called We Import though, because most of the items sold inside seem to be produced in Vietnam. They carry popular brands like Banana Republic, Levis and H&M, although usually only the brightest coloured items from these lines.
87 Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (012) 351 411
bYSI
Had to take this pic from far away because the security guard almost decked me when I got closer.
bYSI is a popular brand from Singapore that “provides designer-worthy apparels at accessible price points”. They’ve got lots of cute dresses, tops and skirts, and the staff seemed to be used to foreigner shoppers, as they don’t try to stand next to you as you browse. Despite using almost exclusively Western models in the ad campaigns and blonde-haired mannequins, the styles are designed for those under 163 cm tall (read, the dresses are very short). They carry sizes up to an Australian 16.
50B Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 213 668
bysi.com
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Tags: Axara, bYSI, Mango, Wexport, women's clothes
What about local tailors? Can one buy fabric and take it to a tailor to have something made? Would it be costly?
Tailors are an option, but they do much better at copying items than creating them from scratch. So it’s good to go in with something already made for them to work from.
Any chance of doing a piece (or just offering some advice) on where to buy bras of the non-padded, non-sculpted, non-hot-pink-lace variety? I’m not having much luck.
Sorry for the late reply, anon. Short answer is there are no ideal options currently. The Flicks has backstock from a western lingerie store that went out of business, there’s a Korean place on Sihanouk that is quite expensive but carries C cup bras (don’t think they go to D). There’s a woman at the Russian Market who has a bunch of swimsuits and underwear on display who has a giant bag of western bras that include Gap, La Senza and frankensteins made of Gap pieces. $6 each. A couple of Australian places also deliver to Cambodia. Good luck!
I heard that there is a factory outlet of Mango, H&M, etc. in Phom Phen and that you can buy a piece of tops for only .50 to a $1. Where is it located?
Janae: Not to my knowledge. However, items that disappear from the factories often end up at Russian Market.
[...] your threads come back a little too threadbare, it may be time to hit the markets or go upmarket on Sihanouk Boulevard. Further reading » Staying in Phnom Penh for a few weeks … or longer » Sports bars in Phnom [...]
hi lina,
where can i find the north face products ie: backpacks, winter jackets, etc.. which are not knock off but perhaps factory over runs in P.Penh ?
thanks
Hi,
I’ve been trying to get contact details for the Wexport store in sihanouk blv, (Phnom Pehn) but the number I have it seem not to be working, can you please assist me with the alternative number or email address. This is the number i have :+855 (0)23997650, please assist me, it’s kind of urgent.
Regards,
Sihle
The phone numbers I can find are:
023 224 254
078 877 881
023 220 937
078 877 002
Some of the branches, such as the one at Russian Market, have changed names and, I assume, changed ownership. However, the Sihanouk Boulevard store is still W Export. Good luck!
Thank you so much, the numbers did help me, I am now in contact with them,
Highly appreciated your help.
I want to buy second-hand clothes in Phnom Penh and bring to Takeo province and distribute to the children and people. I have built a school in Tramkak district and there is currently 405 children attending the classes. I would appreciate if anyone knows where to purchase used clothes in Phnom Penh in 100kgs bulk pack.
Hi!
I intend to buy second hand clothes in Cambodia and bring to Ho Chi Minh city (Vietnam) for business. As i know, there are a zone with many shops where sell this kind of products. Could you please give me address of this area?
Below is my email:
phuongthu_net@yahoo.com
Thank for your help!