You would be mistaken if you thought the recently opened Future Lab at Siam Discovery is only a shoe store. It’s true, the store is currently selling a line-up of artist-endorsed sneakers and difficult-to-find shoes that customers can customize to their liking, but it’s that last part defines Future Lab as a store: customization. The owners are calling it a co-creation space, and while that phrase has been thrown around a lot in recent years it actually makes sense here. 

Future Lab doesn’t have a specific product line. Right now, it’s sneakers, but next month it could be anything (clothes, decor, electronics) depending on customer needs—what the store owners are calling “thematic volumes.” No matter what those products are, they will be highly customizable in a number of ways, following the brand’s ethos of delivering as unique a product to customers as possible, it’s “Your Edition” philosophy. They organize this around a concept they call "3P", which stands for people, partners and personalization. The brand is placing a heavy emphasis on market research and listening to customer needs, especially when it comes to product selection. Each thematic volume will include partnerships with artists and other designers to help customers deck out their wears. The last part, personalization, is exactly what it sounds like. 

How that happens will change with the times, but right now the focus is on an event called “Volume 1: Sneakers”. The process is simple, you start by bringing in pair of Converse bought at Siam Discovery to the studio area where you and an artist (Future Lab has about 60 artist partnerships currently) to add some creative flair to your pair. Currently, that means working with a pair of futuristic-looking robotic arms that look like they are from a Boston Dynamics showreel and using them to add any number of changes to your shoes—only Converse for this volume. There will be artists on site every day, and it's totally cool for you to just stop by and chat about ideas without necessarily needing to lay down the cash. The artists have also created their own shoes for Future Lab that you can buy on-site and that line-up includes many different brands, not just Converse. 

There is also an exhibition space that showcases rare and collectible products from the specific product type. On now is a line-up of completely sold-out sneakers gathered by streetwear store soul4street. 

What’s after sneakers? No one, not even the shop’s owners, know at this point, but it’s exciting to think about how this might evolve over time. Right now, Siam Discovery is one of the only places in town with this kind of facility, and it's open to more than limited edition products. 

G/F, Siam Discovery. Open daily 10am-10pm (exhibition zone) and noon-8pm (personalization zone), only until Feb 9, 2020.