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Retykle, the Hong Kong-based preloved childrenswear platform, has just expanded to Singapore. It marks the first international market for the startup, which is Asia’s first online resale service dedicated to designer babywear, kidswear, and maternity fashion.
Retykle has made Singapore its first international destination, launching its resale childrenswear service in the city-state this month. Singapore residents will be able to shop preloved luxury clothing for babies, kids, and mothers online, as well as visit its brick-and-mortar store on Playfair Road.
Retykle Singapore
At Retykle’s new physical shop, customers can browse through a curated selection of Retykle’s preloved collection, as well as drop off outgrown clothing. Just like its online service in Hong Kong, Singapore shoppers will also be able to sell their preloved designer clothing, gear and toys on its marketplace as well.
The expansion comes just months after Retykle closed an undisclosed amount of funding in a seed round in February, which attracted investors such as Lazada founder Tim Rath and John Wood, the author of Room To Read and well-known backer of Hong Kong’s vegan pioneer Green Monday.
At the time, the company said that the funds would fuel its expansion across Asia-Pacific, with Singapore and Australia being the first countries on its list.
Commenting on its Singapore launch, founder and CEO Sarah Garner said: “With its growing appetite for eco-conscious fashion and lifestyle choices, Singapore was a natural second market for Retykle. We are looking forward to empowering parents to conveniently reduce children’s fashion waste by transforming the way they shop.”
Becoming Asia’s leading resale childrenswear platform
Former industry veteran Garner founded the startup in 2016, after she became a mother and realised how much fashion waste was being produced by quickly grown-out clothing, much of it still in perfectly good condition and made by high-end labels.
Since starting Retykle, which was the first platform of its kind in Asia, Garner has grown the startup’s collection to more than 2,500 brands and opened up a permanent storefront in Hong Kong. The company authenticates each piece, and makes it easier for parents to recirculate their preloved garments by offering home pick-up and in-store drop-off options.
Retykle says that since its inception, it has kept more than 150,000 fashion pieces in circulation, diverting them from landfills. Items that do not sell on Retykle’s marketplace can be donated to charity or returned to the seller to avoid waste as much as possible.
Circular fashion boom
The Hong Kong startup’s expansion to Singapore comes as circular fashion becomes increasingly popular with shoppers, thanks to the conscious consumer trend. According to US consignment giant ThredUP, the resale market in the country is expected to reach $77 billion within the next five years.
Investors, in response, have been pouring money into secondhand platforms. One of the most prominent players in the space, Vestiaire Collective, made headlines recently for its $209 million round that garnered backing from SoftBank and Al Gore.
Traditional e-commerce fashion companies have also had to innovate towards circularity to keep up with changing preferences, such as Net-a-Porter, which just launched its new resale service in partnership with Reflaunt.
All images courtesy of Retykle.
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