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Let’s face it, being a fashionista and being kind to the planet are past-times that are frequently at odds. What should a clothes-obsessed lady to do? One easy answer is to purchase more pre-loved items. It used to be that vintage clothes shopping meant burrowing through dusty charity shops. No longer. The tech revolution has brought some much needed modernizing to the vintage fashion scene with many new online platforms presenting pre-loved fashion the same way high street fashion is displayed. Below, we roundup the city’s best spots for quality, second-hand clothes, shoes, bags and more!
HULA
Founded by two sisters who both worked in the fashion industry, HULA was created to find new homes and owners for all of their fashionista friends’ gorgeous designer pieces, many of which had never been worn. The online platform showcases pre-owned high-end and designer apparel, bags, shoes and accessories. The very user-friendly site makes shopping a breeze, with filters for pretty much everything and a great ‘trends’ section you can shop by style. They work hard to ensure that every item is authentic and top quality: all the pieces comes from their community of sellers, which is invite-only and limited to fashion industry insiders. They also donate a minimum of 5% of their profits to charities such as Food Angel and Redress, making each purchase just that little bit more feel-good.
The Closeteur
January 2018 Update: Le Closeteur has become a fashion lifestyle magazine and no longer offers preloved fashion for sale.
New kid on the block The Closeteur was started by two women looking to create a community for clotheshorses with an eco bend. The site offers designer pre-owned fashion including apparel, bags and accessories for men and women. Given that they just launched, the selection is a little limited at the moment but it’s growing fast. Looking for some inspiration? You can follow one of their ‘Closeteurs’, fashion experts who share their latest fashion obsessions and allow you to literally shop their closet. Other big pluses from The Closeteur: they offer garment care from Mr. Black, and MIYU tea and beauty products and a on-trend digital magazine (no paper for eco-minded The Closeteur) for some vintag-spiration.
REVERIE
An oasis for those looking for couture without breaking the bank, REVERIE stocks stunning vintage and pre-owned pieces from top-end designer fashion labels such as Chanel, Dior and Prada amongst others. Their selection includes everything from evening gowns to swimsuits. They also have incredible vintage high-end jewelry, sunglasses, shoes and handbags. Need the perfect look for that big night? REVERIE also offers a rent-to-wear service for clothing and accessories to help you look amazing while saving valuable closet space. REVERIE, which was located on Staunton Street for many years, is currently between locations, but fortunately you can still browse on their site.
Beatniks
Online shopping is awesome but Beatniks is worth venturing out of the house for. Something of a local secret, the shop stocks vintage 1970’s and 1980’s apparel at affordable prices. For true bargain hunters, the tiny shop, located down a small alleyway, proffers some true gems from the past few decades. Notes: Beatniks has no online presence!
Beatniks: 31 Staunton Street, Soho. +852 2881 7153
YEECHO
Have an upcoming event you need to look glamorous for and nothing to wear? YEECHOO offers dresses, shirts, jackets and even jewelry from 150+ designer brands that you “borrow”, a sort of ‘Rent The Runway’ concept. The site is incredibly user-friendly, allowing you to search by occasion, size, length, sleeve type, color, price and designer. Once you find a piece you love, you select the size and date you want (you can rent the pieces for 4 or 8 days) and then relax while YEECHO couriers the item to your doorstep, in a good-as-knew, dry-cleaned condition. They will collect the item once you are done too, though you can also pick up and drop off from their Wellington Street showroom. Love the concept and want more? Go for their YEECHOO INFINITY service, which gives you unlimited rentals each month (as long as they do not overlap). Given the size of most Hong Kong closets, this service is a god-send!
YEECHO Showroom: 1F, 128 Wellington Street, Central. +852 2336 9090.
Carousell
Your one-stop-shop for everything pre-owned, tech-darling and Singapore-based Carousell is a great option for pre-owned fashion. The Carousell platform connects buyers and sellers directly allowing you to buy and sell everything, and the sheer size of the site- while using, we spotted a new pair of shoes appearing approx. every four minutes- means there is always something to covet. While there are many higher-end pieces, the site literally has almost anything you could want, and actually the majority of the clothing items are not designer brands. Download their super-easy-to-use app (available for both iOS and Android) to pick up some pre-loved pieces on the go.
Retykle
Baby and children’s clothes are an area where hand-me-downs are a time-honored tradition. Using Retykle is like being able to shop the closet of your super-chic older siblings. An online shop that offers second-hand apparel, shoes and accessories for babies and kids up to eight years old, Retykle exclusively displays items from premium, high-quality brands (view the full list here), ensuring all items will last way past your child’s next growth spurt. The site is easy to use with filters for brand, size, category and even color. Have a closet of clothes that have been outgrown by your little ones? Retykle also makes it easy to exchange those items for cash-they offer free pickup and they donate non-accepted items to charity on your behalf. Read our full interview with Retykle founder Sarah Garner here.
Images courtesy of: HULA (lead photo), The Closeteur, REVERIE, Trouble in Hong Kong….(Beatniks), YEECHOO, Carousell and Retykle.
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