Asia's vintage clothing explosion

When I was a teen, vintage shops were my salvation from cookie-cutter mall clothes. My Hong Kong-bred mother, however, couldn’t comprehend why I wanted to wear “smelly old rags.” Every time I brought home a treasure from the 1970s, she’d make a face and send it straight to the dry cleaner.

Her attitude is typical in Asia, says vintage purveyor Thomas Lee. He told CNNGo, “Many Hong Kongers cannot accept the concept of buying old things. They are inexplicably wary about who’s worn them in the past.”

Pia Chew, 36-year-old owner of Singapore’s Dustbunny Vintage, emphasizes. “Shops selling used clothing only appeared on the scene here in the late 1990s. My biggest challenge is changing the mindset of older clients, who have a stereotyped vision of vintage as moth-eaten granny rejects.” 

Japan’s secondhand style tribes

Photo from Grimoire
In Asia’s major cities, the throwback stigma is not only fading. Vintage has become the hottest look on the streets.


Photo from Spank
Fairy Kei is a new style tribe inspired by 1980s pop -- think Cyndi Lauper meets My Little Pony -- and associated with the store Spank. Green-haired owner Tavuchi says, “There were very few used clothing stores in Japan until the ‘American casual’ boom in the 1990s. After that, stores appeared that specialized in used ladies clothes or 1980s fashion.” Such as her own boutique. “About 80 percent of my items are used and 20 percent are original: t-shirts, remade clothes, handmade accessories.”

Stanley Ho’s daughter sells her luxury castaways

There’s even a place for vintage in brand-obsessed, cast-off-phobic Hong Kong. Ho Chiu-Wan, 20-year-old daughter of Macau casino billionaire Stanley Ho, was running out of closet space for her designer garments. So last December, she opened a Lan Kwai Fong shop called Chew with HK $1 million from her parents. . The barely-worn items for sale include her HK$17,000 Stella McCartney dress (listed at HK$7,000) and HK$12,000 Lanvin one-piece (reduced to HK $1,200). Turnover has been brisk, and Ho plans to expand her floor space.

Why shop secondhand?

Pia Chew turned to vintage because she was frustrated with the low quality and unoriginal appearance of most mass-produced garments. “For many women, there is something magical and glamorous about a piece from yesteryear. Simply adding a vintage clutch to your outfit or a wearing a stylish 1950s dress can make you feel like a million dollars,” she says.

Lovie Wong, 28-year-old owner of Dulcetfig, describes a Renaissance in the Singapore vintage scene. “Ten years ago, you wouldn’t see many young people in vintage outfits, but in the recent years, ‘granny’ has become cool. I think young people now see vintage as an alternative way of expression; a departure from mainstream fashion.”

Both store owners predict that retro fashion will stay on the radar. Chew says, “Given the growing choices out there, I think more Singaporean women are beginning to realize vintage is an attractive option, and this makes them willing to take the plunge.”

Why not start with CNNGo’s top thrift spots in Singapore and Shanghai? Or plan a day trip to Beijing’s rock and roll district and Bangkok’s retro markets. Many boutiques are run by passionate young owners who are eager to help you find the right piece, so don’t be afraid to chat them up. Chances are, you’ll walk away with something unique and classic -- that even my mother would approve of.