When you’re looking for clothing for your

business, quality matters. After  all, no

one is going to come back to your store

if the clothes and textiles they buy fall

apart in a month.

When you’re looking for clothing for your

business, quality matters. After  all, no

one is going to come back to your store

if the clothes and textiles they buy fall

apart in a month.

“Many Hong Kongers cannot accept the concept of buying old things. They are inexplicably wary about who’s worn them in the past.”

This is a quote from Thomas Lee, a vintage purveyor who has seen his business grow enormously over the last couple of years in Asia due to decreased cost of clothing and shipping and a change in mindset from a growing Asian youth population. Not only is the stigma against old clothes going away, but vintage clothes have become the hottest look in a booming Asian economy. As income is increasing for a growing middle class, Asians in particular are looking for a more sophisticated look that only vintage clothing can offer compared to the popular styles and brands.

Take Japan as an example. Before the vintage boom in the 90’s in America, vintage clothing stores in the island country didn’t exist. Now stores have popped up in major cities like Kyoto and Tokyo just to sell used clothing exclusively. Boutique stores are the new norm and many women are doing away with big stores and brands. Names like “Keshiki” which sells bags and accessories and “The Sun Goes Down” which sells American western clothing are offering people styles they never would have otherwise - and for a cost much lower than the expensive foreign brands.

Perhaps Lovie Wong, a store owner from Singapore says it best: ““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.”

That trend only looks to continue, with e-shopping becoming increasingly popular for young women to find clothes they can’t find in stores, meaning the used clothing business isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.