Where do thrift shops source their clothes from?

Thrift shopping is all the rage amongst Gen Z: it’s environmentally-sustainable, trendy (especially if you’re into specific Y2K or vintage looks that thrift shops are more than happy to provide), and best of all, affordable.

Second-hand shops have always had a presence in Singapore, from karang guni shops to charity thrift stores. There's Lucky Plaza thrift stores, vintage shops or shops specialising in designer product.

That presence has turned into an abundance though, as the second-hand shopping subculture expanded on social media. Besides dozens of new youth-led thrift shops, there’s a burgeoning scene of Instagram and Carousell accounts capitalising on this trend. 

Why are people attracted to second-hand shops?

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It’s not just the fact it’s trending, or it aligning with fashion subcultures from grunge to fairycore, Y2K to cottagecore.

It’s also how it’s cheap (at least for thrift shops; vintage shirts fetch prices of up to around S$60). And the fact that it’s environmentally friendly. For some, they even enjoy the hunt, the satisfaction of digging up the perfect piece to accompany their outfits. 

What types of second-hand shops are there?

It’s not just thrift shops, there’s also charity thrift shops and vintage stores.

Understanding the difference between vintage stores and thrift stores can be confusing. While thrift stores sell secondhand clothes, sometimes sorted by aesthetic and quality, vintage stores sell clothing that are ‘vintage’, usually meaning they’re at least 20-years-old. They’re then further curated based on the style and era. There are even shops that specialise in a specific time period and style.

“What’s interesting about vintage clothing is the stories and the origins behind every piece”, says FJ, a co-founder of Loop Garms, a vintage store, in an interview with The Outsiders Co. “It’s the personal connection that you have with that particular piece that gives it its meaning [...] vintage clothing is very much like wearable nostalgia.”

Naturally, different shops will have different methods of sourcing for their wares.

Imported bales of clothing

Many thrift stores replenish their stock with clothing bales from overseas. For example, Function Five, a popular thrift shop on Arab Street, said they receive 50kg to 100kg bales from textile factories, which buy them from landfills. The founders go on sourcing trips to our regional neighbours.

Others, like Honsie Ponsie, get their wares from a mix of thrift suppliers – intermediaries operating within the Southeast Asian second-hand market, selecting and selling goods to thrift stores – and 100kg bales from East Asian countries.

There are companies specialising in wholesale shipping of second-hand clothes. They ship entire crates of sorted second-hand clothes to customers all over the world, including in Singapore. 

Charitable donations

There are also thrift shops that depend on charitable donations of clothes. There are large-scale charities like The Salvation Army which take in huge amounts of donations, and have the capacity to sort through them. Some of these items will then make it into The Salvation Army’s thrift stores, where they raise money for The Salvation Army’s charitable initiatives. Not every item can make it, however, since many of the clothing donated would not be in a condition good enough to resell. Those items would then be packed away for exports to raise money for the organisation.

Other charitable organisations, such as SSVP, may be more selective. Their collections are limited by finite storage space and a lack of manpower to sort through a trawl of donations.

Sourcing from customers

Some of these shops also buy their second-hand clothes. The most obvious is Refash, which buys pre-loved clothing from sellers and resells them at their shops. There are others like the Fashion Pulpit, where after paying for membership, you can swap in your secondhand clothing for points (depending on its style, value, quality, etc) and exchange it for other people’s. Some shops will also dabble in buying or trading with their customers too, like Loop Garms.

Flipping thrift store finds

For some of the smaller shops trying to get their foot through the door, getting their stock can become an issue. Apart from sourcing from their wardrobe and their friends, they might also trawl through online platforms like Carousell or other thrift shops. There are online guides and communities detailing such practices. While there is criticism of said practices, the purveyors are also arguably providing a curation service. That said, it feeds into increasing thrift store prices — pricing out thrift stores from those who need it most. 

Some Singaporean thrift stores actively fight against the gentrification of thrift shops. They offer clothing at low prices to ensure accessibility. For example, the Barn offers pieces as low as $3. 

What happens to the stuff they can't sell?

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Thrift shops are still bound by economic supply and demand: it’s why they don’t accept poor-quality goods, and why clothing that adheres to a specific aesthetic would be more popular. So what about the garments and accessories that can’t be sold easily?

Some thrift shops will turn to promotions, as most shops do. This may fuel excessive consumption just like fast fashion did.

Other thrift shops look at upcycling as a solution. This ensures that even unwanted clothing can find itself back into the clothing cycle, and ensures otherwise unused garments can go to use.