BY: NG XIAO YAN
From vintage handbags to flashy retro getups, to handmade charm bracelets, fashion fleas are interesting alternative shopping niches, especially for those who would not want to frequent the more mainstream malls, prefering to go 'indie' instead.
One such bazaar is the monthly 'Flea Fly Flo Fun' (FFFF), usually set up at Home Club along Boat Quay. Makeshift stalls of tables, clothes racks, floor mats and suitcases occupy the premises inside and outside the club. And trawling the booths are the fashion conscious youth, on the prowl from anything trendy, quirky or different.
Unsurprisingly, the saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" certainly does apply in fleas. Some vendors sell their used, or 'pre-loved' clothes, from well-known brands like Mango, Zara, Topshop or even H&M for prices less than 10 dollars. Usually these vendors sell their clothes to clear their wardrobes at home, or impulse buys -- in this case, these have been worn only once, or twice and are in good condition.
Shoppers then turn 'treasure hunters', rummaging through piles of clothes in suitcases for anything that catches their fancy -- if they're lucky they could get branded apparels or wallets and bags in good condition at dirt cheap prices.
Very often, clothes sold in fleas can be negotiable as well, and bargain hunters could haggle a few bucks off if they buy more than one item from a stall.
"I would never spend more than 30 dollars on a single item whenever I go to a flea," says Bhuva Narayanan, a 19-year-old student from NTU.
She doesn't mind buying pre-loved clothes either: "As long as they're pretty and in good condition, they aren't a problem. Of course, even better if they're branded too! It's definitely a steal!" Boasting her loot, the self-professed 'treasure hunter' proudly added that she had once found a brand new Zara floral top for five dollars.
Flea markets also serve as an avenue for blogshop owners to promote their stalls and to clear their stocks too by putting their apparels on sale. Wenxi, an 18-year-old student and blogshop owner, knew about FFFF through Facebook.
"Each stall costs about 40 to 45 dollars to rent for the entire day," she says. "I also share the rental with my other friends who are joining me to sell their things."
She finds that fleas are also a good way to assess customers' tastes in clothes, so that she would know the kinds of apparels that are able to sell on her online store. "I look at what other blogshop owners are selling in their stalls, so I would get something different to put up on my shop," she adds.
FFFF also rolls in music and drinks into the shopping experience, playing indie electronica mixes and promotions on housepours and soft drinks in Home Club. It was first started by Terence Lau and Christy Chow in September 2006, who wanted a way to spread their love of art, music, fashion and design, to try to get people to be more exposed to different cultures. Thus FFFF was a cross platform to incorporate these elements together.
“It’s cheap, good fun all rolled into one. The name speaks for itself. It’s Flea, It’s Fly, It’s Flo, It’s Fun,” says Terence.
RELATED STORY: Emily Hill - An alternative fashion haven for bargain hunters
0 comments:
Post a Comment