my fav thrift shops in Singapore

love shopping but on a budget? want to try a new style but don't know if you'd like it enough? need a fancy dress for an occasion? time to hit up the thrift shops 🥰

I love that thrifting is becoming more accessible and widespread, because we really do not need to be mass producing more clothes and textiles that end up being discarded after 2 wears. it's very much #mindfulspending and #underconsumptioncore to thrift, and who knows what treasures you'll find?

if you don't know where to start, some of my favs are:

🩷 New2U Thrift Shop

this is an initiative by the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations, and money from the shop is used to fund their programmes for women and girls, such as a crisis shelter for survivors of domestic violence. The place is run by lovely volunteers, and the prices are affordable. there's a variety of styles, and a small dressing room for you to try on the clothes before you purchase. other than clothes, they also have shoes, books, bags, and homewares.

The only issue is that it is only open 10.30am to 2.30pm on weekdays, so it's a little hard to catch if you're working a standard 9-5.

BUT once a month, they're open on Sunday too!! follow their Instagram for more updates on opening hours

🩷 The Fashion Pulpit -TFP |Circular Fashion Hub|

this is technically more of a swapping platform than a traditional thrift store. perfect if you have clothes that you outgrew, are not your style anymore or simply regret purchasing, but are still in good condition. they have various memberships but the cheapest is the 1 day membership for $39 and you can swap in up to 8 items. they will give certain points to your items swapped in, and you swap out stuff you like with those points. when I went, I found a beautiful sparkly floor length gown and was so tempted to get it but I didn't have anywhere to wear it to, so I placed it back on the rack. there were also tons of casual clothes and work appropriate attire. I recommend going with friends, so that you increase the odds of everyone finding at least 1 thing they love, and using the points to the fullest.

🩷 Nightingale Thrift Shop

this is run by the sweetest lady. it's not a large store but they have a variety of clothes ranging different sizes and styles. I got one of my best thrift finds here - a midi length black faux velvet dress that I've worn to countless weddings and formal events. it was priced at $15 (so reasonable for the quality!) but the shopowner discounted it to $12 because I was a student then 🥹

this is located in Queensway Shopping Centre, which also has a number of other thrift shops to check out.

🩷 Swapaholic | B Corp Certified

another swapping platform, they've recently moved to city hall (used to be in The Centrepoint).

if you're swapping, a swap package lasts 6 months where you can swap in however many items you like (you pay per item swapped in) and swap out stuff anytime during the membership period. this does give flexibility as you can go back a couple times to see if there's any new stuff which catches your eye.

otherwise, you can also buy the items directly, without swapping in any of your clothes.

🩷 Lucky Plaza

the top floor of lucky plaza has a bunch of thrift stores, and it's definitely worth a visit! prices here are super affordable (ranging from $1 to $10 for most items) but unfortunately, there generally isn't a place to try the clothes on. if you're heading here, I would recommend either bringing a measuring tape or a pair of shorts that fits you well as a benchmark. this gets really crowded on weekends so go down on weekdays if you can!

🩷 REFASH Westgate

Refash is probably the most well-known thrift shop in Singapore, and they have a bunch of outlets across the island. unfortunately, they don't allow you to try on their clothes, so either bring a measuring tape or a well fitting pair of shorts to see if the clothes will fit you. they also have an online shop which always seems to have some sort of sale. if you have clothes to declutter, you can also bring it down to refash (certain outlets only) to exchange for cash or refash credits. I've done this a couple times because it's pretty convenient, but the payout is quite low.

have fun thrifting! #thrifting #MyFreeTime