How This Couple Created A Vintage Clothing Empire | Singapore Hour

Key Concepts

Vintagewknd: A Singapore-based sustainable fashion brand specializing in upcycling textile waste.
Upcycling: The process of transforming waste materials or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.
Textile Waste: Discarded fabrics and clothing that are repurposed by Vintagewknd.
Haji Lane: A cultural district in Singapore known for its independent and fashion-forward businesses, where Vintagewknd is located.
Vintage Shopping: The practice of buying pre-owned clothing, which was the initial focus of Vintagewknd.
Side Gig: A business or project undertaken in addition to one's full-time job or studies.
Home Textiles: Materials like table linen and curtains, which Vintagewknd also upcycles.
Common Jean Flaws: Fraying, fading at sides, crotch, knees, hems, and butt areas due to wear and tear.
Experimental Designs: Unique and one-of-a-kind upcycled clothing pieces, such as "Overdose Jeans" and "Half & Half Denim."
Lapis Jeans: A design inspired by the layered appearance of a lapis cake.
One-of-a-Kind Products: Each upcycled item is unique, meaning once sold, it is gone.
Desirability-Driven Sales: Focusing on creating products that customers want, with sustainability as an added benefit.
Gen Z Team: The majority of Vintagewknd's team members are Gen Z, who often join after being customers.
Work Culture: Emphasis on enjoyable work, good company culture, and positive colleague relationships, particularly for Gen Z employees.
Live Streaming Sales: A primary sales channel for Vintagewknd, conducted multiple times a week.
High Engagement Rate: Vintagewknd experiences significantly higher customer engagement on live streams compared to other shops.
Bundle Promos: Discount offers for purchasing multiple items during live streams.
Self-Collect Option: Customers can pick up their orders in person.
Competitive Edge in Live Streaming: The one-of-a-kind nature of upcycled items creates intrigue and drives sales during live streams.
DIY and Personal Expression: Founders engage in personal creative activities like painting on denim and tending to plants.
Colourful Alternative Vibe: The aesthetic of the founders' home.
Sustainable Art Installations: A future aspiration for Vintagewknd.
Upcycling for Major Brands: Collaborating with larger companies to create upcycled products.
Fjallraven Collaboration: A current project involving upcycling Kanken backpacks into a "King Kanken" (one meter tall).
Client Work: Assisting other companies in transforming their waste into creative products.
Scaling and Audience Reach: Strategies to expand impact and connect with diverse customer segments.

Vintagewknd: Pioneering Sustainable Fashion Through Upcycling

Vintagewknd, a local fashion brand based in Singapore, is a pioneer in sustainable fashion, focusing on upcycling textile waste. Founded by Eileen and Eden, the brand has achieved significant milestones, upcycling over 60 tonnes (60,000 kg) of textile waste and rehoming over 150,000 items to date. Their store is strategically located in Haji Lane, a vibrant cultural district known for its independent and fashion-forward scene, which aligns with Vintagewknd's ethos.

Genesis and Evolution of Vintagewknd

The brand's inception dates back to a backpacking trip in Europe about ten years ago, where Eileen's passion for vintage shopping sparked an idea. Eden and Eileen decided to bring vintage items back to Singapore and sell them, starting with a modest S$2,000 investment. Initially, their inventory consisted of vintage blouses, dresses, and skirts. As Eileen was working full-time and Eden was starting university, Vintagewknd began as a weekend side gig, hence its name.

Through their curation of vintage items, Vintagewknd began collaborating more closely with factories that handled textile waste. This process exposed them to a wider range of materials, including home textiles like table linen and curtains, which they saw potential in for creating new items.

The Upcycling Process: From Waste to Wearable Art

The Vintagewknd warehouse serves as a hub for their operations, storing props, furniture, and upcycling materials. A significant portion of their work involves sorting through clothing collections, particularly jeans, which often exhibit common flaws such as fraying or fading at the sides, crotch, knees, hems, and the butt area due to regular wear.

To address these issues, Vintagewknd strategically cuts away problematic sections of the fabric and utilizes the remaining materials to create new, desirable pieces. This methodology results in unique designs like:

Upside Down Jeans: Crafted by sewing two pairs of jeans together, with each half oriented upside down relative to the other, creating a distinctive visual effect.
Overdose Jeans: An experimental design made from a variety of scraps, produced in a limited batch.
Half & Half Denim: Another two-tone style of jeans.
Lapis Jeans: Named for their resemblance to a layered lapis cake, showcasing a unique aesthetic.

Unlike fast fashion, all of Vintagewknd's upcycled clothes are one-of-a-kind. This means that once an item is sold, it is gone, creating a sense of exclusivity and urgency for customers. The brand's strategy is to create products that people desire first, with the sustainability aspect being an added, appreciated benefit.

Design Philosophy and Creative Process

Eileen describes her design process as a "spaghetti noodle" of ideas, with over 100 designs constantly circulating in her mind. She matches materials and production processes to her envisioned designs, considering factors like season, trends, and material availability. This approach ensures a continuous flow of fresh and innovative upcycled creations.

Team and Company Culture

Vintagewknd's team is predominantly composed of Gen Z individuals, with Eileen and Eden, both millennials, leading the team. A unique aspect of their hiring is that many team members started as customers, fostering a deep understanding of the brand's ethos and values. This customer-first approach ensures that the team is genuinely invested in the brand's mission.

The founders prioritize understanding the personal needs of their team members, recognizing that Gen Z employees often seek enjoyable work, a positive company culture, and strong collegial relationships, including friendships with their superiors.

The team includes Ridhuan, the store manager with three years of service, and co-hosts Jolene and Tasha. Diana, a content intern from LaSalle, also contributes to the team. The office is also home to a cat, humorously noted as not working very well.

Live Streaming: A Dynamic Sales Channel

The studio room is a versatile space that transforms into a live set for their sales streams. Vintagewknd began live streaming in 2019, initially with just Eileen and Eden, where one would hold the camera while the other spoke for extended periods.

Currently, their live stream schedule operates three times a week, with each session showcasing approximately 300 products. They typically have two to three live hosts per stream, consciously featuring diverse body types to enhance approachability for viewers. Behind the scenes, one person (often Eden) and an admin manage orders and customer queries simultaneously.

Vintagewknd highlights the effectiveness of live streaming on platforms like TikTok, reporting an extremely high engagement rate, twice that of many other shops. They offer bundle promotions, such as S$12 off for four items and S$16 off for five items, along with a self-collect option. The brand views the one-of-a-kind nature of their upcycled products as a significant competitive advantage in live streaming, as it generates intrigue and excitement among viewers who are eager to discover unique pieces.

Personal Pursuits and Future Aspirations

During downtime, Eileen engages in DIY activities like painting on denim and clothing to personalize her items. Eden dedicates time daily to tending to plants, reflecting the colourful and alternative vibe of their home, which they moved into two years ago.

Vintagewknd harbors ambitious future goals, including creating more sustainable art installations and undertaking upcycling projects for major brands. They aim to expand their impact by collaborating with more companies, believing that larger partnerships can accelerate their mission to upcycle textile waste.

Current Collaborations and Client Work

A notable ongoing project is a collaboration with Fjallraven, a Nordic outdoors brand. Vintagewknd is upcycling their Kanken backpacks into a "King Kanken," a one-meter-tall creation designed to be visibly upcycled from original Kanken pieces. This initiative marks a new direction for the brand, assisting other companies in their sustainability efforts.

They also undertake client work where businesses provide their waste materials, and Vintagewknd transforms them into creative products, helping clients who are unsure how to approach such transformations.

Scaling Impact and Design Inclusivity

To continue making an impact, Vintagewknd consistently explores new design ideas and strategies to scale their operations and reach diverse audiences. In their design process, they emphasize inclusivity, considering a wide range of people. Their goal is to attract customers based on the desirability of their products, rather than solely pushing a sustainability message that might feel prescriptive or guilt-inducing.

Conclusion

Vintagewknd exemplifies a successful model of sustainable fashion by transforming textile waste into desirable, one-of-a-kind garments. Their journey from a small side gig to a pioneering brand is marked by innovation, a strong team culture, and effective use of modern sales channels like live streaming. By focusing on product desirability and expanding their collaborations, Vintagewknd is poised to make an even greater impact on the fashion industry and environmental sustainability.