The era of #GIRLBOSS is dead, but the idea is still alive. As a secondhand seller since college, I used to sell pre-loved clothes and shoes from my closet on eBay, Depop and at my own apartment, where classmates went through a duffle bag to buy their first pair of vintage designer goodies. Occasionally, I would sell on The Real Real to get higher commissions. Though I sold my things for fun, I never thought that I would come back to doing it full time via Soeng Signature.
A few weeks after my birthday in June, I got an e-mail from Crane Living (as I’m subscribed to it) looking for vendors for its September pop up events. I contacted them and much to my surprise, I couldn’t believe that I got confirmed to sell my goods there!
However, this was not my first rodeo with pop ups. My first pop up was at People’s Park, where it was at a lounge/restaurant at the rooftop. Since there was no fee for renting the tables, it was budget-friendly for a beginner like myself. Prior to my focus on selling runway-ready items, I was trying to sell upcycled denim and t-shirts. Out of all the items that got sold, my cropped LF-inspired Harley Davidson tank top got sold for $45 SGD. (This pop up was pre-covid!) It was also a one day event, so that made it difficult for me to be able to gain multiple sales. Nevertheless, I am still grateful that I got the chance to do it as it taught me that my items are not for everyone, but there will always be something for someone.
Since Crane Living has a space at OCBC Wisma Atria, there would certainly be more foot traffic compared to People’s Park. Given that people like to go to the cafés and restaurants upstairs, not many people shop at Wisma unless it’s for children’s clothes or Tory Burch. I didn’t want to have too many expectations, yet I wanted to hope for the very best.
At the pop up, there were multiple small businesses that sold readymades. Out of the all the vendors there, I was the only one selling used clothing and accessories. Although I felt like the odd one out, the other vendors were friendly and had really cute items, too!
Amoi Hallmark is a local brand that specializes in dresses and woven bags. What makes their dresses unique is that each piece is hand cut (as opposed to laser cut). If you like the old Reformation (think 2014 to 2016), this brand is literally for you as it’s got the dainty florals and midi length dresses.
Melmomilk is a Japanese-owned local brand that upcycles plastic into earrings. When I was walking by their stall, it reminded me of seeing Dale Chihuly’s glass blown flowers at The Bellagio in Las Vegas and Gardens by the Bay. Not only does it feel elevated, I feel like these statement earrings are a piece you want to grab on repeat.
Although all of us were selling sustainably made apparel and have sustainability-oriented businesses, we’re united under one cause to create a space for slow fashion in a fast fashion-loving country. Small but mighty, I feel like Singapore is a good place to start out for brands like ours as there’s a ton of room/potential for growth.
Livin' La Vari Na-Dah 
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