The Art of Secondhand Clothes

Nurin Razmyn

There’s been a revolution and it’s all about thrifting! Malaysia’s newest generation of youngsters have taken on the responsibility of sustaining and reworking used clothes and turned it into a business opportunity. Here we’ll take a further look into Malaysia’s upcoming thrift/rework brand Revive Your Clothes.

“We pride ourselves in producing unique, fun, trendy and ethically made pieces,” says Revive Your Clothes co-owner, Anne Imm, wearing her latest collection. · Photo Credits to Revive Your Clothes via Instagram.

SOCIAL ISSUES. Only a few years ago, no one could ever be caught dead in something they bought secondhand.

The shame and embarrassment one could anticipate would be enough for them to go into a spiralling fashion debt; trying to keep up with the newest trends and the expensively ‘never-worn’ clothes.

Yet, in recent years popular social media apps have allowed second-hand clothes to be, ironically, reborn. Apps like Carousel introduced internet users to embrace selling and buying old clothes to make a quick buck, and so the new generation took it upon themselves to bring it to a new level.

Slowly, Instagram thrift stores have popped up and many people found them intriguing, buying themselves a new ‘old’ wardrobe.

REVIVE YOUR CLOTHES. Instagram brand Revive Your Clothes (@reviveyourclothes) created by Claudia Tan and Anne Imm, has made a substantial impact on the world of thrifting and reworking; now having thousands of loyal followers and customers who wait in anticipation for every new release.

“We pride ourselves in producing unique, fun, trendy and ethically made pieces. And we put out several drops a month,” said co-owner Anne Imm.

The fashion industry is among many industries that continue to pollute the Earth, so the fashionable duo have made it their mission to buy and create clothing that has little to no waste.

Here are some of their views about their brand and their inspiration.

1. What was the inspiration/reason you decided to start thrifting and reworking clothes?

“We began thrifting habits before we started the brand. As a fashion student I (Anne) learned that fashion is one of the industries that creates the highest amounts of waste. And knowing the industry, the only way to help reduce is to literally reduce production. So reworking was a good start.”

2. What kind of clothing do you thrift? (ex: Athletic wear, vintage dresses, etc?)

“We thrift a wide range of clothing as we have different themes every month. Sometimes we thrift first and then set themes according to what we’ve got, or we set a theme and look for stuff that matches the theme. But more recently, more branded clothing like Nike, Adidas. We also prefer stretchy materials as there would be less hassle for sizing and fit.”

3. How long is the process of reworking one thrifted item?

“Depends on the design. If it’s complicated it could take up to a few days.”

It is no secret that the Earth is slowly but surely being abused by humans. But with the world moving and evolving so fast, where does one start?

The art of thrifting and buying second hand clothes to rework them is something revolutionary. It takes courage to stand up to societal norms, especially when it comes to what we wear.

But brands like Revive Your Clothes have made it look so easy with their unique designs and well thought out pieces.

When it comes to being fashionable and an environmentalist; these young designers are going to shape modern fashion.