Carrying pieces from brands such as Blackmeans, Loewe and Maison Margiela, Milieu can be best described as a haven for fashion archivists. Started in Jan 2022 by Alfred Bong and Leon Lim, the business has quickly become a go-to for those seeking out specific designer pieces from seasonal collections. It recently vacated its store at The Adelphi for its new home in Jalan Pemimpin. Pieces we’ve spotted before on its racks included a floral print button-up from Yohji Yamamoto’s Spring/Summer 2002 runway; a textural pair of derbies from British designer Katharine Hamnett; and a Maison Margiela knit vest from 1999. But it’s not just about making a profit from these vintage designer pieces which can often skyrocket over time. “We believe that the synapses between the context and construction of the item are what we are ultimately trying to communicate,” shares Bong about the role Milieu seeks to fill.

 45 Jalan Pemimpin, #09-01

Step into A Vintage Tale’s quaint Joo Chiat store and be prepared to be wowed by a riot of colours, neon lights and clashing wallpaper patterns. Opened by Italian-born Azzurra La Mantia in 2016, A Vintage Tale brims with eclectic finds that range from Dior and Gucci threads to pieces that they’ve found in a market in Brooklyn. Every piece is lovingly cared for and authenticated to ensure that you are getting an original designer product. At the back of the store, a little cocktail bar is tucked away for customers to enjoy, so you can shop and sip at the same time. The store is also working on a major revamp of its interiors in the early months of 2024, and will be introducing Italian fragrances to its customers which, as La Mantia puts it, “will be representative of my country and of the Sicily region where I come from”.

277 Joo Chiat Rd, #01-01 

Run by Kelly Yeo for almost 18 years, Deja Vu Vintage is one of the mainstays in Singapore’s vintage scene. While most stores carry items from the ‘80s and ‘90s, this shop stocks clothes and accessories that can date back to the ‘40s. Yeo, a former marketing and advertising professional, originally ran her business with her sister in 2006 from a store unit in Mandarin Gallery. “I had no intention of leaving my job,” she says. “But even on a small scale, we had a lot of press coverage.”. Her sister helped Yeo manned the business in the early months of its inception, before returning to a corporate job. Around 2010, Yeo moved her operations to its current location in Millenia Walk. Each item in the store is handpicked from international sourcing trips, and the pieces run the gamut from museum-quality accessories and one-of-a-kind finds by Chanel or Pucci, to everyday separates that you can easily restyle for daily wear.

#01-70 Millenia Walk 

Started by Eileen Tan and Eden Tay in 2015, Vintagewknd is the result of Tan and Tay’s extensive backpacking trips, where the duo would trawl through the racks of international vintage haunts and find choice pieces to bring back to sell. What started as a passion project done on weekends selling their wares on Carousell up for the first three years of their opening – hence the name – grew into their full-time baby. 

The duo also take on the hats of designers, using existing vintage pieces and upcycling them to incorporate more modern and contemporary styles and fits for the changing customer. As of this year, Tan and Tay tell us that they have managed to rehome over 100,000 vintage items that they have procured in the last eight years by finding new owners for these pieces or upcycling them into new designs.

Requesting to be quoted as a collective, they say: “We’re focused on highlighting original design and creating items and visual concepts that create conversations about sustainability. At Vintagewknd, we sell original, unaltered vintage pieces and various reworked pieces at our store. Our goal is to make sustainable clothing available to anyone and everyone and you’ll find we have a good range of items in our stores to fit all budgets & styles.”

41 Haji Lane 

The same team behind Vintagewknd also launched Superwasted in July of 2022. The owners describe Superwasted as Vintagewknd’s “outer space alter-ego”,  and have decked out the space with a  darker and grungier aesthetic to emphasise the shop’s “radical, unconventional style with a strong streetwear influence”. Besides the vintage wares, the store retails repurposed items such as table linens that have been transformed into cute corsets, scarves that have been respliced into bags and matching adult-child shirts that were once vintage tea towels. Already, Superwasted is a crowd fave, especially amongst the Gen Z shoppers who strongly gravitate towards the street style fits on offer. “We really do try to explore different styles and we find that a lot of people with unique styles are able to find something from us that they love.”

16 Haji Lane

Pop culture fiends will love Loop Garms, which first swung its doors open in 2018. The racks here are a treasure trove of movie-themed paraphernalia, vintage music tees and items that relate to a specific window of pop culture’s winding history. A Jerry Garcia T-shirt from the ‘90s? A Toronto Raptors jersey that dates to the early 2000s? A rare basketball team tee designed by Greg Speirs for the Lithuanian team to wear at the 1996 Olympics? They are all here. Beyond fashion, co-founder Isaac Ang treats his customers like friends. “The truth is that we are for the people,” Ang says. “We set up a brick-and-mortar space rather than just keeping it online because we wanted conversations to happen. We want to be able to convey stories because Loop Garms is all about history. Customers are able to pick out any article of clothing, and we can tell you everything about it to its nano detail.”

635 Veerasamy Road, #01-148  

Additional reporting by Khong Yawen