It was an experience we wanted to bring back to Singapore but alas, we were only young poly students back then with duties to fulfil. We saw big shops like Kinji (a famous second-hand store located in Harajuku) and were completely overwhelmed with the experience of looking through racks and racks of clothes to find things that really spoke to us. Starting the store was a way to pay homage to our passion for vintage clothes, and also as a way to allow like-minded people to connect with one another.Ī joint trip to Japan sometime towards the end of our poly years opened our eyes to the vintage/thrift/buy-sell-trade scene that was beyond the borders of Singapore. So anyway, yes we’ve always had an interest in vintage clothes, whether it was collecting them, buying them, or wearing them. We bought stuff that we liked from eBay, and paid stupid shipping prices for them. We were really into vintage clothes back when in polytechnic, but at that time we didn’t have Instagram shops, Carousell, or any of those easy trading platforms to look for stuff like that. What prompted you guys to get into this business? “Loop” is also from the expression ‘stay in the loop’, so there you go! “Garms” is just a shortened version of ‘garments’, which is what we deal with pretty much! “Loop” is in reference to the buy-sell-trade nature of what we do – used clothes find a second life when they come through our shop. Here, we speak to the duo on what goes on behind the scenes at Loop Garms. Given that the majority of their audience comprises of youths as young as 14 to those in their 20s, it’s small wonder that you’ll also find plenty of memorabilia from the ’90s and ’00s, such as Game Boys and X-men comics (Sai is a big fan), though those are usually from Sai and Ang’s own collection and aren’t for sale. Keeping things in that same egalitarian spirit, Loop Garms does not reserve items – the duo posts daily Stories on Instagram ( showcasing what’s available to their 8,500-strong following – and things tend to go quickly, especially for rare pieces such as Supreme x Nike Air Max 98 sneakers, which saw fans queuing for hours before the store opened. Prices start from $10 for T-shirts and caps, $35 for outerwear and $50 for bags. Walking in, it’s almost as if you’ve stepped into an old-school neighbourhood barber – the store is a no-frills space decked out in racks of ’80s/’90s apparel such as fishing vests, plaid pants, sports jackets and a wide variety of movie/band/graphic T-shirts from brands such as Nike, Adidas, Fila and more. Located beneath an innocuous HDB block on Veerasamy Road, the store is no more than a minute’s walk from Jalan Besar station. The inclusive vibe is not the sole reason the store is doing a roaring business but it’s certainly part of Loop Garms’ offhanded charm. That goes against what we want to be – which is (being) inclusive and welcoming!” “We try to bring in things that will allow our customers to experiment in a way they may not be able to in other stores in Singapore. One thing we don’t want to do is limit ourselves, because the moment we do that, we (also) limit the different profiles of customers that come in. Sai says Loop Garms is meant to reflect their philosophy of being accessible. If the multi-faceted nature of the store sounds confusing, it wasn’t a haphazard choice. Loop Garms founders FJ Sai (left) and Isaac Ang Opened in February, the store was started by 26-year-old first-time entrepreneurs, Fengjia Sai (commonly called FJ) and Isaac Ang. This is not the case at the chimeric Loop Garms, which bills itself as a “vintage/new/used clothing store”. Say “ vintage store” and the first thing that probably comes to mind is memorabilia from popularly referenced decades such as the ’60s and the ’70s.
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