Past LIVES

How does a fashion insider champion sustainability and circularity? From intentional buying to closet clear-outs, editor-in-chief of Vogue Singapore Desmond Lim provides a new lens on what it means to shop pre-loved.

- MAYA MENON

There's something to be said about second acts. For us mere mortals, it is the precipice of a new beginning. The same can be said for the things we hold dear. In the constellation of fashion, this theory manifests in the encore lives of collected pieces: a coat that lights up your eyes the moment you see it, an item from a designer's history-defining line up, or better yet, an object so novel it reminds you that fashion is never that serious.

Solidifying this sentiment is the sweeping resurgence of the 'closet clear-out', a circular exercise in which fashion insiders open up their wardrobes (and hearts) in the vested interest that their most loved pieces will find a new home. And while platforms such as Vestiaire Collective and eBay have long been the go-to options, this setting is a different one: intimate and knowing, it is a transition of taste, a silent nod that an item you love will elicit an energised spark in someone else.