We all know Hong Kong is a shopping Mecca. There is nothing a fashion fiend can’t find, particularly at the high-end. Every luxury house is represented, usually several times over.
However, there is much less of a preloved and vintage scene here than in Australia or the USA. It is more about shiny new Birkin’s than the vintage Chanel clip-on earrings. In short, there aren’t many stores. You have to work hard to find the shops themselves, let alone the treasures. That being said, I am rarely defeated and did manage to walk away with some great finds.
Brandoff
Various locations including: 15C Wellington St, Central
Brandoff is one of the big luxury consignment stores which has a number of locations in Hong Kong as well as in Japan. As far as luxury handbags and accessories go, Brandoff has a brilliant range, great condition items and reasonable prices. These guys are professionals. All the big international designers have pride of place in this store, including a good range of Hermes Birkin bags. I found the staff helpful and obliging.
This place is a must for the savvy preloved luxury shopper.
If you can’t make it to Hong Kong, Brandoff also have an eBay store which ships to Australia.
The Daily Luxe pick: A Givenchy large patent animal print Antigona tote. Outrageous and elegant at the same time.
Bang Bang 70s
16 Aberdeen st, Central
Two words define this place: elusive and eclectic. In simple terms, it’s a bit hard to find and it’s a bit disorganised. Great if you love an adventure and a fossick. Not so great if you like a spacious and arranged store. A very fat grey cat lounges around the store and clearly runs the show. He shoots a piercing look of derision, but equally, couldn’t care less about you being there. I admire his form.
Thankfully, I’m the kind of person who loves fossicking and enjoyed my adventure in this quirky store. There are plenty of vintage items from the most well known international designers. Chanel, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Gucci are all very well represented. There are also plenty of exotics as well as accessories and clothing. Most items, while loved, are in great vintage condition.
The owner is helpful but the prices stray towards pricey. This is definitely the place to visit if you are looking for rare or unusual luxury vintage pieces.
The Daily Luxe pick: Stunning vintage Gucci cross-body bag from the 90s in a vibrant red and in immaculate condition.
Guiltless
67 Queens Road Central, Central (Pop-up)
Guiltless is an online luxury consignment store domiciled in Hong Kong which currently has a pop-up store in Central. This store has a great range of vintage and preloved luxury leather goods, accessories and clothes, all in immaculate condition. Again, all large international design houses plus a few boutique design houses get a mention. At the top end, there are an array of stunning Chanel pieces, a wall of Hermes Birkins (including exotics), and a number of pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels.
The prices are generally reasonable given the quality of the items. Some items are a little expensive but not obscene.
If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, this is the store.
The Daily Luxe pick: A deep red lambskin Chanel single flap jumbo. Delicious.
The Green Ladies
302-308 Hennessey Rd, Wan Chai
This store is in a shopping complex so you won’t see it from the road. And it is my favourite of the lot. It is very much focussed on the sustainability aspect of fashion and encourages a culture of recycling and reusing.
Open and spacious, this store caters for all aspects of women’s and children’s preloved fashion at both the mid and high end. There are plenty of treasures to be found here and the prices are seriously reasonable. Actually, they are pretty damn cheap. It is a blessing that airlines have a strict baggage allowance, because that is about the only thing which kept me in check.
The Daily Luxe pick: A pair of Miu Miu red patent pumps with bow detail. Barely used and AUD$31. They are now part of the Daily Luxe collection. Obviously.
Vintage 1961
1302, 13/F, Radiocity, 505-511 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay
This store is also a little hard to find as it is half-way up a high rise building. However, if you are into period vintage then this is the place to visit.
It is a quaint, almost Wimbledon-esque, store. Plenty of patterned silk, leather handbags and cameos as far as they eye can see. Items are mainly from the 1940’s – 1970’s and they are in immaculate condition. Prices are pretty reasonable given the great condition of the items. This is a great place to visit to buy vintage jewellery as there is a wide and quality selection. There are also plenty of clothes and leather goods.
I really like this store but I do note that it is more vintage and less branded luxury. I didn’t lock me eyes on any of the usual international luxury designers. That being said, there are some rare and stunning pieces in here that would be a worthy addition to any luxury style collection.
The Daily Luxe pick: A gorgeous pair of pink cameo clip on earrings. Not everyone’s taste, but simple and tidy.
Shing Do Shoe Repair
Li Yuen St, Central
Not exactly a preloved store but rather the man to give new life to your existing designer shoes.
This cobbler has been handling designer shoes for the locals in Hong Kong for over 25 years. He is an old-school craftsman with a stall near Landmark, and still uses his original manual shoe repair machine. He is brilliant and very well respected.
While I was in Hong Kong a friend of mine had the soles replaced on two pairs of Louboutins. She had to wait in line. That’s right, there was a line for this cobbler. It was worth it. The workmanship on the repair was fantastic.
I will be bringing my shoes here when I next visit Hong Kong.
Milan Station
Various locations including: 26 Wellington Street, Central
Milan Station is another of the big luxury consignment stores in Hong Kong. It also has stores in Macau and China. Like Brandoff is has a large range of international designers and great quality items. Unlike Brandoff, it is quite expensive and the staff as not as helpful. And when I say quite expensive, I mean that it is cheaper to buy the same item at retail in Australia.
Unless you are looking for a rare or discontinued item that you simply must have, I’d probably pass.
