If the sound of brands such as Supreme, Fila, Champion and Adidas gets your toes tingling in your Vans then I’ve got really exciting news to fuel your inner hypebeast.
EXIT, Singapore’s second streetwear thrift store has landed on the highest floor of Orchard Plaza, and trust me when I say that you’d want to be one of the first to get your hands on their latest drops.
Started by three young undergraduates, Darren, Charmaine and Aloyston, the start-up goes by the slogan: “EXIT The Norm”, encouraging those who love streetwear to be bold in their statement pieces.
What initially started as a hobby soon turned into a small business, Darren explained over an online interview, and the three just wanted to share their passion for streetwear with like-minded people in Singapore, especially because it’s so hard to find thrift stores here.
The office was raving about wanting to go on a shopping rampage, so my colleague and I headed down to see what all the hype was about.
When we arrived, only Charmaine was around. What you’ll first notice when you walk in is their interesting choice of design around the shop.
With red and white tape draped around the place, the store resembled a sort of warehouse, and Charmaine explained it was meant to recreate a “work-in-progress” aesthetic, and I must say they did so quite successfully!
You’ll find that they’re definitely not short on outerwear, and you’re sure to have fun browsing through the sea of colours.
A concern that many may have about shopping at thrift stores is that they won’t be able to tell if they’re truly paying for a genuine product.
Darren assured us that all items are guaranteed authentic, they have gone through various rounds of inspection and have been thoroughly researched on. They also trade and buy from customers, but that’s subject to filtering from the owners.
Supreme is all the rage right now, and EXIT certainly knows what’s up. It’s hard to miss their Supreme collection, especially when they have a whole ladder dedicated to it.
Anyone who has tried to buy Supreme in Singapore will know how hard it is to get their hands on the highly sought-after brand, mostly because the nearest store to us would be the one in Japan, and they don’t ship to Singapore.
The Supreme tees are dropped in batches too, so you might want to keep a lookout for their weekly updates.
To finish off your Supreme look, EXIT’s got you covered with their five-panel caps.
But as usual with everything at EXIT, nothing’s gonna sit there for long so you’d want to cop it quickly.
A particular jacket that I couldn’t help but be drawn to was this retro Adidas piece, with its classic 90s green and pink aesthetic.
If I wasn’t already buying a host of stuff, this would’ve definitely been in my shopping bag.
My colleague was quick to spot this Takarazuka Kita Swimming Team jacket from Arena, and she fell in love with it the moment she put it on.
Next thing I heard was, “I’m going to get this”. Well, it didn’t take her long to find something to bring home, and I’m very sure you wouldn’t be having difficulties with that either!
Seriously, with the variety of brands and types of clothing, there’s surely something for everyone –hypebeast, hypebae and everyone else in between.
I also wanted to give a special shout-out to the adorable bags at EXIT, from Pikachu to Adventure Time; forget Infinity War, there’s some serious crossover right here.
If T-shirts are what you’re looking for, I should give you a heads up that most of them are folded and tucked away on the shelves because of the space constraint.
But that doesn’t make it any harder to browse through, especially since the friendly owners are always ready to help.
They’ve got you covered from the waist down too! Find joggers, jeans and track shorts to go with the tee or jacket you just picked out.
Being a huge sneakerhead myself, the natural question to ask was, “do you guys bring in shoes?”. To which Charmaine replied that they don’t for the time being due to the inventory issue of different sizings, but they do have a pair or two lying around, like the one pictured above.
And if streetwear brands just aren’t your thing, vintage pieces like these are up for grabs too! Despite the sweltering heat on this sunny island, I’d highly recommend these to help you stay toasty during your studying or reading sessions in the library.
Just when you thought you’d seen all the accessories they have, EXIT surprises again with their extremely cute sunnies!
I don’t know about you, but seems to me like EXIT really knows all about statement pieces.
This was my third time going down to EXIT, and I still managed to cop something every time.
I bade farewell to Charmaine (check out our oversized jackets), and we were on our way.
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Bear in mind that due to the nature of it being a thrift store, there would usually be only one of each item. With that said, by the time you’ve read this article, who knows how many of the items featured here are still in stock?
Their full launch will be happening around late June 2018, where they intend to renovate the space and give it a brand new look, so that’s something to look forward to.
If you’d like to keep up to date with EXIT’s latest drops and cops, you can always subscribe to their Telegram channel, where they regularly update their releases, opening hours and more.
Get ready to EXIT the norm, and start thrifting today!
Prices: S$25 – S$300
EXIT: Orchard Plaza #05-27, 150 Orchard Road, Singapore 238841 | Tel: +65 9138 4656 | Opening Hours: Refer to their Telegram channel for updates | Instagram
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