Jakarta's boutiques sell second-hand designer goods

Jakarta's boutiques sell second-hand designer goods

By T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA (JP): Used clothes are not only for the poor. Some
wealthy people buy second-hand outfits and wear them with pride.
The difference is that the clothes worn by the affluent might be
more than just used clothes -- they are used designer clothes.

In Jakarta, boutiques selling second-hand brand-name items are
rare, but they exist. They offer clothes, shoes and bags produced
by Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Gucci, Prada, Versace,
Giorgio Armani, and others. Even though they are not new, they
cost a lot.

"This Chanel handbag costs about Rp 2.5 million," said Yolanda
Janssens, owner of Recycle M. 39, a recycled brand-name item
store.

"But it is much lower than the original price. A brand new one
costs around Rp 4 million," she added.

The recycled clothes cost between Rp 30,000 for a T-shirt and
Rp 1.5 million for a jacket, which originally sold for Rp 5
million.

The prices for shoes range between Rp 75,000 and Rp 500,000,
while the handbags are available for between Rp 200,000 and Rp 3
million each.

Amy, a 34-year-old woman who works at a travel agency, visits
Yolanda's store once a month to buy handbags.

"If I can buy the recycled ones, why should I buy the new
ones?" she said. "In other countries, it is not unusual to buy
such items. I did it when I lived in Monterey, California, as a
student years ago."

Asked if she would prefer a recycled designer item or a brand
new unbranded item, she quickly said: "The first."

The reason behind her choice was because her friends also wore
brand-name items. "Lingkungannya begitu, sih (My surrounding is
like that)."

Most of Yolanda's customers are housewives and women who work
outside the house. Yolanda said she recognized some as actresses
who star in sinetron (TV dramas), but they would not reveal who
they really were.

"Maybe they are ashamed to let anyone know they wear recycled
items," she said.

Some of her clientele are rich people who want to be
economical. Others are those who want brand-name items, but can't
afford the new ones.

Customers who are not that rich might make a down payment,
which is 30 percent of the price, and ask Yolanda to keep a
certain item for them. After they get their paycheck, they pay
the rest and take the items.

Most of her customers, however, pay with credit cards -- some
silver, some gold.

In a month, Yolanda can sell about 20 handbags, but the
turnover of clothes and shoes is much smaller.

"It is more difficult to sell shoes or clothes," she said.

But during the just-ended holiday season, business was really
good. She sold no less than 40 pieces of clothes last month,
which was several times greater than the average.

"You can't tell the type of people who are interested in
recycled clothes. Sometimes, I even feel afraid people will feel
offended if I offer them used clothes. But you can't tell -- some
women who drive Mercedes might buy those clothes," she said.

Yolanda used to live in Los Angeles, where she studied
accounting. She has experience in international marketing,
including working in Macy's, the biggest department store in the
U.S. In Jakarta, she worked for a Gucci supplier.

She opened the store five months ago, as she was aware that
there were many people who were boros (wasteful). They did not
mind spending a lot of money on designer handbags and other
brand-name items. But after awhile, they never used them anymore
and just put the expensive items in the closet.

She started her business with 30 handbags. Today, she has more
than 100 bags, about 100 pairs of shoes and 200 pieces of
clothes.

Most of Yolanda's "suppliers" are her own friends. But she
keeps on hunting for new suppliers. Sometimes, if she walks in a
shopping mall and sees a woman carrying a nice handbag, she might
talk to her right away -- even if she does not know her -- and
tell the stranger about her recycling business.

"I tell her to sell the items once she gets bored with them,"
the thirty-something woman said.

She said some of her things are 100 percent new and unused. In
some cases, the people who originally purchased the items might
have been disappointed because they realized that they were not
the ones they really wanted. They can't return the items to the
store, because in Indonesia, customers are not allowed to return
the purchased goods unless there is an agreement prior to the
business transaction.

In other cases, there are people who get brand-name items as
presents, but they decide to sell them because they do not really
like them.

"Even though they are still new, the price is marked down by,
let's say, between Rp 100,000 and Rp 300,000," Yolanda said.

People who want to sell their brand-name items can bring them
to Yolanda and receive the money once they are sold.

"Everything is based on commission," she said. She takes
between 5 and 10 percent.

If the items are not sold within three months, she usually
returns them to the original owners.

Recycled brand-name items are also available in Karen
Widjaja's store. Unlike Yolanda, who runs the business at her
house in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, Karen rents space in an
office building in Central Jakarta for about Rp 30 million/year.

She used to sell the used brand-name items in her house, but
nine months ago, she moved to the building because she was
determined to expand the business.

Her store is bigger than Yolanda's and she has a wider
collection, including watches and jewelry. She also sells men's
clothes.

Karen, who lived in Sydney for 13 years, started the business
with only about 50 pieces of clothes and 30 handbags. Today, the
number of clothes has increased threefold, while she has five
times the number of handbags she started out with.

"Some Indonesians have strong purchasing power. I have clients
who can buy five or six pieces at once," she said.

As a matter of fact, those who like to buy recycled brand-name
items are not only Indonesians, but also foreigners.

Karen's clients come from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia,
while some Japanese like to shop at Yolanda's store.

She is optimistic about the future of her business.

"In the beginning, people felt uneasy with used items. But
people are getting used to them," she said.