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SUPPORT LOCAL, SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY
A BLOOM OF SUSTAINABILITY:
BHABIE'S MARKET TAKES ROOT IN
SINGAPORE'S FASHION SCENE
Discover the inspiring journey of Bhabie's Market founder, Azizah, as she transforms a hobby into a thriving sustainable fashion brand, fueled by her passion for creativity and sustainability.
Written by: Lim Han Wei & Tiffany Ting
Imagine fashion as a garden, with clothes as its plants - some are carefully tended to and nurtured, while others are left to wilt, die, and be cast out.
Bhabie's Market, a second-hand clothing store in Queensway Shopping Centre, is a lush oasis in a desert of fast fashion.
Like a gardener, its owner Azizah Rasani carefully cultivates a collection of pre-loved clothing and accessories to promote sustainable fashion.
With each item hand-selected for quality and style, Bhabie's Market invites you to discover the value of second-hand clothing and positively impact the environment.
Bhabie’s Market, a second-hand clothing store located in the heart of
Queensway Shopping Centre. (Photo: Sophia Bte Sahronizam)
Sewing the Seeds of A Business
Amid her polytechnic internship, Azizah faced one of her life's biggest challenges. As the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, she and her batchmates were sent home with no clear idea of the future.
"We were the first batch to work from home," she recalls. "Our supervisor didn't know what to do with us, so we were left with nothing to do but wait at home."
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Fortunately, this freed up much of Azizah's time, and she sought to utilize it more productively. She found inspiration from the cornerstone of modern-day media: YouTube.
Azizah dove into the world of sewing, teaching herself everything she needed to know through online tutorials and videos. She quickly discovered her affinity for it; before long, she was upcycling clothes and selling them online under the brand name "bhabie.co."
Little did she know, this sowed the seeds for what would eventually blossom into Bhabie's Market.
Azizah Rasani, 22, owner of Bhabie’s Market,
greeting the camera with a smile. (Photo: Sophia Bte Sahronizam)
A Budding Dilemma
As the business grew, Azizah found herself spending more and more time on bhabie.co, although neglecting her engineering diploma in the process.
"I would sew every day after school," says Azizah, "I sewed until my grades dropped!"
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At a pivotal moment, Azizah found herself at a fork in the road - a choice between an engineering career and her sustainable fashion business. With her love for maths and sciences, the uniform of an engineer would have been an excellent fit for her. However, it simply did not align with her creative spirit.
"I felt like I was trapped in a very static position." Azizah recounts, "I didn't know if I wanted to pursue engineering or if I wanted to continue down this route of sewing and fashion."
Azizah ultimately decided to finish her studies, taking a much-needed gap year to recover from the burnout of running bhabie.co and pursuing her diploma.
The Business Blooms Once More
Eventually, Azizah found the only uniform that would fit her - one sewed with her own hands.
In 2022, with the support from her friends and family, Azizah decided to kickstart her business again, this time with a physical store at Queensway Shopping Centre.
Now named Bhabie's Market, the store dedicates itself to promoting a more conscious and responsible approach to fashion.
Azizah starts her day with a slow and relaxed pace, unwinding with a cup of coffee before the hustle and bustle of running the store. As she arrives, she settles the paperwork for local vendors selling sustainable accessories at her store. She also assists them in taking photos of their products for inventory checks.
Bhabie Market provides a platform for local vendors
to sell their sustainable products. (Photo: Sophia Bte Sahronizam)
On days when she has part-timers coming in, she takes the time to train them and imparts her knowledge and skills. Otherwise, she uses the downtime to tag all her second-hand clothes by hand with a thermal printer, ensuring that her store is well-organized and customer-friendly.
A Substrate for Sustainability
With the store gaining traction, Azizah capitalized on the attention to educate her new customers about the merits of second-hand clothing and its dos and don'ts.
"I always encourage my customers only to buy clothes they would repeatedly wear," says Azizah. "If they buy second-hand clothing but only wear it once or twice before throwing it away, that's still contributing to the fast fashion waste."
Azizah has also influenced her friends and family to be more mindful about what clothes they buy and how they can rid their waste sustainably.
"Now, we've started this culture of either donating or selling our old clothes to others on Telegram," Azizah answers.
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Bolstering its commitment to sustainability, Bhabie's Market uses plant-based plastic bags that dissolve in water and reusable price tags, further reducing the store's environmental impact.
Bhabie's Market reusable pricing tags and Telobags - plant-based plastic bags
that are dissolvable in water. (Photo: Sophia Bte Sahronizam)
Where Sustainability Pollinates Style
Bhabie's Market stands apart from the crowd with its distinctive touch, resulting from Azizah's commitment to curating and presenting unique pre-loved garments and accessories.
"When you buy from a second-hand clothing business, you are buying from someone who put in the effort to source for that piece and sell it," explains Azizah. "You are paying for the person's creativity and curation."
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She cites the growing affinity for one-of-a-kind garments as the main factor behind the current popularity of upcycled and pre-loved clothing.
Social media influencers have also started offering their previously cherished attire to fans who seek to emulate their styles. “The appealing factor is that you can dress like your favourite influencer,” mentions Azizah. “There’s a connection because the clothes are directly from them.”
Azizah’s favourite item in the store- a long
cargo khaki brown skirt. (Photo: Sophia Bte Sahronizam)
A Rooted Community
Bhabie Market has germinated beyond a business; it's a community of regular customers who share her passion for sustainable fashion.
"I think what people like about this store is that it feels very homely." Azizah smiles. "The aunties and uncles love to come by, not just to buy clothes, but also to chat and catch up."
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Branching Out
Azizah has ambitious hopes for the future of Bhabie Market. She aims to use the store's physical space to host sustainability pop-ups and events, allowing customers to learn more about local vendors and their environmentally-friendly products.
In addition, Azizah intends to increase her efforts to educate and raise awareness about sustainability through her social media platforms. She hopes to inspire others to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle by posting more educational content, especially in fashion.
The Fruits of Labor
Bhabie's Market is a testament to the power of one woman's love for sustainable fashion. With Azizah's steadfast commitment to responsible shopping and eco-friendly practices, her impact on the environment is undeniably positive.
Like a flower emerging from the soil, the inception of Bhabie's Market was a simple idea, nurtured and cultivated by Azizah until it blossomed into a thriving outlet for her creativity and sustainability efforts.
With Azizah’s passion and expertise, akin to a gardener's green thumb, it is no wonder that Bhabie’s Market has flourished into a lush oasis of sustainable fashion.
1038 words
Address:
1 Queensway, # 02-08, S149053
Queensway Shopping Centre
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Opening hours:
Wednesday - Sunday: 1 pm - 7 pm
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