Based in Johor, Stay Real Studio is a boutique specializing in preloved clothes and fashion accessories. With nearly a decade of nonprofit experience, founder Elizabeth Ang now gives back to the community through her unique aesthetic space. She also organizes artisan pop-up markets almost every month, partnering with local small businesses to forge a culture of people and passion.
Photographs by Denise Lim, unless otherwise specified.
Denise: How did Stay Real Studio start?
Elizabeth: Stay Real Studio started around last year’s November. A few years ago, I already thought of starting my own business. I love the freedom and the idea of having a space of my own. But I never really put much thought into it other than dreaming about it every now and then because it is indeed a difficult undertaking. It was after the pandemic and MCO in Malaysia that I finally decided to start this preloved clothing shop.
Denise: What was your work like before Stay Real Studio?
Elizabeth: I did print designs for 5 years—printing postcards, logos, and the like. That was when I was a 19-year-old. Afterward, I began getting involved with volunteering to help local youths. That was with a non-profit organization called City Care.
We had different units like hair styling, recycling, and cafés. At City Care, we were mainly giving these young people the opportunity to engage and participate in activities they were interested in. And what started as volunteering became my full-time job for the next 8 years!
Denise: Why preloved clothes as your business niche?
Elizabeth: When I was a kid, it was common for people to wear hand-me-downs. Working at City Care also got me involved with preloved clothes and recycling in general.
Preloved clothes nowadays aren’t like what most people imagine them to be. A lot of people tend to think the clothes are really old and worn but it’s not like that anymore. The added benefit is they’re extremely affordable!
Plus, I always liked fashion, clothing, and photography. I actually wanted to study design but never got the chance to. So overall, it was simply my love for these things that influenced me to choose this niche.
Oh, I’d add that I was also influenced by the people at Momo Love Concept! Back in 2018, when I was still with City Care, we wanted to help some young people get prescription glasses but couldn’t find sponsors. Our organization wasn’t really big to start with, so it was a challenge. Eventually, City Care’s founder got in touch with the owner at Momo’s to help improve our situation.
Through the process, I got to interact with these amazing individuals and the process really expanded my way of thinking and gave me new ideas, so they were also factors that motivated me to start my own business in this industry.
Denise: How do you process the clothes and other items you receive?
Elizabeth: Now, we only receive clothes, shoes, fashion accessories like bags, and some small décor items. We inform people to sort out items in good condition beforehand. Previously, we didn’t define the criteria for preloved items clearly enough, so people would just bag clothes that are in good shape with other clothes that already have holes or mold on them, which was terrible!
After we receive a certain amount of items, I start filtering them. I check the quality, see if there are any damages, whether its design will attract potential buyers, and so on.
I generally sort the items into three categories: to sell, to donate, and to reuse. For example, we donate children’s clothing, school things, dolls, and toys to the Malay community, Orang Asli (indigenous people), or families with lower incomes. Momo Love Concept usually organizes events to distribute these items.
For clothes that can’t be re-worn, like if they’re damaged or have yellow stains, those are collected and sent to factories to be reused as rags.
But … there’s also the reality of donated clothes far exceeding the amount we can sell. I think it’s a common problem that people in this business will face. Again, we try to donate or sell to local online resellers when we can. But if we can’t, we eventually sell them to these local uncles who buy off unwanted clothes in bulk. These clothes are then exported to be resold in other countries.
Denise: What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced so far?
Elizabeth: Most of the time, it’s just me, one young woman, processing mountains worth of old stuff and going through them one at a time. There are categories of items that we don’t accept, but some people just don’t care and donate them anyway, so it is frustrating. There are also people who take you for granted. They basically drop off what’s mainly rubbish to make their problem ours. Encountering such cases, you really see the difference between “acting kind” and “acting with kindness.”
The weeks around Chinese New Year were incredibly challenging because that’s the time period where people declutter their homes the most, so the amount of donations that came in was just shocking! I believe it was a month before my studio returned to its normal-looking state.
Another time was in May. I paused the donation drive at Permas Jaya and lugged everything collected back to my studio … There were bags of things all the way down the stairs. The pathway was so narrow that it was only enough for one person to walk through. I even had to cross over the bags sometimes when I went down! Gosh, I almost had a mental breakdown. I was so, so exhausted. But at that time, there was someone coming over to shoot a video about Stay Real Studio, so I was really driven to tidy everything up [laughs].
The work is physically and emotionally tiring, no doubt, and there aren’t a lot of people to help out. But I try my best to keep a balanced mindset and do things task by task, item by item.
Denise: What are the most rewarding aspects of the work?
Elizabeth: Well, I’m just one person and there’s a limit to what one person can do. There was a period of time where I was very disheartened when I hear from customers who complained, for example, about how my shop is located too far from them, or how they couldn’t find the exact clothing size or style—even though it’s the nature of preloved stores to not have every size and style available because everything is donated.
But knowing that there are also lots of people from different places supporting my studio really gives me the drive to push through challenges and improve on the Stay Real brand.
Recently, I have customers from places like Penang, Batu Pahat, Pekan Nanas—okay, maybe Pekan Nanas isn’t that far away, but it’s far to me [laughs]. But anyway, I’m thankful to the customers and like-minded people who believe in me and continue to encourage me on this journey.
Denise: What can people do right now to join in the movement—the work that you’re all doing?
Elizabeth: I hope that people will try out thrifting and check out preloved clothes, if they haven’t. And to come by the studio, and see what garments they’re fated to meet (and hopefully buy) that day!
Denise: That’s the end to the interview questions! Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Elizabeth: When I started Stay Real Studio, one of my hopes is that it can help people, anyone, just as long as they needed it at some point in their lives. What I believe is—and it’s not just limited to clothing—there’s fate and timing to the things we’re supposed to meet in our lives.
Although my studio can’t fulfill everyone’s expectations, for one we aren’t located right in the city center or bursting with endless clothes like a shopping mall … But if someone is dreaming of starting their own business, or if someone is in a tough place in life, I hope that if they happen to come around the studio, my place can serve as a source of positive energy for them.
A belief I always keep in mind is giving back to the community, like when I was working at City Care. It’s a value I want to maintain as I move forward with my business.
Notes
Links: Stay Real Studio Facebook | Instagram
This interview was originally conducted in Chinese. English translation by Denise Lim.
