Thrifting in Dubai is an alien experience for most people. In a city ruled by luxury brands and designer labels, few realise that there’s a more sustainable and affordable way to step up your style game.
But with the myriad of Instagram thrift stores popping up in recent times, picking up pre-loved and second-hand apparel is all the rage now. I went through a hundred Instagram thrift stores to find the ones that sell the most unique, fashionable, and high-quality pieces and bring them to you. 💃 Here’s a round-up of the ten best ones based in Dubai:
NOTE: For the purpose of keeping this article low budget, I’ve only included affordable thrift stores and discarded any high-end or designer thrift stores. 🙅”♀ï¸
1. Thrift Ventures
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Shafak Adenwala got the idea to start her Instagram thrift store during the pandemic lockdown as she was moving out of her apartment. She says that she was always a firm believer in an inexpensive and accessible fashion, and wanted to bring the same to her customers. 🙆”♀ï¸
- Collection: Everything from casuals to party-wear to formals and even a desi festive wear collection! The clothes are sourced from Australia & India and are all brand new damage-free pieces. Everything is handpicked and reflects a personal style 🕴
- Delivery Fee: There are no delivery charges, but there is a minimum order condition depending on your location.
- How to buy: New collections are posted from time to time and orders are taken on a first-come-first-serve basis through Insta DMs. Items can be reserved for up to three days after which they are sold to the next interested buyer. 🃔♀ï¸
2. Wear Again Dxb
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For Dubai resident Shriya Anup, her online thrift store started with a simple question, “Am I going to wear this again?” She felt that her one-time favorites could find a gorgeous new home with others who appreciated the same style as her. The store is also big on sustainability and uses environment-friendly brown paper bags in their packaging, which can be reused for later occasions. ğŸŒâ¤ï¸
- Collection: Varies from crop tops and party blouses to dresses, skirts, bags, and much more. All the pieces are purchased from countries outside the UAE while traveling and reflect a diverse range of styles. ğŸ‘- Each item is unique and one of a kind.
- Delivery Fee: Doorstep delivery charges are 10 AED for Dubai, 15 AED for Sharjah, and 20 AED for other Emirates. Delivery to specific pick-up points within Dubai is free.
- How to buy: Collections are posted on Instagram stories and customers can purchase the item from the DMs, which is on a first-come-first-serve basis.
3. Bearly Used
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A play on ‘barely’ used clothes, Mari Nicole Lim launched her online thrift store in Dubai after she suffered a setback in her career during the COVID season. She has since then focused her energies on bringing alive her passion for thrifting and dressing-up and set up a thriving business on the way. The Bearly Used Instagram feed is an absolute delight to scroll through, with its ever-changing color palette showcasing uber-chic pieces at inexpensive rates. ğŸ¤-
- Collection: Includes lots of trendy pieces, with a pop of vintage styles every now and then. It includes outfits that can be worn for a casual day look, a girl’s night out, or even a date night with your significant other. 🥰 A variety of different sizes are included to ensure that everybody gets their pick.
- Delivery Fee: Customers can opt for door-to-door delivery (all over UAE) via Banana Express for 25AED, meet-ups at metro stations for a 5-15 AED handling fee, or direct pick up from Al Rigga.
- How to buy: Once collections are posted, comments on a first-come-first-serve basis are considered. Some rare items may be put up for bidding or auction which usually ends at 12 midnight the same day. â°
4. Rewynd Apparel
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For sisters Sara, Dina and Amira Ahmed, thrifting was an activity that strengthened their family bond. 🤠But when hours spent tirelessly sifting through piles and piles of clothes ended up with only a handful of pieces to go home with, they realised the value of an online thrift shop. Thus Rewynd apparel was born and caters to an audience, of both men and women, that appreciate the affordability of pre-loved clothing. 🥻 The brand is all about encouraging today’s youth to shop consciously and reduce textile waste.
- Collection: The online store caters to a range of body types and styles, from outerwear and jackets, to dresses, bottoms and trendy tops; there’s something for everybody! 🕺
- Delivery Fee: A standard delivery charge for all emirates is levied at 20 AED, while collection from certain pick up points could cost you as little as 0-5 AED.
- How to buy: You can head over to the website www.rewyndapparel.com to check out all the available pieces and add whatever you like to your cart.
5. Retro Groove
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What started off as a bet between vintage collector friends, turned into a highly scalable online business for Lara Tourkey, from a simple collection of seven vintage pieces. With time, he acquired more pieces and added them to his Instagram thrift shop, targeting young teens who were heavily into street-style fashion. 🕶 The clothes focus on individualism rather than recent trends and highlight the prevalent youth culture in urban cities. This thrift store should definitely be on every boy’s list. ğŸƒ
- Collection: Clothes range from vintage tees to hoodies and sweatshirts to sporty attire like windbreakers, shoes and some really cool printed socks. All the pieces are sourced from Britain. 🇬🇧
- Delivery Fee: Delivery charges range from 5-25 AED depending on the emirate and area.
- How to buy: All pieces are one of a kind so orders are usually on a first come first serve through DMs, with some items put up for bidding if there’s popular demand.
6. Juicy Thrift
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A love for sewing, being creative and being different motivated Kyla Shanil to start her own online venture that let her have the freedom she craved. 🕊 Along with her family’s support, Kyla took advantage of her thrift store to promote eco-friendly fashion which is relevant and stylish at the same time. All packaging is done using recyclable materials and plastic is avoided. ğŸŒâ¤ï¸
- Collection: The store specializes in thrift and reworked hoodies, sweaters, vintage t-shirts, and baguette bags. Hand made fuzzy bags are available on pre-order, and are lovingly designed and personalized for each customer. 👜
- Delivery Fee: Orders above 130 AED are not charged any delivery fee whereas orders below 130 AED are charged a 20 AED delivery fee, for all seven emirates within the UAE.
- How to buy: Most of the pieces are sold on a first-come-first-serve basis on the Instagram page, but some may be up for bidding (which ends after 2 hours). Orders for handmade fuzzy bags need to be made at least 2 weeks prior.
7. Bee Thrifty
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For Bushra Azeem, fashion isn’t just something you envision in a dress, but a way to express yourself. 💃 Having collected piles and piles of clothes in the name of fast fashion over the years, she decided it was time to start being more mindful and move towards sustainable habits. Thus was born her thrift store, which sells vintage clothing without breaking the bank. 💸
- Collection: Bushra keeps in mind all different women and features a wide range of sizes as possible. ğŸ¤-
- Delivery Fee: Orders above 130 AED are not charged any delivery fee whereas orders below 130 AED are charged a 20 AED delivery fee, for all seven emirates within the UAE.
- How to buy: Customers can check the collection drops on the Instagram page and whoever comments on the post first, gets the item. A bidding process for the select top-notch item is also present.
8. Get Thrifty Dxb
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When her mom came into her bedroom one day, complaining about the number of clothes she owned – most of them in mint condition with tags, Gunjan Lalwani knew she had to do something about it. 😅 She went on to start a successful online thrift shop, along with her brothers and best friends, which showcase diversity and variety. A wide collection of thrifted clothing is also available for boys here, which you will not find in most other Instagram thrift stores. 🕺
- Collection: Everything from casual tees, tops, skirts, and dresses to pants, gowns, heels, and cardholders. 🧥
- Delivery Fee: Meetups/Pickup orders are free of cost from Burjuman/Fahidi/ADCB metro stations. Orders above 75 AED in the heart of Dubai are also free. The shop does not currently ship/deliver to other emirates.
- How to buy: Customers can comment “mine” on the Instagram posts to secure items, or “interested” to know more about the items. Orders are taken on a first-come-first-serve unless somebody “steals” it for +5 AED.
9. Out of Closet
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Four close friends, with a mutual love for fashion, noticed that a substantial amount of clothes they bought usually ended up forgotten after a few wears. 🤔 Out of Closet was an idea born out of a desire to minimize wastage of wearable clothing and ultimately make significant contributions towards the growth of sustainable fashion in Dubai. 🙆”♀ï¸
- Collection: Focuses on clothes from “trendy” stores like Forever 21, Shein, Zara, and H&M, which they believe are nowhere near ethical or sustainable fashion. Everything from party tops, dresses, skirts, and one-pieces are available here. 🩱
- Delivery Fee: Meetups/Pickup orders are free of cost from Burjuman/Fahidi/ADCB metro stations. Orders above 75 AED in the heart of Dubai are also free. The shop does not currently ship/deliver to other emirates.
- How to buy: Customers can comment “mine” on the Instagram posts to secure items, or “interested” to know more about the items. Orders are taken on a first come first serve unless somebody “steals” it for +5 AED.
10. Closets AE
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It was a semester abroad in Paris when Sumayya Naz was introduced to the world of thrifting and fell in love with it immediately. Having been fascinated by different fabrics and silhouettes since she was young, she decided to try a hand at setting up her own online thrift store. She strongly believes that vintage clothing is one of a kind. ğŸ˜
- Collection: Following the idea that fashion reflects our different moods and personalities, Closets AE puts out a range of clothing from fancy to party to casual wear. ğŸ‘
- Delivery Fee: Pickups and meet-ups to select locations are free. Delivery charges within Dubai and Al Ain are 15 AED whereas for other emirates it’s 30 AED.
- How to buy: After the items go up on the Instagram page, they can be claimed through the comments section on a first come first serve basis.
Some other Instagram thrift stores worth mentioning are – summerndbliss, thriftkita.ae, thriftshop_gf, and wear.eight. Check them out!
Written and Researched by Shaista Salam
