Buy clothes and books at the trendy flea market Deja Vu
First opened on Boxing Day last year, while it’s nothing new, it still has that new opening buzz. Following the motto “good things are worth buying twice”, the focus is on the environmental impact of consumerism and fast fashion with slogans and reminders written on the walls (“the Chinese fashion industry generates 26 million tonnes of discarded clothing each year, 99% of which is landfilled or incinerated ”).
The airy space on the second floor houses around 15,000 books, the majority of which are in the Chinese language – literature, non-fiction, magazines, manga, graphic novels, and more. But there is also a smaller, still decent, English selection with everything from travelogues by Bill Bryson to a really good selection of picture books for the little ones.
The third floor is where fashion takes place, home to mainstream brands like COS, Zara and Levis alongside a range of designer and luxury brands like Acne, Kenzo, Ted Baker and Michael Kors for n ‘ to name a few. There are nearly 2,000 garments with the generally thrifty bargains you’d expect – typically you can buy yarns at 60-80% off their original price. To check the prices of all merchandise, you will need to follow the store’s official WeChat account (ID: duozhuayu) and scan the QR code that is on the back of a book or clothing tag.
Alternatively, if you think some of your old possessions would thrive in the hands of other people, you can sell them at the store as well – as long as they are still in good condition. Again, follow the stores’ official WeChat account for more details on how and what.
Whether you’re looking for a new outfit, a summer reading, or a bit of window shopping, Deja Vu is definitely worth a visit.
Venue details: Deja Vu, 300 Anfu Lu, near Wukang Lu. Open daily 10 am-10pm.
