Ukay Report 1: DTI: STOP UKAY UKAY TRADE BY PLUGGING POINT OF ENTRY

DTI: STOP UKAY UKAY TRADE BY PLUGGING POINT OF ENTRY

By Jessica B Natad (The Freeman) Updated April 24, 2010 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Apprehending ukay-ukay or used clothing retailers is like barking on the wrong tree, this according to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 Director Aster Caberte adding that solving the problem has to start from the point of entry.

“The purpose of allowing used clothing to enter the country is different. It is supposedly for aid (or clothing assistance.) As to why they were able to enter the country in volume, (thus are traded,) I can’t speak for the Bureau of Customs,” she said in an interview with The Freeman.

Caberte said the massive entry of used clothing is not an obligation of the DTI. The agency is however, disturbed by the issue, as this has already affected the local garment industry.

“(To solve this problem,) it has to start from the point of entry,” Caberte said.

CONTINUE READING ---> http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=569261&publicationSubCategoryId=108

What do you guys think???

Ukay Shop 22: MAGARBO 2ND LOOK

MAGARBO 2ND LOOK

This shop is located on the other end of Starmall Alabang , opposite Overseas RTW, at the basement level.

This is one of my favorite shops in the mall! First, because they have really good selection. Clothes, I believe are shipped from Hong Kong, so choices are very fashionable and you can find good brands.

Second they have excellent pricing, all clothes are priced at 100 pesos! So even the usual expensive stuff like jackets, jeans, and pants are priced at 100 pesos! And here's the good part from 100 pesos it becomes 2 items for 100 pesos. And eventually it becomes 3 items for 100! Who wouldn't love that! So far that's the lowest price I saw from them, I'm not sure if it still gets lower, I still have to check.

Third their clothes are well arranged and grouped according to color. It may not be of great help for others like me really because when I go ukay I still check everything and not limit myself by certain colors! But still it looks nice and less of an ukay if stores take further steps to make their ukay shops more appealing. It may also be of great help for people who only look for certain colors and don't bother check the others.

Fourth they have good and several fitting rooms! This is really important because most ukay shops have bad fitting rooms. Most shops only use cloths but Magarbo has dedicated fitting rooms.

This is one of the 2 Magarbo shops in Starmall Alabang maybe that's why it's called 2nd Look. This shop is the bigger one.

HOW TO GET THERE:
STARMALL ALABANG

Directions

MAGARBO 2ND LOOK

Basement level of Starmall Alabang.

Ukay Shop 21: OVERSEAS RTW

OVERSEAS RTW

Overseas RTW is located on the basement level of Starmall Alabang. You'll see it on one end of the mall. They sell clothes and also have a huge selection of shoes. Selection is just average but everytime i'm at the mall they're always on sale. Staff are also friendly.

HOW TO GET THERE:
STARMALL ALABANG
Directions

Ukay Find 3: JACK & JONES Blue Striped Shirt

WHAT: Jack & Jones Blue Striped Shortsleeve Shirt
WHERE: Terry Joy Fashion, Evacom Sucat Paranaque
COST: Php 135.00

Ukay Destination 4: STARMALL ALABANG

STARMALL ALABANG

Starmall Alabang is the former Metropolis Mall. If you are looking for ukay ukay malls in Manila this is probably one of the best and also my favorite! It is ukay ukay heaven! It is airconditioned and the distinct ukay smell is not so strong. It's very comfortable to do your ukay shopping here. There are also several food outlets so you can take a break before you go ukay again! It's always worth a trip going to this side of Manila because the mall alone has 15 ukay ukay shops! There are actually more outside the mall but we would discuss them in a separate entry.

The ukay shops in the mall are listed below:

Basement

1. Overseas RTW
2. Magarbo 2nd Look
3. Life Style Fashion

First Floor

4. RTW Surplus Center
5. RTW Surplus Center 2
6. Octavian RTW
7. Life Style Fashion 2
8. Octavian RTW 2
9. RTW Surplus Center 3
10. Iyaman Fashion House
11. RTW Surplus Center 4
12. Magarbo 2
13. Overseas RTW 2

Second Floor

14. RTW Surplus Center 5
15. Life Style Fashion 3

I will discuss each shop separately so keep coming back for updates to this post and for new entries.

STARMALL ALABANG
LOCATION MAP

HOW TO GET THERE:
Take the South Luzon Expressway.
Exit at Alabang.
You'll see the mall on your left side.

Get The Look 2: JUNYA WATANABE S2010

JUNYA WATANABE S2010

Checked Shortsleeve Shirt
White Shorts


UKAY VERSION

ZARA Checked Longsleeve Shirt - Thrifted (Php 50.00)

White Shorts - Thrifted (Php 40.00)

TOTAL LOOK: Php 90.00!

Ukay Shop 20: SUNSHINE MALL SHOP 7

SUNSHINE MALL SHOP 7

This this the 7th and last ukay shop inside Sunshine Mall. It is right beside Fashion Surplus Center. They have clothes, shoes, and bags, but very few choices for shoes, bags, and men's clothing. But this is one of the inexpensive shops inside Sunshine Mall. Great if you are looking for bargains.

HOW TO GET THERE:
SUNSHINE MALL
Directions

SHOP 7
Ground Floor of Sunshine Mall

Ukay Shop 19: FASHION SURPLUS CENTER

FASHION SURPLUS CENTER

This is the 6th ukay shop inside Sunshine Mall. It says in their signage '365 DAYS NEW ARRIVALS', an exageration, but the truth is pretty close! New arrivals are brought in weekly! And their pricing is amazing! During Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays clothes are priced at 100 pesos. Tuesdays it becomes 50! Wednesdays 40! Thursdays 30! and by Friday it's down to 20 pesos! How good is that! before it can even go down to 10 pesos but they increased their prices. Still extremely cheap. Items are mainly from the US so expect us brands but selection is already ok considering their pricing. They have clothes, shoes, and bags.

HOW TO GET THERE:
SUNSHINE MALL
Directions

FASHION SURPLUS CENTER
Ground Floor of Sunshine Mall

Ukay Shop 18: Ukay Ukay Shoes and Bags

SHOP 5 SUNSHINE MALL

This is the fifth shop in Sunshine Mall. It doesn't have a name but I assume it is also owned by Iyaman since their signage looks similar. The signage indicates shoes and bags but they also have clothes and toys. Clothes are cheap, new arrivals being priced at around 100 pesos, later on it becomes 20 or 10 pesos. They also have several children's clothes.

HOW TO GET THERE:
SUNSHINE MALL
Directions

SHOP 5
Ground Floor of Sunshine Mall
Infront of Iyaman

Ukay Shop 17: IYAMAN FASHION HOUSE, SUNSHINE MALL

IYAMAN FASHION HOUSE

Iyaman Fashion House has several branches all over the metro. I've been to most of their shops but this particular one is again located inside Sunshine Mall at the FTI Complex. I'll Blog about the other branches in separate posts.

Iyaman carries clothes, shoes, and bags with good selection for all. I really don't buy shoes from ukay ukays but when i saw an Issey Miyake shoes in this shop i couldn't resist! Too bad it's not my size.

HOW TO GET THERE:
SUNSHINE MALL
Directions

IYAMAN FASHION HOUSE
Ground floor of Sunshine Mall

Get The Look 1: JUNYA WATANABE S2010

Again to make this blog more interesting and not flat i'm starting a new series. It'll be called Get The Look. I would feature looks from popular designers/brands and then would try to redo it using items from ukay ukays! I hope this would inspire you to create your own designer looks!Its fun and exciting! We'll start this series with JUNYA WATANABE S2010...

JUNYA WATANABE SPRING 2010

White Shirt

Checked Jacket

Cropped Jeans

White Shoes

UKAY VERSION

White Shirt - Thrifted (Php 35.00)

Checked Blazer - Thrifted (Php 35.00)

Cropped Jeans

White Shoes

TOTAL LOOK: Php 70.00!

(jeans & shoes not included)

* As much as i want to only use ukay items for the entire look i also need to use my regular clothes to make it easier and realistic. I would indicate if its from ukay ukay or not.

Ukay Shop 16: ANGELOU'S UKAY UKAY

ANGELOU'S UKAY UKAY

Angelou's Ukay Ukay is the 3rd ukay shop in Sunshine Mall. Its still in the ground floor near Best of Baguio's Ukay Ukay. Their goods are all from the US as seen in their signage but honestly I'm not impressed with their selection. I havn't bought a single item from this store. The clothes are boring and stocks are relatively few considering they have a huge space. I have been here several times and it's always like that. This shop can be ideal for those who are looking for big sized clothes.

HOW TO GET THERE:

SUNSHINE MALL

Directions

ANGELOU'S UKAY UKAY

Ground Floor Sunshine Mall, FTI Complex Taguig

Ukay Article 2: RECESSIONISTA'S INSIDER TIPS

HOW TO SCORE IN AN UKAY UKAY:
RECESSIONISTA'S INSIDER TIPS
By: Bea Constantino and Leona Lavina-Panutat

Now that fashionistas are finding it hard to satiate their fashion urges, Manila has the best remedy: the ukay-ukay. Around for at least a decade, the ukay-ukay is not exactly a secret. Tucked inside Manila’s alleys and holes-in-the-wall, one needs to scour the streets and find the perfect ukay—every store houses different brands (sometimes original, most of the time, not) and styles. The most addicting thing about them? You rarely get the same thing twice!

Gone are the days when second-hand shopping was a no-no. Today, not only is it acceptable but anyone who has fashion cred has done it at least once. Fashionistas now get a bigger thrill in unearthing something fabulous for next to nothing than by buying the latest “it” thing. Finding something to-die-for amidst racks and racks of clothes is not an easy feat. Here’s SPOT’s 12-Step Battle Plan:

CONTINUE READING ---> http://www.spot.ph/2009/05/20/made-in-the-ukay-recessionistas-reveal-how-to-score-in-an-ukay-ukay/

Ukay Shop 15: BEST OF BAGUIO'S UKAY UKAY

BEST OF BAGUIO'S UKAY UKAY

Best of Baguio's Ukay Ukay is located in Sunshine Mall at FTI Complex, Taguig. This is one of the 7 ukay ukay shops inside the mall and also one of the biggest. They only sell clothes with a few beddings. They have a good selection and price is also not expensive. When i saw it's name i got excited since it's "BEST OF BAGUIO'S" but upon seing their merchandise i cannot really say they're the BEST. Yes they have nice clothes but the brands are not very exciting. But it is one of the good shops in Sunshine Mall.

HOW TO GET THERE:

SUNSHINE MALL

Directions

BEST OF BAGUIO'S UKAY UKAY

Ground floor of Sunshine Mall

Ukay Shop 14: SURPLUS BOUTIQUE

Surplus Boutique is located inside Sunshine Mall at FTI complex, Taguig City.

SURPLUS BOUTIQUE

When you enter the mall at the ground floor turn right and this is the first shop that you'll see. They only sell shoes and bags in this shop. They have a huge selection of bags but beware of the 'branded bags' as most of them are fake.

HOW TO GET THERE:

SUNSHINE MALL

Directions

SURPLUS BOTIQUE

Ground floor of Sunshine mall

Ukay Destination 3: SUNSHINE MALL TAGUIG

SUNSHINE MALL TAGUIG

Sunshine Mall is located inside FTI complex at Taguig City. There are 7 ukay ukay shops inside this mall but starting now i would blog about each shop separately. I like going to this mall because most ukay ukay shops here are inexpensive. Merchandise wise its not the best in Manila and I would only consider it average but if you want real bargains this mall is for you.

The ukay shops inside are:

Ground Floor
1. Surplus Boutique
2. Best of Baguio's Ukay-Ukay
3. Angelou's Ukay-Ukay
4. Iyaman Fashion House
5. Ukay-Ukay Shoes and Bags
6. Fashion Surplus Center
7. Sunshine Mall Shop 7

HOW TO GET THERE:
SUNSHINE MALL
From C5 take the east service road southbound.
Make a left turn going to FTI complex.
You'll see Sunshine mall in your left side.

Ukay Find 2: ZARA Purple Casual Shirt

WHAT: ZARA Purple Casual Shirt

WHERE: Terry Joy Fashion, Evacom Sucat Paranaque

COST: Php 65.00

Ukay Article 1: FASHION CENTS

Since this is a resource center I would also feature articles about ukay ukay that i've read and would like to share with you. Reading other people's experiences is a great way to learn tips and discover new ukay ukay shops. We'll start this feature with Fashion Cents by Iya P. Joson

FASHION CENTS by Iya P. Joson

If someone offers you a used pair of jeans at a dirt-cheap price, would you accept it?

The glass of iced tea you’re drinking now could’ve bought you an interesting tee. Your roundtrip cab fare from Ateneo to Eastwood may have given you a snazzy, printed dress instead. That money you spent on a box of pizza? It would have been a unique leather jacket resting ruggedly on your shoulders.

Which then is easier to stomach? Such is the apt question for anyone curious and willing enough to enter the fashionably sound, exhilaratingly cheap and unpredictable world of ukay-ukay.

CONTINUE READING ---> http://g.theguidon.com/fashion-cents/

Ukay Shop 13: TERRY JOY FASHION

TERRY JOY FASHION

Terry Joy Fashion is one of my favorite ukay shops. Not because of its size because its only around 20-25 sq meters. Not because its convenient because its not airconditioned and its cramped. Its one of my favorite because of their selection! Here i was able to get a COMME DES GARCONS, a MARNI, Lots of UNIQLO and ZARA in one shipment! Its also very easy to ask for a discount, not that you still need it because the prices are already low. New arrivals are priced high but they lower their prices fast. From 150-180 it becomes 75, then 50, then 3 for 100.

If you're from the south its worth a visit since there are several ukays in the area. would blog about the others in a different post soon, I'm just gathering photos. So just keep coming back!

HOW TO GET THERE:
From South Luzon Expressway take Sucat Exit.
Go straight until you reach Lianas Evacom, turn left before it.
You'll see it at your left right after 7/11.

Ukay Find 1: MARKS & SPENCER White Tuxedo Shirt

Okay so why did i consider UKAY FINDS as part of the resource center? 2 answers

1. So those who have no idea what they can find in ukay ukays will see the kind of treasure hidden in those rack of clothes.

2. So we can gauge the quality and kind of clothes one can find in a certain ukay ukay store.

So we'll start this series with a beautiful WHITE TUXEDO SHIRT from MARKS & SPENCER

WHAT: MARKS & SPENCER White Tuxedo Shirt

WHERE: Makati Cinema Square, SHOP 1 at Lower Ground Floor.

COST: Php 200.00

Ukay Destination 2: MAKATI CINEMA SQUARE

MAKATI CINEMA SQUARE

Our next destination are the ukay ukay shops of Makati Cinema Square. Now this destination i really like because the environment is very comfortable. It's Airconditioned and not dusty at all! the distinct smell of ukay ukay is also not as strong as compared to others in the metro. For pricing, it may be a little more expensive compared to your usual ukay ukay maybe because of its location but you'll still be able to score real bargains especially during sale periods. And did i mention that its very comfortable to shop here? By the way the mall has about 5 ukay ukay shops. lets start at the lower ground floor...

This is our first shop. its located at the lower ground floor. Its near the staircase leading to the parking area. They sell mainly clothes and they have a huge selection of it. A few bags are also being sold.

This is probably the most comfortable place to shop because its cold and well lit. During new arrivals it's a bit expensive for ukay ukay standards, but who's complaining if the environment is like this and anyway you can always try to haggle.


Our second shop is located near the entrance of pasong tamo. They also sell clothes, with a few bags. They have alot of women's wear and when they go on sale its really inexpensive. Its also easy to ask for a discount!


Our third shop is right across the second shop. Now this shop only sell shoes and bags.


Now walk at the other end and you'll see the fourth shop. They sell clothes and bags. This shop has a good selection but they are not very generous with giving discounts.


Our last and fifth shop is located outside, Pasong Tamo side. It's called THE SURPLUS SHOP UKAY UKAY WAGWAGAN. This is the largest of the 5 shops in the mall. It has 2 levels. The first level offers a huge selection of clothes and designer bags. Beware though because not all 'designer bags' are authentic some are good copies so do your research before you buy if you intend to get one. The second level offers regular bags and shoes. You can spot alot of good finds in this shop.

So that's our second destination in the Makati area, and there's alot more to come! Enjoy shopping!

HOW TO GET THERE:
Take the MRT and get off at the Magallanes Station. Ride a jeepney going to Pasong Tamo. Its after Don Bosco Makati.

If you have a car, from edsa turn right at Pasong Tamo. They have a basement parking, and a parking area beside Mcdonalds.

Ukay Destination 1: AYALA MRT STATION

AYALA MRT STATION

JAMA'S UKAY-UKAY

The Ayala MRT Station has a total of seven (7) shops! I assume it is owned by only one person because all the shops have the same name, JAMA'S UKAY UKAY. The shops are categorized by the type of merchandise they are selling. One shop is dedicated to men's and women's clothes, another one is offering shoes and bags, beside it a shop that sells children's clothes, and the list goes on.

It's worth a quick visit since it's very accessible, being located in an MRT Station.

So that's our first destination! Hope you enjoy your ukay shopping! More shops from the makati area to follow so watch out!

HOW TO GET THERE:

Just take the MRT and get-off at the Ayala Station.

You don't have to get out of the station. You'll see the shops at the far end of the commercial area.

If you have a car, you can park it infront of SM Makati.

WELCOME! NEW ARRIVAL!

Welcome to my blog... ukayukayresourcecenter.blogspot.com!

My first experience in ukay-ukay shopping was over a year ago. But I stopped going to these places just after a month of experiencing it. I got really busy with work and the interest just got lost. Maybe because i wasn't knowledgable in ukay shopping at that time and i wasn't really getting what i wanted. I treated it as an experience.

But these last few weeks i have been into it again! and when i say into it, i mean INTO IT!!!
I've been going around like crazy going back to the past ukay places i've been to and looking for new shops as well!

I'm really enjoying this thing that's why i created this blog. I'd like to share the little knowledge that i know about ukay shopping. So far i have 'documented' close to a HUNDRED shops around the metro! so watch out for these shops!

I also hope that this site can be a venue for ukay-ukay fans to share tips with each other.

So that's it! Our adventure begins!