The Stories Behind The Curators and Makers Of The Journey East Vintage Fair
As Journey East prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary in October 2025, it has gathered a community of old friends and new partners with shared values. While we see a spectrum of curation and craft, behind each business lies the art of saving stories of the past, and lessons built on experience.
Find out more about the quiet wisdom behind their work, driven by a belief that some of the most beautiful things in the world are those that have already lived a life.a life.
On the Art of the Second Life
The fair's collectors are united not by what they sell, but by a shared journey in renewal, and to showcase the beauty of the past lives of objects that have already lived.
Consider Anthony Waugh Koh of Chio Books, a bookseller whose origin story reads like a personal memoir. He was a corporate man until an "existential crisis" pushed him out of his comfort zone, leading him to a simple yet powerful conviction. 
"I read the founder of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie's book 'Start something that matters,'” he recalls. The words became a guiding principle, a call to create a business rooted in his passion. He began by lugging a single luggage of books from café to café, a quiet beginning that taught him that business, much like life, is simply about solving problems.
For Eileen of Five Stones Vintage, the breakthrough was an act of honest self-discovery. “I almost want to say I can't remember a time when I WASN'T selling vintage!” she confesses with a laugh. Her love of collecting was born from the "tragic combination of being a bit of a hoarder... and not having a lot of storage space." This humor belies a deeper philosophy of rescue, where she hunts for pieces that are "deserving of a second life," proving that one person’s “junk” can be another’s treasure. She hunts for pieces with a wide lens, selecting items based on their unique appeal—"both the timeless & the kitschy with a good dose of saviour complex mixed in, ha ha." 
The wisdom of experience is also what guides JY of Herra Vintage. For her, “a vintage piece carries history and character that a brand new item simply cannot replicate, and that is precisely what makes it meaningful.” It’s a philosophy that resonates because it speaks to a deeper appreciation beyond aesthetics. “It’s about more than just owning something beautiful; it’s about appreciating the journey, the craftsmanship, and the life each piece has lived before it found its way to you.” It was a personal struggle to find a watch for her petite wrist that led to her business, and she's learned that her work is not just about timepieces, but about connection. “Every piece has a unique quality that spoke to me… to me, no piece is ever truly ordinary.”
For YQ of Eelloo, the curatorial eye is a deeply personal instinct. She tells us that beyond the item itself, she is drawn to the stories behind the pieces she acquires. 
“The story behind the item often determines whether I’ll grab it,” she shares. Her journey began with a single vintage Aigner bag from her aunt, a gift that sparked her entire collection. For YQ, every item holds a memory, and finding the right owner is an act of continuing that memory.
For Rebecca Wong of By My Old School, her business is, fittingly, a family affair. She and her father, Winston, started the shop to share a passion for an "older, slower way of living." Rebecca sees her father as her "secret weapon," a heritage consultant who taught her to see the good bones in an item that others might overlook.
She is drawn to things made to last, a quiet resistance to the fast-paced, commercial scale of the modern world. “Things of the past were made with better materials and made to last a long time (a life-time guarantee was a badge of pride), so they’re more sustainable.”
The Spirit of Craft
While the curators celebrate what was, the makers at the fair embody the spirit of vintage by honoring tradition and purpose in what they create now. They prove that true craft is timeless.
For Naadhira Ismail of Mother Dough Bakery, the journey has been an act of self-discovery. Her business, inspired by childhood memories of family meals, has taught her a profound lesson in resilience.
"Starting this business has gently pushed me to trust myself more, to stay present, and to keep going—even when the path isn’t clear," she says. Her work, a testament to her personal growth, is a way of creating something authentic and meaningful in a fast-paced world.
And at The Smallest Wine Fair, co-founder Aleksandar Draganić and his team took on an intimidating industry, creating a space for "low-intervention wines." For them, a bottle is collectible not because of a brand name, but because it holds “a piece of culture, place, and memory that can’t be replicated by any hype.”
Their curatorial approach is guided by three things: “sustainability, story, and surprise.” What others might overlook, they tend to highlight, proving that the spirit of vintage is alive and well in the hands of modern makers.
In a world that is often blindsided by the newest, shiniest fads, these collectors and markers are engaging in a movement that is seemingly outside of time, where the tides of fashion and technology are unable to ravage the appreciation of value. They are, as Rebecca Wong puts it, “going against the grain & adding color to the local scene.” Their presence at Journey East’s 30th anniversary is a moment of shared joy, celebrating a legacy built on passion and a shared belief that the most beautiful things are those that have a story to tell.
The Vintage Fair (30th Anniversary Edition) takes place on
11th and 12th October 2025
12 - 4pm
at Journey East