Fifteen years ago, I left everything familiar and moved to Cambodia.
A year in, I stumbled into my first Japanese second-hand market — and nothing was ever quite the same.
I came with a background in fashion. I had worked in the industry, knew the names — Kenzo, Nina Ricci, Mila Schön, Mikimoto, Hanae Mori. But seeing them here, in Cambodia of all places, tucked between piles of everyday things — that was a different kind of discovery. Not a Kenzo scarf. A Kenzo teapot. Not a Nina Ricci bag. A Nina Ricci coffee set. Not a Hanae Mori dress — a Hanae Mori porcelain set, delicate as her silk prints. Objects that no one expected these houses to have made, and yet they did — with the same obsessive care, the same colour, the same unmistakable hand.
That shock of recognition never left me.
For thirteen years I have been collecting, curating, and saving these pieces — clothing, bags, shoes, jewellery, tableware, home objects — anything that carries the particular beauty of Japanese craft and the quiet authority of a great name. I pack everything myself, carefully, because I know what it means for something to travel well and arrive whole.
The collection is large and always growing. If you are looking for something specific — a particular brand, a style, a complete set — just ask. I can help put together an outfit, track down a matching tea service, or find that one unexpected thing you didn’t know you needed.
Want to see it all in real time? I take you on live market walks on TikTok — straight from the stalls of Cambodia, no filter, no staging. Follow me at @thriftwithkate and join the next live hunt.
You may also know me as the #RaccoonInCambodia — that’s me on social media, hunting through the best second-hand finds Southeast Asia has to offer.
These things have already lived one beautiful life. I want them to live another — in your home, on your shelf, around your neck.
Vintage By Kate — found in Cambodia, loved everywhere.