085. RECEIPTS: A London-Based Fragrance Founder on Her Long-Term 'No-Buy', £14 Vinted Boots, and Korean Fashion
085. RECEIPTS: A London-Based Fragrance Founder on Her Long-Term 'No-Buy', £14 Vinted Boots, and Korean Fashion
RECEIPTS is a weekly column for subscribers of Every Body Gets Dressed. Here, I explore the shopping habits of people outside the fashion industry, diving into their budgets and purchases and how they mix high-end investments with everyday finds. Our candid conversations reveal impartial takes on which zeitgeisty fashion brands lived up to the hype - and which fell short. You can find past editions of this column here. Most of the people I feature are subscribers. And I’m always looking for new people to share their shopping insights. Drop a comment below or reply to this email, and let's talk.
For this week’s edition of Receipts, I spoke to Phway, a London-based fragrance founder. Anyone who reads this newsletter knows I’ve become fragrance-obsessed. I’m always looking to experiment with new brands and would spend my whole disposable income on scents if I didn’t stop myself. So when my friend Christel, who will soon be launching her own fragrance brand, told me about Phway and her beautiful brand, Gabar, I had to meet her. Gabar makes sophisticated, powerful scents inspired by urban rituals and Phway’s Myanmar roots (Gabar means world in her mother tongue). Phway’s exquisite taste expands way beyond fragrance, and I wanted to pick her brain about her shopping habits and brand favourites.
What is your job, and where do you live? CEO and Creative Director of London-based scent brand Gabar. I live in the Marylebone neighbourhood of London.
Define your style. Contemporary, relaxed, minimal, neutral-heavy, vintage-led.
What percentage of your salary do you spend on fashion? Very minimal at the moment. I am currently on a long-term no-buy, except for very special or archival pieces. I would say 5-10% max a month average right now.
TRUE or FALSE - You get what you pay for when it comes to fashion. Not necessarily! I’ve come across many brands with high price tags and lower-quality clothing and vice versa. Moreover, you can find high-value items for little investment if you thrift or rent pieces.
What's your approach to budgeting? I have a fairly intuitive approach to it. Over the last few years, I cut back on many extraneous expenses and spending, mainly for the focus and benefit of my business and being thoughtful there. Now that things are more vibrant and stable, and I’m re-investing in myself more, I try to go by the principle of really thinking over whether a purchase makes sense so that that special thing I buy is extra meaningful. I don’t have strict budgets for fashion, beauty or leisure; I only buy a handful of new items each month. It’s almost always something I’ve thought about over some time. It also helps, too, to have a partner to manage budgets with, as we have a joint account we use and both contribute to for household expenses, so all the household and more administrative expenses are pre-budgeted, and the rest I use for myself.
How do you decide which purchase will be a splurge and which will be a save? I’m a big believer in letting time pass and sitting on something before purchasing it. In my 20s, I made bigger splurge purchases, but now, with more at stake and having my business be my primary focus, splurges make less sense to me. I now only enjoy splurging for others—my friends and family members; I love splurging for them! But for myself, most big-ticket items I buy will be saved.
A brand or product you bought that was worth the hype. Sandy Liang – I love her aesthetic so much. Gimaguas – I’ve been loving all of these Spanish brands with a modern, minimal aesthetic, that still offer good value.
A brand or product you bought that wasn’t worth the hype. I’m so sad to say but Paloma Wool. I love their brand so much, and the aesthetic is very in line with my taste, but the quality is much lower than I would have hoped. The few items I’ve bought from there don’t seem to match up in terms of quality and materiality, though there are pieces I still covet purely for the look.
A brand or product you bought that wasn’t worth the price you paid. MIISTA was a bit similar. I love the vibes, but again, the quality didn’t match up. Instead of these newer trending brands, I tend to buy pre-loved or archival pieces or other pieces with long-lasting quality.
A brand you bought that you’d pay twice the money for. Balenciaga! A dusk pink leather tote bag I got from them ten years ago is only starting to look slightly worn in now.
Your most used bags. That Balenciaga papier tote bag. A vintage, multi-colour, unbranded patchwork leather handbag I picked up from a small boutique in Rome. It’s the cutest! And a Loewe mini leather handbag with bright pink suede lining.
Your most worn shoes. Acne Studios Jensen black ankle boots and black vegan leather trainers from sustainable Swedish brand Humans Are Vain.
What is the best cheap fashion item(s) you’ve recently bought? Black leather boots with high heels I paid £14 for on Vinted. And a midi frayed grey skirt I paid £10 for, also on Vinted.
What is the most expensive thing you’ve recently bought? An iPhone 16! I needed the upgrade majorly, as my last phone was barely hanging on. The camera’s not as amazing as everyone has hyped it up to be, but I have no regrets, given that it was a true necessity.
Kiss, Marry, Avoid. Spending money on Clothes, Shoes, and Bags. Kiss = Clothes. Marry = Bags. Avoid = Shoes.
A shopping rule you have for yourself. Do I still love and want it after one week? Then, after four weeks?
The beauty products you love. All of Gabar’s beautiful perfume range of course (particularly our 02 Ground and 05 Lull for the cozy season). Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Cream (slathering it on these days). Augustinus Bader Rich Cream Augustinus Bader for beauty. Their moisturizer formulations are so beautiful and so worth it. Kora’s Noni Glow Face Oil and South Korean brands AmorePacific’s Enzyme Powder and SK-II facial treatment masks.
The best things you’ve bought in recent years. Books (a large stash of them), especially coffee table books (Sofia Coppola’s Archive, the recent Gabrielle Chanel book from the V&A exhibit). Archival Miu Miu sunglasses (c 2000s). Piglet in Bed linen sheet sets (they’re so comfortable).
How and where do you shop? I shop online, at local boutiques, and in archival and vintage stores. I also tend to shop more when traveling (on my last trip to New York, for example) as I have more fun exploring other local brands.
What product or brand do you wish you could gatekeep? New South Korean bag brands like OSOI and Marge Sherwood.
I love the philosophy - do I still want it after a week? after 4 weeks? Waiting on and contemplating purchases is something that I do as well. The idea of adding rarely after great consideration really appeals to me as someone who used to buy more impulsively which rarely resulted in good decisions. Thanks for introducing me to a new fragrance brand to try as well!