On this Instagram account, pre-loved clothing sells out in seconds

In the time it takes you to type ‘pp’ in the chatbox (internet shorthand for price please), style curator Virja Shah has already sold out her clothing rack of the week. Her Instagram retail account, @prelovedbyvirjashah, is part of that corner of the internet where the fastest finger first rule wins in copping the latest second-hand designer buys. But what makes Shah stand out from the slew of other sellers on Instagram is her tight curation that favours homegrown brands. Every week, on her Instagram Stories, Shah, who calls herself an ‘accidental curator’, reveals her week's sartorial inventory and describes each piece at length—highlighting hidden details, describing the fit, and suggesting the right size to potential buyers. Miss these and you’ve potentially missed out on the chance to score a signature Bodice pleated dress, an airy Rajesh Pratap Singh kurta, or a pair of Cord trousers at prices starting from ₹2,000 and going up to ₹12,000.  

While Ahmedabad-based Shah has no formal education in fashion, she has worked in retail for the last decade, curating pop-ups around the country for homegrown brands and briefly co-owning a now shuttered multi-designer store in Ahmedabad. It was during the pandemic that she paused to reflect, combing and sifting through her own wardrobe, rethinking the purchases she’d amassed over the years. In December 2020, she decided to set up the Instagram account to sell off pieces, some even brand new, to the public. The reception to the closet sale was so positive, with consumers from across India trickling in to get their hands on local designer items at nominal prices, she knew she couldn't stop. In all these years, Shah’s most cherished piece to go up on the racks was a three-piece set by Sabyasachi—an embellished floral vest, a diaphanous kurta, and a loose churidar—which was part of a collection from around 2002.

Once her personal inventory was exhausted, Shah shifted to creating a crowd-sourced system, with people sending in pieces from their own wardrobes that deserved a second lease of life. Everything would be filtered through her aesthetic lens that favours bright colours and lightweight handloom textiles in more practical, everyday fits, all while being size inclusive. Over the years, her curation has also diversified beyond designer clothing. Recently, one of her favourite items that went up for sale was a custom-made vest created from vintage patchwork fabrics from Kutch. Like most things on her account, it sold out in seconds, highlighting the desire for quintessential Indian craft in the modern closet. 

“I love visiting vintage stores in London—that feeling of curiosity, stumbling across something from a bygone era, like a treasure hunt... I wanted to recreate that concept of mystery and excitement, which is why I adopted a weekly drop model. So first, I give my audience a preview of the products on my stories, while elaborating on the brand, silhouette, and details. Sharing this information beforehand allows them to think about what they’d like to purchase before the rack goes live,” she explains of her way to filter impulse buyers. 

While Shah has toyed with the idea of elevating her business into a website, she prefers the interactive format and community building that social media allows. She’s also taken Preloved, her digital curation, travelling—to The Flame Store in Goa, Mumbai’s popular Living Room Story pop-up, to Kochi during the Biennale, and most recently to Kaanji, a London boutique specialising in South Asian designers. “Every rack is curated through a colour story and it allows me to build anticipation, for this to be an active experience that’s intimate. Many designers create seasonally, and for consumers who might have missed out on buying a piece from a particular collection, they might chance upon them here. This concept also allows a new generation to access coveted brands such as Eka, Péro, and Raw Mango that not everyone can afford at full price. The people who buy from me understand the beauty of pre-loved.”