For Vogue’s First Small Business Saturday, Discover Phillip Lim’s Online Archive Sale

For Small Business Saturdays, Vogue will be spotlighting an independent fashion business every weekend—and the brilliant finds you can shop to support their bottom lines.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, every day brings with it both new and more shocking statistics and a palpable sense of uncertainty. In these unprecedented times, it can be hard to think about shopping. Yet fashion is not immune to the challenges facing small business around the world, and as we consider where best to focus our efforts here at Vogue, it’s our favorite independent designers who first come to mind. Supporting creativity is of key importance right now, and buying a piece from their collections can help keep them afloat—no matter how trivial shopping may feel, they need you now more than ever.

The happier news is that, as physical retail stores around the world are forced to shutter, many of these designers are finding new and innovative ways to present and sell their wares online. None more so than Phillip Lim, who this week opened up his treasure trove of an archive to sell pieces from across the years at discounted rates. (You can check it out here, if you’re in the market for a piece of Lim history at a bargain price.)

“It’s incredible to see how many supportive responses we’re getting from people who are shopping the archive sale, getting a chance to own some pieces they might have missed or couldn’t afford,” says Lim. “People are thanking us, but in reality, it’s the community of people who are shopping and giving us an extended life-line that we need to thank. The sale has also turned into a conduit for direct conversations and shared moments of joy with our customers, and it’s inspiring us into a new way of thinking that I hope we can transition into life post-pandemic.”

Since establishing his label 3.1 Phillip Lim in 2005, Lim has remained at the forefront of the American fashion conversation for a decade and a half, with three CFDA Awards under his belt and 14 stand-alone retail stores across the globe. But that doesn’t mean he’s immune to the challenges currently facing independent fashion businesses, however big or small. Being able to bring people together—even if, for now, that remains in the realm of the internet—has been a mood-booster during these long days of self-isolation. “It’s humbling to know that our fate depends on the love and reciprocity of our neighbors, there is a tremendous sense of renewed belonging,” Lim adds. “I am profoundly grateful to everyone who has been shopping and supporting our tribe at 3.1 Phillip Lim.”

What would Lim’s words of advice be to his peers in fashion also weathering the storm of COVID-19’s impact on their businesses? “To refocus and reprioritize,” says Lim. “Let go of all the nonsense and things that do not add to the conversation. Tap into every resource you have and think outside of the prescribed framework that we have become numb to as an industry.” It’s also an opportunity to find new and inventive ways to engage with customers and further the conversation around the clothes they make. “Let’s not forget that we are in the ‘business of creativity’—so get creative!”

Indeed, for Lim there are many important lessons we can all learn from the current crisis moving forward—not least in how we champion and nurture emerging designers at every stage of their career. “In this current landscape I am reminded every day of more reasons to be grateful,” he says. “We shouldn’t ignore this feeling, we should hold onto it and think about what it is we all stand for and what our values are so we can act accordingly in the future. Life isn’t going to wait for us, we have to pay attention to what our environment is telling us and restore a more natural balance.”

If approached responsibly, shopping doesn’t have to be a dirty word—so why not take the time to support a designer you love? Find highlights from Lim’s archive sale below, and the full selection at 31philliplim.com.