To understand how I started, it might be worth a bit of background about me.
A bit about me
I grew up around lots of costumes, as my mum was a classically trained opera singer and later went on to be in Phantom of The Opera for 6 years from 1996. I remember trying on costumes, playing with my outfits at home, and being bedazzled by clothing and how different it can make you feel. My mum was also a great seamstress and made clothing for drag queens when I was 4 years old (also 1996). Clothing CHANGES how you feel about and present yourself. From a young age, I knew it was magic.
I have always loved rummaging for second hand clothing, and even as a child searched for things that brought me joy or stood out to me. I had no idea at such a young age the ecological benefits of shopping this way, and I just went hell for leather in dressing up and trying different outfits.
Why Is Vintage Better Than Fast Fashion?
Here are my top 5 reasons why vintage is better than fast fashion:
The most sustainable fashion you can buy is fashion that ALREADY EXISTS! It's already here, living and breathing in our world and SHOULDN'T end up in landfill. 'Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills. To put things in perspective, this means that the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothes ends up on landfill sites every second. If the trend continues, the number of fast fashion waste is expected to soar up to 134 million tonnes a year by the end of the decade.'.
2. They are so well made! Clothes were made to last back then. Industrial advances, population growth and throwaway culture means that demand is higher and clothes are made cheaply and poorly as the people making them have unachievable and inhumane targets to meet. Most of my wardrobe is now 40 years or older and it is pretty durable considering it's what I wear for day to day life and goes in and out of the washing machine as normal. For washing tips, see How to wash vintage clothing
3. They are exciting and tell stories!!! They hold stories of the past, happy news, parties, smiles and laughter with friends and family. I have heard so many stories about some of the wonderful vintage I've sourced over the years. Think of the cocktail party, wedding or day to day life these incredible pieces of clothing saw!
4. Everything else is based around them or is directly inspired by them - so why not have the original? Everything we see being produced has come from or been influenced by a previous design, pattern or item before.
5. You more times than not will always make your money back if you decide to move something on, as the older vintage gets, the more value it holds. Great quality vintage is harder to find and becoming harder to source, retaining it's value.
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