Growing up I have always loved clothing, from putting together very questionable outfits (if the colours clashed, the more the better!) to following the latest trends of the 90s and Y2K. The high street shops were my haven, full of the current styles as seen in my teen magazines (J17, Sugar, Mizz, Bliss- loved them!) and I felt a rush of instant gratification to be able to purchase a new outfit. My favourite shops of the 90s included, Tammy Girl, Pilot, Bay Trading and Topshop to name a few. I grew up feeling like (and still do!) like I wasn't one of the 'cool' kids, so by purchasing a statement t-shirt or combat trousers, it made me feel like I was trying to emulate fitting in. Also I loved celebrity culture as a young teenager and finding I could dress like my favourite Spice Girl member was pretty special.
Fast forward a few years I began working in fashion retail in the now online only fashion brand, Warehouse. The clothes were a little bit older for me (I would of been 17 when I first starting working there) but I loved having regular access to current fashion trends and being able to style and merchandise them. And then having access to my own regular income meant I could purchase even more clothing! I did get myself into debt by this method of over consuming (luckily it was all paid back many years ago and I've been debt free ever since- once burned and all that).
The culture at the time was fast fashion, but I did't know it was termed that and why. Yes, it was common knowledge that most of the clothes on the high street was made cheaply (and most likely not fairly) but with social media still in it's infancy, greater awareness of this was yet to come into the social conscience.
So on I went buying new clothes like it was, well, going out of fashion! It was once joked when I worked in H&M, that I was not in the same outfit twice! (Not strictly true, but I was like a magpie, I liked shiny new things!). After moving from working in fashion retail (about 10 years in total) I moved into homeware and lifestyle retail at John Lewis and this job role required a uniform (not supplied by John Lewis) and so most of my days were spent in office wear clothing. This reduced the need for me to wear my own style clothing, so as a result I didn't need as much new every day outfits (I said need, not want mind!). Also not working directly in fashion clothing, I started to lose track of the latest style trends and began to wear what I felt I wanted to, than be dictated to by what was coming into the shops regularly. I did still love going into shops and doing some retail therapy (I still do very much so!) but I think working with homeware, my focus veered more towards making my home nice and cosy rather than always purchasing new outfits.
Then whilst working in John Lewis, I set up my original blog Abbie Chic (I still have access to it, but it's not publicly available) and I started by sharing my days out and outfits and clothing I found whilst shopping (very much inspired by social media of the time, with influencers such as Zoe Sugg). I can't remember the exact turning point of getting into secondhand clothing, I think it was a gradual move brought on by it becoming less of a stigma thanks to social media.
I do recall though, my husband, Dan, seeing an online advert for a vintage kilo sale local to me. I had never heard of such a thing but being curious, I went along and after figuring out how it actually worked (you rummage through rails of clothing, select what you want to purchase and then pay by weight. It's like a grown up version of pick'n'mix sweets!) I was hooked! What a novel and fun way to shop. Good for my bank balance, good for the environment and the thrill of never knowing what you may unearth. This lead me to discover other kilo sales and then to start scoping out charity shops. There was a growing movement on social media of sharing secondhand finds and speaking out about how over consumption and over production of clothing is doing terrible things to the environment. To those in the know, it's always been known, but a new generation was catching on and spreading the word across the internet.
With the rise in popularity in shopping sustainably, checking out charity shops was becoming less of a stigma. Now it was all about sharing online about the great bargains found secondhand and showing how to dress without spending over the odds. And Vinted, well that's really made secondhand purchases a trend of it's own. I feel there are micro fashion trends that pop up every season, but unlike the 60's or 70's for example, there's no real defining style for this decade (or previous decade for that matter- perhaps that's for another blog post). So shopping secondhand means you can find those one off pieces that suit your aesthetic and personality rather than wearing what the high street shops are selling.
All this ties into my love of sustainability and discovering once cherished items and imagining how they would have been used when they were new. So hence I decided to start a online journal, or blog to share the places I go to thrift or charity shop and what I find there. Also I like to share any tips or advice I have to any other like minded people. I'm still learning myself, so you can come along for the journey!
A xxx
🥰 look forward to reading future posts
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
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