Tue. Oct 1st, 2024

Pure Vintage: Kingston’s new hub of old clothes

By Georgia McJannett-Smith Nov 25, 2022
Alex and Hattie standing at the counter of the new storePure Vintage is up and running. Photo: Georgia McJannett-Smith

Vintage clothing store, Pure Vintage, opened its doors in Kingston last week, slowing down the pace of fashion within the Bentall Centre.

Pre-owned garments adorn the clothing rails and walls of Kingston resident Alex Gilbert’s first physical store, after using circular fashion platform Depop to resell clothes since he was 16-years-old.

The pandemic forced him to take his reselling hobby to the next level. “I lost my place in flying school, I was meant to be a pilot, but then I realised that all my stuff on Depop had sold,” said Gilbert.

“So I worked in a warehouse for the first lockdown, saved up a bit of money, bought some more clothes then it has just snowballed since then.”

Talking about his new store, Gilbert said: “We exclusively sell either reworked or second-hand clothing.

“Each piece is completely unique, which is what brought me to liking vintage in the first place. Each item has a bit of a history, it’s been worn by other people and it’s one of one.”

Aesthetic wall of the store
Gilbert has created a calm atmosphere for a more comfortable shopping experience. Photo: Georgia McJannett-Smith

Gilbert wants to believe that people are more conscious of where they are buying their clothes and the problems with fast fashion.

He said: “I am pretty biased, but I know the amount of stuff that just gets chucked away. I’ve seen it first-hand, and it is disgraceful. Despite my hopes, I think it is quite a divided debate.”

Gilbert also recognises the lack of disposable income that leads students to buying from unsustainable brands and retailers.

He said: “If you are on a budget it is not as accessible to buy stuff that is not fast fashion, mass produced and possibly using illicit techniques.”

Permanent student discounts, 10% off everything and bargain bins are in the pipeline for those scouting for offers.

The North Face and Carhartt are a few of the brands featured in-store. Photo: Georgia McJannett-Smith

Their patchwork jackets are perhaps the most sustainable and creative use of second-hand clothes, which is a great way to repurpose material in bad yet salvageable conditions.

As sported by Gilbert, patchwork jackets made of workwear trousers are a unique find, with the goal to have plenty more by Christmas and to expand into reworked accessories, starting with a Carhartt denim tote bag.

Denim Carhartt tote bag on rug
Sample of a denim Carhartt tote bag. Photo: Georgia McJannett-Smith

The inspiration came from the abundance of undamaged material left despite the bottoms being frayed and the knees worn out.

Head over to the Wood Street or visit https://purevintage-clothing.com to check out the inventory and consequently save the environment.

By Georgia McJannett-Smith

Website Editor Interests: Heavy music, coffee and writing

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