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Trashy Flowers

 


 

 

 

 

 

  

trashyflowers.com

 

The world of Vintage and Retro clothing is a booming one. Yasmine Naylor founded Trashy Flowers who are now leaders in the field. Here, Trashy Flowers' Vintage specialist Antony Antoniou explains how he got into the Vintage fashion business, why Vintage clothing is so popular and why it pays, environmentally and fashionably as well as financially, to shop Vintage.

 

 

  
  
   

 

 

   

 



 
As a start, we have been in the vintage/recycled clothing business for 5 years. We actually started by buying a few items to sell on ebay and gradually built up stock because I got carried away buying. Vintage clothing is fantastic value, as you are often buying garments of incredible quality, that may have only been worn once, or not at all. It can often be an unfair comparison to take a similar looking product available on the high street, as most of those are made to a price in the far East.
 
The other major benefit is that with many items, there is only one available for sale, unless we happen to get a selection of ‘Dead Stock’. This means that vintage is no longer the reserve of artistic students and independent dressers, it is now a fashion statement. It is also very popular with people who can & do buy frequently in the high street and who have decided that they do not want to look the same as everybody else.
 
We also attract buyers with a conscience in large numbers, whether they want to participate from an environmental aspect, as we have saved hundreds of tonnes from landfill, or maybe they do not want to participate in funding the chain stores' continued exploitation of cheap labour. The case is clear, vintage is both environmentally friendly, it is moral and fantastic value. There is also the excitement factor. When people visit Trashy Flowers, they never know what will be on our rails. In fact, even for us working with tonnes & tonnes of clothing in large bails/containers, we never know what we will pull out next. It could be a quirky dress, a loud jump-suit or an outrageous pair of leather shorts!
 
Although we are based in Northampton, the web has enabled us to generate exposure worldwide. We supply customers in Iceland, Sweden, Mainland Europe, USA, Japan and Australia. There are weeks where exports do in fact exceed domestic sales.
 
The best sellers can vary with the seasons, for example, dresses slow down quite a lot in winter as they are overtaken by knitwear and coats, especially this year, but by the end of next month, I expect the demand for dresses to go through the roof.
 
I see the company growing over the next few years, either by expansion or evolution. We are hoping to introduce our own label which will be to brand our own re-worked or in-house designed Retro-wear. We have working relationships with several local fashion designers, who we are keen to promote. We will also use the massive exposure and traffic that our website generates to publicise some of the creative people that we are in contact with.
 
We recently expanded our warehouse premises to a total of 10,000Sq.ft where we now encompass several satellite industries, from a creative sewing group, to independent designers creating their own labels. It has been a privilege to participate in and inspiring so many creative people. It could be said that our expansion thus far has not been restricted to sales and products, but it has expanded to people, ideas and inspiration.
 
This has also created a situation where our recycling ethos is benefiting local people as we have a great deal of surplus clothing that we endeavour to put to good use. Some we donate to charity, some we sell for re-working and some we can give to those who are learning about fabrics and sewing.
 
Retro is most definitely here to stay, there may be some adjustment in expectations over the next year or so as the impact of our ‘Fair price policy’ may oblige retailers with unrealistic expectations to examine their prices. As we are becoming more popular, we have an increasing number of retail customers travelling further and further afield to shop with us.
 
Most modern clothing is at the very least inspired by previous designs and many items are nothing more than modified older designs, with a modern label. The modern buyer is much more savvy than in the past and with the recent economic crisis, an increasing number of people question the amount they spend on clothing and more importantly, the ecological and moral aspects surrounding their outfits.
 
All things considered, all the little retailers up and down the country, struggling to search for those perfect pieces for their shop have all added up to create an industry of the future, that is winning favour with more and more people by the day.
  
 

  

trashyflowers.com

 

Monday Closed
Tuesday 10.30 - 18.30
Wednesday 10.30 - 18.30
Thursday 10.30 - 18.30
Friday 10.30 - 18.30
Saturday10.30 - 18.30
Sunday 12.00 - 16.00

Located on Abington Square in Northampton, our new retail outlet is a spacious and accessible 'world of Vintage'

A wonderful selection of unique clothing and accessories, available to lovers of Vintage & Retro, at prices that won't break the bank.

01604 632974

 


 

 

 


 

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