How do my peers feel about second-hand clothing?

Armstrongs, Edinburgh

http://www.armstrongsvintage.co.uk/home.html

https://www.facebook.com/armstrongsvintageclothing

I realised that my CCS work so far hasn’t been particularly discursive (not so good for a “discursive blog”) so I decided to make a very short survey to send out to friends and classmates and find out what their opinions are on spending money on charity shops and eBay, vintage clothes, high street stores and handmade pieces. I’ll hopefully be sending it out to a broader range of people as most of these responses come from fellow art school students, more female than male, but for now this is a summary of the results:

How do you feel about buying second-hand clothes from charity shops/eBay?

“Absolutely no problem buying second-hand clothes - love finding a bargain! Tend to shop more on eBay because of convenience but only buy brands I know which size I am.”

“I enjoy buying clothes from charity shops. They are usually better quality and at a more affordable price. By this I mean real wool, leather etc. I have never bought clothes from eBay. You have to see and feel and item of clothing in person to know its quality and realise its appeal.”

“I love to go onto eBay and see what bargains I can get, the thrill of bidding on something is quite appealing too. I have bought a good few things second hand on eBay and I find it much better than going into shops. Not being able to see the clothes is obviously not ideal, but I still for some reason find it better going on eBay than going into a charity shops, where I can actually see the clothes. I rarely go into charity shops for clothes, unless the displays look modern.”

The response here was largely in favour of buying cheap second hand clothing, nobody really mentioned any issues with wearing other people’s old potentially damaged “leftovers” which I had expected. There’s a fairly equal mixture of people preferring charity shops because you get to see the garment before paying for it, and people preferring eBay because it’s just easier and quicker.

Is this different to how you feel about buying “vintage” clothes from proper vintage stores?

“Prefer vintage shops, but can't beat the other two [charity shops/eBay] on price. And good for finding vintage look alike stuff.”

“Vintage shops come with their own more accepted/on trend aura, but are often overpriced!”

“Charity shops are often cheaper and all vintage clothing for me is the same wherever you buy it.”

“I think there is more of a chance I would find something I value more in a vintage shop. The clothes seem to come with their own story. Charity shops seem to me like they wouldn’t have many old things in them, just almost new throwaway fashion type clothes.”

Feelings about vintage clothes are more mixed, some people think they would place more value on vintage and some are not convinced that it’s any different from other second hand clothing. Generally everyone agrees on vintage clothes being more expensive, which adds to the value but also could potentially put customers off when there are cheaper options available in charity shops.

Do you tend to buy cheap from high street stores or spend a little more on something with more “value”?

“Having spent my student years buying a lot, cheap, I now prefer to invest in good pieces that will last and hold their shape better.”

“A mixture of the two, but I would rather spend £80-£100 on something and really love it and know its super good quality than buy two or three cheapish things from high street.”

“I do a bit of both! Just because there may be something basic I need or shoes that don't fit me in charity stores that I can find in high street places.”

“I have two favourite shops - one that is known for quality and one that is known for its throw away fashions. I often juggle my spending between the two.”

Everyone here said that they tend to cross between spending more on quality and less on fast fashion, nobody was exclusively either one or the other. Reasons for cheap high street buying included a student budget that didn’t allow for more expensive clothes, and buying things like shoes and underwear that aren’t easy to find (or particularly appealing to buy) second hand.

Have you ever bought handmade clothes or accessories? If so, what was the appeal?

“I HATE high street shops’ jewellery.”

“I'd be more inclined to buy accessories than clothes. I don't think you can beat the uniqueness of handmade, especially for a really special present or treat!”

“The good thing about handmade is that they tend to be unique and are often more durable.”

“I think I've only bought handmade jewellery or bags.”

“I generally always buy handmade accessories. Scarves, jewellery and winter hats I have feel have a bespoke quality if made by hand. Something that I tend to treasure longer than a high street piece. I think the most appealing aspect to handmade clothing is that it sparks sentiment.”

“I have bought some accessories in the past and had some clothes made for me. It’s quite a personal experience with the designer of them. One off pieces are definitely more valuable as you’re not wearing what anyone else is … I have a silver bracelet which includes gold from one my great-grandfathers medals. It was handmade for my 21st birthday and it is definitely one of my most treasured possessions for the fact that it’s personal, unique and handmade.”

“I have never bought hand made clothes or accessories.”

This was the most interesting result for me (and also incredibly encouraging) – only one person said they had never purchased handmade fashion. Everyone else was very enthusiastic about it, especially accessories, more often than not because handmade pieces are unique and better made, and also sometimes sentimental.

While varied, all the results were definitely leaning more in favour of buying ethically when it comes to fashion and accessories. This could be down to the participants largely consisting of students who exist in an art school where these things are often brought up – perhaps they would be very different if I asked people of different ages and different backgrounds? I’m going to send this out to a few different people to broaden my research.

What this means for my practise: Considering my work is all handmade and uses mostly upcycled/repurposed materials, these results are very encouraging. They also help point me towards my target market.

(Thanks to Kirsty Macmillan, Libby Walden, Caitlyn Main, Craig Lee, Didi Jellema, Fiona Stewart, Carmel Wilkinson-Ayre, Madeleine Edwards, Amy Dobbie and Sean Wilson for taking part!)

Lu Flux & reflections on the disadvantages of upcycled clothing

While researching different companies using The Guardian's UK ethical fashion directory (http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ethical-fashion-directory-uk-clothing-brands-fairtrade-vegan), I found a really exciting sustainable fashion brand called Lu Flux. This company makes beautiful limited edition pieces using mostly salvaged fabrics and yarns, and caught my attention immediately.

Website/Online Shop

Facebook Page

Browsing the sight I noticed a few things that seem to be recurring patterns in sustainable fashion brands, things that could point to some of the reasons that more people do not shop for upcycled/repurposed clothing:

The clothes tend to be “quirky”. Quirky being strange colour palettes, unusual shapes and lots of clashing patterns. This can either work beautifully, or make the garment look a bit of a shambles. From what I've gathered of my own experience when trying to design with the limitations of using only repurposed materials, and from what I can see of other brands like Lu Flux attempting to do the same, it is very difficult to create a colour palette and stick to it when only using what you can find. The design process has to be lead by the materials themselves in a way that doesn't really occur when designing with limitless options of fabrics and yarns. I find that if this is done carefully and tastefully, as Lu Flux demonstrate with the majority of their designs, the results are just the right amount of bizarre that works for my taste in fashion. Unfortunately many consumers aren't interested in this kind of style – it is very niche, and doesn't often have anything in common with standard high street clothing. I feel that this works both in its favour and against it, and could be why more people are not so keen to make the jump to upcycled fashion, despite the benefits for the environment.

The prices are also quite high. I believe that high priced handmade clothing is completely acceptable and understandable – the designers and dressmakers are generally earning a fare wage, and the consumer is buying into quality handmade pieces. However, because garments made from upcycled clothes and repurposed materials have to be carefully produced individually as there is not usually enough material for mass production, the price is automatically going to be a problem for some consumers. Many people simply can't afford to pay the fair price required with these kinds of clothes, even if it is viewed as a long term investment in a good quality garment, and with cheap fast fashion readily available for much less money it would be very difficult to shift the majority of consumers over to upcycled fashion. I've found when attempting to price my own work that the price far exceeds anything I would be able to afford, and while that doesn't make it unsellable as there are plenty of consumers who do pay more for handmade, they are in the minority.

This has made me realise that if I were to pursue sustainable clothing as an independent designer, I would absolutely have to take these things into account and decide whether to work with them or attempt to work around them – is it wise to avoid the more off-the-wall designs that tend to come out of upcycled fabrics or to relish in them? Is it better or worse for upcycled fashion to have carved quite a small niche as opposed to being a bigger part of mainstream fashion? Things worth considering. I have contacted Lu Flux in the hope that they can answer some questions for me and help with my research.