Featured image: Lucy Day
University has a reputation for being the place where people experiment, oftentimes through clothing, as people begin to discover who they are and develop their personal style. A lot of the time, cash-poor uni students turn to budget-friendly clothing options, which are usually secondhand. However, instead of scouring charity shops in Piccadilly or braving the eye-watering prices in a so-called vintage shop, students should simply visit the Vintage Folk sales in the Student Union.
Set up on our doorstep, the sales feature racks of vintage, of-the-moment pieces at fixed prices from £3 to £20. But how are they able to keep their prices so low? Head of Growth for Vintage Folk, Lucy Day, sheds light on the question: “The volume of vintage clothing we get delivered to our warehouse allows us to keep our prices low. It’s amazing to see the gems we discover in our bales and the number of items from top brands that we’re then able to sell at unbelievably low prices.”
Vintage Folk operates in a vast number of universities across the country, providing affordable pieces to uni students. Day reveals: “We’ve been running University events for over 5 years now and we love bringing the joy of affordable vintage pieces to students across the country.”
Vintage Folk have been tailoring their products towards uni students for half a decade, and there are two opportunities for Manchester-based students to shop Vintage Folk’s sartorial offerings; their university pop-ups and their monthly warehouse sales. Day says: “We handpick the stock that we bring to both our university events and the monthly Thrift Events we host at our Warehouse in Manchester.”
Buying second-hand has more than just a positive impact on your bank balance. Since around 92 million tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill annually, with a large portion of those garments being in perfect condition, shopping second-hand is great for the environment. “Last year alone we saved over 360,000 tons of quality vintage items,” says Day. This is an incredible feat that students can contribute to by simply being more conscious of their fashion purchases.
Day leaves us with some advice on how to make our consumption as young people more circular: “Investing in durable, unique vintage items not only reduces the amount of clothing ending up in landfill but also ends up being more budget-friendly.”
This mutually beneficial exchange shows how we can have a positive impact on the environment by simply considering where we shop. Day also implores: “We’d love to see a move away from ‘throw-away’ culture and towards mending quality items. A little stitch here and a button there can give garments a second life.” Mending culture is revolutionising wardrobes and the second-hand industry as a whole.
Vintage Folk are aiming to hold fortnightly sales at The Union on Higher Cambridge Street (next to The Salutation) and have their next date set to March 30th.
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