The Story So Far

Solomon Isa and Lewis Farrar, the owners of Best Vintage, is one of a growing band of entrepreneurs who are rebelling against the notion of fashion as a throwaway commodity.  He comments: “In an age when we are ever conscious of our carbon footprint, the organic stamp on the food we eat and the free trade requirement of the coffee we drink, it's a bit surprising how little attention we pay to the nature of the clothing we put on our bodies.”

Much of the designer and high street fashions available today use harmful dyes or other hazardous manufacturing processes to churn out one-season hits that end up piling up in closets until they walk themselves out to the rubbish.  The UK produces an estimated 900,000 tonnes of textile waste each year, most of which comes from household sources. About 700,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill every year, but synthetic fibres will not decompose, while woollen garments do decompose and produce methane, contributing to global warming. Although 50 per cent of the textiles going to landfill can be reused and recycled, only 200,000 tonnes of textile waste is collected for this purpose each year.
“Best Vintage is doing our bit for the environment by reusing old and unwanted textiles in an inventive and creative way,” says Solomon.  “As well as selling vintage clothing, we are also offering a customisation and design service, which will take used garments or materials and conjure them into the latest wearable fashion.”
 
This new approach to recycled fashion is already popular with style leaders such as Sadie Frost, Gwen Stefani, Russell Brand and Stella McCartney, who pride themselves on remaining one step ahead of the rest of us on the trend travelator.  And with eco-friendly labels such as Traidremade, Worn Again, Junky Styling and Goodone also producing highly desirable recycled fashion it looks certain, then, that this trend is set to grow.
Future plans for promoting sustainable fashion at Best Vintage include holding clothes exchange parties, where customers will be invited to swap and sell the stuff they don’t wear for stuff they will.

Best Vintage