It is Secondhand September and in the spirit of buying preloved, we thought we’d share a small list of our favourite brands that sell secondhand clothing, online, as well as some thrifting tips. We love to follow these brands not only because we’d love to buy the gems they find, but also because they are a source of style inspiration.
Preloved Clothing Brands:
Located in Copenhagen, DK. Palourde is an online and physical store selling vintage clothing and decor. Their Instagram grid is everything we love about the new colourful Scandanavian style that is becoming oh so popular.
Located in Cape Town, SA. Tukiya’s Closet is a selection of once-off, quality pre-loved, and vintage pieces. Tukiya’s picks are classic, with a sprinkle of trendy pieces and we love the way she styles them on Instagram.
Located in Johannesburg, SA. Hadeda’s Instagram bio says they’re, “dedicated to playful pursuits of classic style” and we could agree more. Don’t sleep on their newsletter, you get early access to uploads and that really makes a difference – Masego learned the hard way. If you want to learn more about Hadeda, and co-founder Laura Rose, she was our first cnscs_ people interviewee ever and really made us rethink our closets.
Located in Cape Town, SA. If you live in Cape Town you’ve probably visited Better Half. Whatever your style is, they have the perfect piece for you. They’re known for their multi-colour suit selection, denims and retro/vintage scarfs. Sign up for their newsletter for 15% off your first purchase and early access to uploads.
Located in New York, USA. Berriez is a curated online vintage store that celebrates curves, colours and fruit. Berriez is fun so freakin’ fun! From fruit salad bags to tye-dye tops. You can learn more about Berriez and founder Emma Zack on the Pre-loved Podcast.
Located in Washington DC, USA. More Than Your Average is a plus-size vintage store that is colourful and retro with a blog full of tips and inspiration. You can learn more about Mya Price founder of More Then Your Average on this episode of Pre-Loved Podcast.
Located in the USA. Subrina Heyink is vintage, designer shop. Subrina Heyink’s lookbooks are beautiful. A favourite is definitely their wedding collection film that features two brides, which just makes sense.
We love finding brands to follow through other accounts, Hadeda and WYL both made lists. If you’re up to finding your own, some great sites are E-Bay, Etsy, Depop, Yaga and Gumtree.
In most countries, we’re allowed to go thrifting in physical stores again. So here are a few tips and some things to keep in mind:
- Wear your mask, this is a very IN accessory and shows others you care about their wellbeing too.
- Wear slim-fitting clothing (if you feel comfortable). This way you can try clothes on over your clothes if it’s allowed. Some thrift stores don’t have changing rooms or the fitting rooms are closed for safety regulations.
- Bring cash, some charity stores don’t take card. It slowly is becoming a norm, but better safe than sorry.
- This is something we find helpful, but isn’t necessary: make a moodboard, Pinterest board or saved file on Instagram of all the styles, trends and silhouettes you like. This helps with having an idea of what you’re looking for, but again sometimes the thrift store gives you something you didn’t know you wanted.
- If it doesn’t spark joy or you’re not IN LOVE, leave it. That item could make someone else’s day. If you do leave it and you can’t stop thinking about it, then plan another trip to go back for it but if it’s not there then it wasn’t meant to be.
- If you’re a straight-sized person (S-L), do not buy larger/plus-sized pieces to thrift flip/tailor. Plus-size people have less access to clothes in general, but especially in the slow fashion space and sometimes thrifted clothes are the only place they can access sustainable clothing. We need to be more ethical and inclusive about the way we thrift.
We hope you find these brands as inspiring as we do and that these tips are helpful in your ethical thrifting journey. May your Secondhand September be full of forever finds.
With love,
Masego & Stella
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