It’s Thrifted !
An Interview with Retro Club Thrift; by Drew Haller
Sustainable fashion is loosely defined as conscious consumption. It’s about buying and selling in a way that does not threaten future generations’ resources. But with so much waste from retail fashion’s ever-changing trends and overproduction, how can the average civilian help out? During lockdown, we had to overhaul our habits. Incomes were more vulnerable, so shopping expeditions became a rarity. But most of us still felt an inclination to bear our best threads. The garments we wear can empower and uplift us. Clothing undeniably influences our spirits and reflects our moods, helping us to externalize our internal emotion. But as we know, fast fashion is unsustainable. It’s just straight up bad for the planet, and for us. It’s a kind of addiction that does not deserve indulgence.
So how do we compromise? There’s an untrue assumption that sustainable brands are generally very expensive. In some cases, when buying locally-sourced fabric and independent design, it can be. But on a smaller scale, there is an array of clothing left-behind in every unsuspecting corner. Hospice shops, charities, thrift stores etc. are an accessible space to capture bold outfits. But it’s no easy task. However, we’re fortunate enough to find ourselves in the midst of a thrifting revolution. There is an entire community of visionary souls who have dedicated themselves to the vocation. They offer us an invaluable service that mediates between the grueling task of hunting down treasures and the gratifying moment of unwrapped bargain bliss.
And thrifters made things even easier when they moved online. All of a sudden, there was an influx of self-made thrift pages. Everybody was cleaning out their wardrobes, and reselling the items they once loved. It became a magical experience, to see these old-school items reimagined by a couple of accessories, some loving repair work, and idyllic DIY photoshoots. It was nostalgic too, to see so many unexpected pieces on our feed. While many big brands use vintage inspiration for their new collections, thrifting allows access to these styles without the buyer’s remorse. This way, you know that your purchase is helping a homie out AND upcycling !
One particular thrifter in That Eclectic’s community has had great success in her thrifting business. Nicole Brand is the owner of Retro Club Thrift, a thrift account with almost 7000 followers. Her psychedelic style has struck a chord with many buyers. RCT’s style is reminiscent of the civil rights activism, feminism, environmentalism, and anti-establishment rhetoric that accompanied the forward-thinking era of the 60’s and 70's. She styles the clothes in a way that makes the time seem so near, as though our parents’ causes are still our own, and their fashion is too. As we recreate tokens from another era, you can recognize a newfound affinity for the cultural iconography of the decades that preceded us. They hold a certain youthfulness, and represent revolution through clothing. This is very much in-line with the progressiveness of the thrift community’s advocacy for sustainable fashion. We’re lucky to have a full interview with Nicole, where she describes the reality of thrifting and sustainable business.
Describe your brand and yourself.
Hey! I’m Nicole Brand, owner of Retro Club Thrift (*wave* haha). Retro Club is a funky second hand clothing bizz that always strives to be as sustainable as possible — from recycling wardrobes to using eco-friendly packaging and printing.
With the Retro Club brand I try to keep it as groovy, happy, fun and light-hearted as possible, with a motto of “Kill-em with Kindness”. In many ways I feel that Retro Club is an expression of my best self, my alter ego. The essence of the Retro Club brand not only allows me to be good to our planet, but also allows me to create a friendly and positive experience for my customers. It does so through our interactions, the content and topics I discuss on my page and the all round vibe of Retro Club. The amount of joy this line of work brings me is indescribable, and having people who support Retro Club’s brand is super exciting.
What motivated your passion for thrifting ?
Well it didn’t start out all that positive. When I first started buying used clothes, it honestly had nothing to do with sustainability and more to do with my shopaholic, hoarder tendencies (oopsie). I was really good at finding thrift gems. I totally blame my Taurus side for that, we love pretty things! At first it was just fun and games to feed my shopping addiction. And did I mention affordable?
But as I learned more, and became more aware of the negative effects of fast fashion, I came to realize that buying second-hand is more important than ever. The FF industry produces huge amounts of waste, nearly 100 million tons a year! And it’s not slowing down. By thrifting for myself, and now through my business too, I am able to fight the man (Retail) and help keep clothes in circulation for longer, and out of the landfills. All while spreading awareness about it on my platform too. AND, I still get to feed my shopping addiction. I just don’t have to hoard it for myself, I get to share the thrift stoke with others. It’s a WIN WIN, WINNN!
How did you become involved with That Eclectic’s community and what does it mean to you ?
Well I’m really good friends with one of the founders, Izabeau, and I used to cruise around the Stellenbosch art department with both Iz and Steph for a few years. Iz asked me to be a part of this exciting idea of theirs and I was totally down like a clown! Retro Club is my way of expressing my alter ego, my best self, and that’s exactly what THAT ECLECTIC is all about, “Radical Self Expression”. So that’s why I’m one of their groupies. The 2 of them, and all the other lovely people involved in creating That Eclectic, are all such radical people. No idea or person is too loud or far out. Anything goes. And that allows such a beautiful space for people to collaborate and grow.
Where do your stylistic inspirations come from ?
Oooooh I always feel like a part of me is a lil stuck in the past. I love me some good ol’ vinyls, disco and psychedelic colours. If you check out my apple music or spotify, my music knowledge and taste only stretches as far as Golden Oldie. There’s a Golden track for every mood I kid you not! I’d definitely say Retro Club’s style is 100% inspired by the 60’s and 70’s, I’m such a sucker for bright colours, disco and lava lamps mannnn.
What do you think it is about retro fashion that has enticed everyone to throwback their styles and trends?
This is a tricky one. I think that as humans, we are a bunch of individuals stuck together as a whole. So mainstream or commercial fashion can, for many people, feel too generic. Retro clothing allows people to express their unique style and individuality in a weird and wonderful way. Even though many people are doing that too, it’s pretty rare to run into someone wearing the same 50’s jacket as you or styling it in the same way. We can’t say the same of retail fashion!
What are the behind-the-scenes challenges the customers don’t see when it comes to collecting and marketing your wardrobe?
I can’t fold for shit. Seriously, it’s the thing I struggle with most! Also, chasing after ghosters (people who are interested but take ages to pay or just blue tick you). But on a more serious note, the thrifting world is a brand new industry. It’s been around for a while but only in the past 2 years has it really exploded. It’s now making its move towards the serious business world, in competition to retail fashion.
The thrift movement and community itself is such a forward thinking and progressive group (which is awesome!). There is a very obvious expectation on thrift businesses to be better than retail when it comes to being good to the planet and also to people. So we also have to deal with many serious topics such as size inclusivity, cultural appropriation, gender, race etc. It’s why I love this industry so much! But when you’re a small business — and by small I mean you’re the only person running the show/ a people pleaser as I proudly am — it can be very challenging: mentally for yourself, financially for your business and time-wise for both. It’s difficult trying to keep up with these expectations and staying one step ahead always.
As a collector, how do you maintain a varied catalogue of clothing styles, sizes and trends to allow inclusivity?
Oh it’s quite a process. I used to just thrift as much as I could, buying my own style and sizes because it was easy and fun. But since the middle of last year, I started taking Retro Club more seriously to the point where it’s currently my only job (Yay!). I had to set some systems, rules and habits in place for this specific reason. So I thrift weekly at physical shops or I buy stock from people cleaning out their wardrobes. I keep a very meticulous track of all my stock on a spreadsheet in which I categorize it. For example via sizing/ measurements, gender, whether I need to repair it etc.
I make sure to clean and photograph all the items. I recently started a “Curvy club” section which caters for curvier customers. So I meet up with a fellow thrift page owner, Maria from Instant Vintage, every 2 weeks to photograph all items 14/XL/38 and up on her. The fact that I know I can photograph bigger sized items on her also makes thrifting them so much easier and fun. I used to be hesitant to buy bigger sizes since I couldn’t try them on or photograph them on myself, because it was difficult to provide an accurate vision of the clothing piece and it’s fit. Hopefully in the near future when my business has grown a bit more, I’ll be able to afford and fairly pay many different size, race and gender models. But right now I’m doing the best that I can!
When it’s time to prepare for a stock drop (every Monday) I make sure to select a fair representation of the different sizes and gender clothing from my available stock, to ensure that I’m providing an inclusive stock drop. Sometimes Maria and I are both too busy to meet up, so bigger sized item get delayed from the stock drop. Or maybe I bought stock from someone’s wardrobe cleanout, and it’s only size 34. If I don’t have anything else to post, then I unfortunately need to use what I have in order to pay my bills! So it can get a bit tricky sometimes, but like I said, I’m always trying my best.
Do you think that South African thrift stores have their own unique flavor ? Tell us about your thrifting experiences and the adventure of shopping in the Western Cape.
To a degree yes! But did you know that most second hand clothing gets circulated and dispersed in bales from all around the world? So we actually get a bit of everything! Which is cool cause it allows more room for unique self expression.
Ahhh, thrifting is so good for my soul. I remember during lockdown when we weren’t allowed to leave our homes, I used to get mad headaches (no not from the rona). I kept blaming it on thrifting withdrawals. The first day I could go thrifting again, I went with another one of my headaches. And after leaving the hospice shop, having been immersed in the smell of old people and cat piss, my headache was gone! So it’s safe to say that I’m a real addict. But in general, thrifting can sometimes be so weird. The amount of strange sticky things you find in jacket pockets is just horrifying!
What do you believe is the greatest community advantage of thrifting ?
The thrift community is just such a forward thinking group of people (shop owners and customers). It really excites me, and I can’t wait to see where the future of thrifting will go. We are out for revenge, Fast Fashion, WE’RE COMING FOR YOU!
What are the most harmful disadvantages of fast fashion ?
Oef so many! Obviously the harm to the planet, but that’s a no brainer. The new thing the thrift community is trying to work on, which fast fashion lacks, is its pathetic attempt at size inclusivity. Fast fashion companies have way more resources and finances to be size inclusive than a little old thrift page, yet they are so bad at it! This is something I spoke about with another thrift page called Thrifter’s be Thriftin’ who’s been talking about this on her social media recently. She’s also a plus size gal, so she was speaking from personal experience. She said: “Fast fashion almost always offers only one type of style to plus size consumers, which is ‘Baggy’. It can be really hurtful because we all know they didn’t actually ask a plus size person if that’s what they want, instead they decide that curvier shoppers should hide their bodies in tent-like clothing. But at the same time these customers are made to feel like they should be grateful to those brands for being one that caters to sizes 18+”.
Fatphobia is a huge issue in our society and the fast fashion industry. Another seriously harmful issue they have created is appropriating or stealing from different cultures.
What is your personal approach to self-expression and styling?
I used to be all about funky things and dressing up. But recently, due to lockdown, I’ve been very much into comfort clothes with a stylish twist, of course! I also live close to the beach now, and for some reason it just makes you wanna dress like a beach bum all the time. Although my alter ego is into wacky crazy outfits, my personal style is a bit more tuned down. But always with a lil pop of colour. I love a good pair of dungarees, as they are not only comfy but also super cool! And they’re really playful too, which is a side I love to express. I’m also in love with my cute mushroom earrings. I got gifted from my lover this Xmas, and I didn’t think it was my style, but now I plan my outfits around them. Hehe!
Do you believe that clothing can impact a person’s confidence or emotion? If so, how does wearing a great outfit improve your mood ?
UHM YES! The way you dress is a way of expressing your individuality, your best self. Of course you’re gonna feel like a superstar when you’re wearing your favorite outfit! The confidence boost helps you to be your best self. The same goes for undies. When I wear my good underwear or a matching set, even though I’m the only one that knows, best believe I’m taking over the world that day!
Tell us one of Retro Club’s greatest achievements.
I am proud to say that Retro Club is 99.99% sustainable and really doing its best to look out for the planet and peeps around it, not just by reusing clothes but in the way I do business.
Our packaging and tags are 100% biodegradable, I even use Carbon Neutral printing via Hotink Printing Studios. The only issue is the plastic mail bags that items need to be transported in, but I’m busy trying to get an ambassador gig with Mielie Mailers’ eco friendly mail bag company. I make sure to eco-brick all plastic waste from the current plastic mail bags too.
All leftover stock I usually donate back to the charity shops. But this past Christmas I used all the leftover clothing from Retro Club and got some more donations to make up a few clothing “goodie bags”. I kept them in my car with a bunch of shoes to disperse to the homeless when stopping at a robot or parking area. There’s many other little achievements, but knowing that I’m doing good to nature and to those living around me is definitely my proudest achievement!
How do you maintain a connection with your network despite the pandemic ?
I make sure to not only interact with my customers, but also to communicate and support my fellow thrifters in the Instagram world by sharing posts, giving them love and chatting about thrift-related topics or issues. I also host my monthly “love local” giveaways which helps me to build amazing connections with many small businesses around me, who I can always count on to collaborate with in the future :)
Do you have any advice for small-time thrifters who would like to grow their business or extend their personal collections ?
I have many business related strategies and advice to give, but I can write a whole book on that! Short version is: Just keep doing what you love and love what you’re doing. It will show through your business. If you’re naturally passionate about something, you’ll succeed in it if you just keep going and having fun with it.
Oh, and don’t feel bad to hold onto a thrift gem if you really love it! You can always sell it later.
Also, any Thrifters reading this, feel free to contact me if you want to chat about some serious tips on growing your business :)
With so many other thrifters, how do you nurture community over competition? Are there any other particular thrifters you’d like to shoutout to ?
Ahhh the thrift community has gone through its ups and downs, but recently I feel we have all come together in so many beautiful ways. I think we all finally realized that we’re not in a war with each other, we’re all in a war together. A war against fast fashion and all the bad effects thereof!
There’s way too many pages to shoutout to, and I’d be too scared to leave someone out! I would rather say a massive thank you to the thrift pages who are so frieken nice and supportive to me, especially with the recent “Curvy Club” section I have introduced to my page. Shoutout to all the thrift pages who are working so hard to be good, and always striving to do better. It’s a hard job but at the same time so rewarding. I thank my lucky stars to be a part of this wonderful community :)
Are there any particular causes that are close to your heart ? E.g. any social justice issues, community upliftment projects, charities or NGOs you support?
One of the things I am most passionate and concerned about are the homeless. One of my favorite charity shops to thrift at is “U-TURN”. There’s a whole bunch of them around South Africa. They use the funds from the charity shop to equip people with skills and work opportunities to overcome homelessness. Their program is designed by occupational therapists with long term results for rehabilitation. Six months after graduating from the program, more than 80% of the participants remain employed and sober, and they’re the people running the shop! It’s really amazing to chat to them while you’re there, to hear their stories and to see how well they are doing for themselves.
At the U-TURN charity shops you can also buy a meal voucher which you can give to the next homeless person that crosses your path. They can go trade it in at any U-TURN to get 3 meals! That also gives them the opportunity to get involved with the program and start their own journey to recovery. If you donate clothing to U-TURN, you also receive monthly updates on some of the participant’s journeys. Ah I LOVE U-TURN!
(Donate to U-Turn here)
Name 3 to 5 applications or softwares you couldn’t live without. How do they enhance your trade ?
Adobe Illustrator: It’s the only design software I really know how to use after my 4 year design degree. I design all my content on there.
Tezza: It’s a photo editing app that has one specific filter. I use it on all my cover photos because the Instagram algorithm loves it, which means my posts get shown to more people!
Instagram: That’s where I do business from!
Excel Spreadsheet: To keep my scattered brain under control and in line.
Describe one great thing you loved about participating in That Eclectic’s events.
Oh 100% the groovy D-floor is just one of many things. But also the people that I get to meet and interact with at these events are just incredible! It’s a lot of stimulating yet silly conversation. They’re open minded people who are their best selves. And the events bring this out in them.
How do you think That Eclectic’s emphasis on creativity and self-expression positively enhances their events and community?
I think they are doing such a good job at creating a space where people, no matter how straight forward or eccentric, can feel comfortable in their own skin and accepted. I think That Eclectic also allows people to experiment with their own self expression and creativity in the safe spaces they create. It’s truly beautiful. I really hope that That Eclectic and all it is gets to be experienced by many more people in the future.
