INTERVIEW #33 RED VINTAGE
Based in: Ulstrup, Denmark
Founded in: 2019
Founded by: Jingchen and Christina
Shop at: shipping worldwide from online shop and by appointment in Ulstrup 8860
Price range: 45 to 300 euros
Why we love them: We love Red Vintage first of all for the amount of work and passion Christina (the owner) puts into it. Even with pressure from family she truly follows her dream and keeps doing her thing, which we believe is the right way to succeed. The pieces she sources and redesigns are beyond beautiful to not forget how she portraits the garment - wow! Go see for yourselves @redvintage
What is Red Vintage and why did you start it?
Red Vintage is a sustainable store that focuses on handpicked vintage/secondhand and redesign, at the same time, we try to provide styling and dress up fun. I started this little shop because I am fond of styling, fashion and old things. I love digging into tons of clothes and finding treasure from them, the process brings me a lot of happiness as if I just rescued a life and made it shine again. There is also this bond between me and small shop owners. I found them one of the most interesting people to talk to and I just adore their way of living, it requires some courage, and in return, it gives freedom.
Sometimes when I think back on my life, this choice just makes so much sense. It feels like a lot of things were just laying a ground for this shop, and running it will always be one thing I am proud of.
How do you source your products and what you sell?
We sell handpicked vintage and redesign. For vintage we refer to clothes mainly from 50s to 90s, with focus on the 60s and 70s. All items are handpicked which also means they all bear the interest from myself. I personally don't follow trends but still keep an eye on what's coming, so I can get inspiration while thrifting and styling. For redesign we handpick dead-stock or used fabric from charity shops, then sew them into different redesign models, including dresses and accessories. The principle is to make pieces that are easy to style with and fun to play with. Once in a while we will make accessories to minimize waste.
We mainly source products from local charity shops, so the shopping process is already helping people. Then the next source is flea markets, which have been missing in the last long period due to corona. Online secondhand marked is also a small part, we are constantly checking but stay careful since we cannot assure the quality of the fabric and experienced problems like huge color difference. Recently we begun to write to wholesale companies and ask if it is possible for us to get into their space to handpick pieces, so we don't need to use too much time on the hunt, that is a new model we are trying to figure out.
What have been and are the major challenges?
The major challenge right now is how to grow the shop. I want it to have sustainable development and right now, in this model, I am using so much time and effort into sourcing each piece and presenting it, after the item is sold, I need to start from the beginning again. For changing the situation I add the redesign line into the shop and hope I can make corporations so the shop represents more redesign businesses.
Another challenge is to explain to people why vintage/secondhand pieces should be more expensive. I used to get messages like ‘well, my local vintage store is not this expensive’. Would you ever write a message to Chanel and tell them your T-shirt from the local store was only 100kr, so why does just wearing a logo cost so much? In vintage stores, we put a lot of time into each piece and some shops like us will try our best to take care of the smell and condition, so the piece is ready when it arrives at your place. Also, there are times I use the whole day for hunting and come back after 10 hours without any finds. How about these hours? I am honestly just looking forward to that time when small shop owners like me don´t need to explain this much. Like those logos that automatically add 10000kr value.
What has been the largest gain up until now?
The largest gain is when I grow old, no matter how the shop ends, I can say to myself that I tried to live my life as I like it. I am 27 now and there are pressures everywhere. I am Chinese and my parents are pushing me to get married and get children, to find a job so I can have money when I retire. But I really enjoy the things I am doing, and it makes me truly happy when customers send messages to me and value my work. I don't really know what a lifelong dream is, and I don't have huge goals that I must complete in my life, but I am happy and proud of what I am doing, so I guess it is the right thing.
What do you think needs to change in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
In my humble opinion it could be great if people treat trends as a guide, not an essential. When Miu Miu is introducing the low waist mini skirt it doesn't mean that we all need to buy them again. Everyone is different and I wish people can realize what their style really is and hold to it, instead of running after trends and brands. It will bring anxiety and push brands to come up with something new all the time.
Another thing is to let people understand what's behind the price tag. For example, for a haute couture dress there are thousands of hours from skilled tailors behind each piece, for a vintage dress at my shop there are normally 3 hours of searching, 1 hour of transport, 1 hour of caring and 2 hour’s styling-photoshooting-photo editing, plus god-knows-how-many-hours social media marketing. It is just sad that people think secondhand pieces should be cheap, while a branded t-shirt can easily hit a few thousands. If they realize the things behind the price tag, maybe less people will go after those expensive brands but value the pieces that they know a lot of work was spent on.
What is “greenwashing” according to you and what can producers and consumers do to avoid it?
As I understand greenwashing is not necessarily lying, but also hiding the non-sustainable side of a brand/shop. It is easy to show off the bright side and always make advertisements about it. As shop owners and producers, I think the best way is to stay connected with consumers on social media and share the process as much as possible. Don´t be afraid to face people´s questions and show them the difficulty if you meet any. We are all learning and trying to develop a better model. For example, I just realized I really can make ‘no waste’ sewing redesign dresses, because the small fabric pieces can be filling for toys. Followers can provide great advice and they are also here to help.
I think it can be tiring for consumers to always keep eyes on the sustainable side of brands. Not everyone gets so much time and interest for it. In this case I think it is a good idea to follow specific shops and bloggers that you trust, then shop from them without thinking too much about it.
What would you advise consumers to do who seek to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?
If you learned something new about sustainability, take it in, don't ignore it. There is almost always room for being more sustainable, so don’t blame yourselves for not knowing but try to change it from there.
What's the best thing about having your own store?
It feels damn good to work with what you love. Just as people joke about it, we are the group of people that quit the 9-5 jobs to work 18 hours a day. But we love it because we are doing what we love and holding to what we believe.
Also the store has brought a lot of sweet people to me. We may only know each other online but their support touches me a lot. The store shows my taste and my personality, so I guess it is easy for me to attract similar people to my life. And I am truly grateful for it.