THRIFTING SAVED MY LIFE

So I was trying to find like a black or blue jumper EVERYWHERE in fucking Spain.

For your boyfriend?

Yeah yeah yeah. I think I went to like 10 shops to the point where I was like I can’t deal with any more than this, because I was like – 

Did you have a look on Vinted?

No…because he’s not really the Vinted type.

Oh…He’s not? Okay I see [laughs].

And basically what I did was go to shops and every single jumper was either a quarter-zip or super baggy.

I like quarter-zips!

I like quarter-zips! He likes quarter-zips! But he has SO MANY quarter-zips! So that this time he wanted a turtleneck, and I was like, “are you sure you don’t want a quarter-zip?!”

I swear he has loads of turtlenecks. I just see him in a turtleneck.

---

This is my dear friend, redacted, telling me about her life. She might possibly be the most dramatic person I know, and I have tried to capture and portray this on record. This exchange will therefore remain a fairly unserious conversation in its raw form, covering a range of topics which shed a light on her fashion preferences, lifestyle, philosophy and favourite colour.

---

Anyways, so I was really annoyed because I couldn’t find anything and I was so tired of just looking at men’s black and navy jumpers, because it’s like the most boring thing in the world, in my opinion. And it was so annoying because the most basic things that you’re searching for are the hardest to find, I think.

Did you not look online?

No.

Why?

I don’t know. Ah yeah I did, I looked at Farfetch.

Did it have to be designer? Was that what you were looking for?

Farfetch is not just designer.

Oh isn’t it? [It definitely is.]

Yeah it is. But, um, I wanted something good quality and I didn’t want to get something second hand. I wanted something nice. [This is code for, I don’t want any cheap shit.]

Could you not have just typed in ‘blue jumper’ into Google?

What, and get Amazon jumpers? [See, I told you.]

No, but type in like ‘good quality’ at the end?

Yeah but trust me if you do that on Google only the – okay this is going to sound really niche but – only the best SEO friendly brands are going to show up which are mainly Amazon, Farfetch etc., you know? Like if I search good quality jumper the first one that’s going to come up is going to be Amazon. [Ok digital marketing officer.]

[Types ‘good quality jumper’ into Google].

And then add sustainable at the end and the result might be different.

Okaaay. Weekday, Uniqlo. Okay!

Yeah, there you go! Uniqlo would’ve been my first choice if he doesn’t like second-hand.

Marks and Spencer’s?

LOL. 

---

I wrote a list of things I want to cover.

Oh, I thought it was going to be a conversation? [I’d prepped redacted and given her an overview concept of what I wanted to achieve.]

It is, but it’s just to jog my memory. Relax, take it easy. I’m so excited!

Let me get my glasses.

Why? I’m not filming you.

I know.

So actually, for this bit I wanted you to give me an intro like basically like ‘Hi I’m redacted I’m 25 years old, I’ve been living in Paris for two and a half years. Originally from Spain, and I work as…’

Yeah, but it’s not a podcast? You’re going to write it out?

Yeah, it’s an interview. As in I’ll record it, but I’ll edit it.

But you already know who I am.

Yeah but other people don’t! People who read my blog! Tell me about yourself.

Hi, I’m redacted. I’m 25. I come from Spain, and I’ve been working in fashion for two and a half years.

Can you say where you work or not?

No.

Okay fine. [Well, I tried at least.] What inspired you to move to Paris, get into fashion and build a life here? Tell me how your story began and how it led you to where you are now.

Oh my god, such an interesting story! Um, I was at university in a society called LINE.

LINE? What does that mean?

LINE? I was going to say before you cut me off.

Oh sorry. [Bitch.]

So, I was in LINE which was the fashion and arts society at Warwick University.

Sorry I just have a question, why was it called LINE?

Because it’s like a catwalk, like the line in the catwalk.

Okay. Shouldn’t it have been called walk?

No.

Okay, carry on. 

I also wondered the same, but LINE’s kind of cool. I like it. Anyway, I became increasingly interested in fashion and about luxury and about different brands. So, I’d already done my Erasmus in Paris and I really wanted to come back, and I said to myself that I really wanted to move to Paris full-time by looking for an internship. So, I started applying which was not easy at all. It was quite hard, it was becoming a full-time job, and then finally I found a job at Chanel which was super fun, and I moved here in 2022.

And what do you do now?

I work in digital marketing, at this sustainable brand, which I love. I’ve been there for a year and a half now. The people are lovely. It’s quite a small brand, which is super nice because it means you have lots of responsibilities and a lot of chores but it’s really fulfilling because you can actually do a lot of things independently. You don’t require as much validation as in other big brands.

How would you say the brand manages to keep things innovative, new and interesting, and at the same time be sustainable compared to other brands in the fashion industry? How does it manage to stay relevant, and to commit to what it says it does, i.e. sustainability, while producing clothes?

So, I feel like there are two parts to this question. First of all, in terms of sustainability, the brand that I work for is extremely committed in terms of their ethos. So, we go through a process of regeneration of clothes and fabrics – I’m not quite sure what the percentage is, and I don’t want to get it wrong –

It’s 50 percent. It said on your website I looked it up. [No flex intended].

So, 50% of our collections are made from recycled fabrics, all sourced, made produced in Europe. We try to keep it as local as possible and we bring out scraps of old fabric, we actually handpick it in the office, with our dedicated team, who actually get all the fabrics and pick and choose the best fabrics and then send it to the production factory for them to make the actual garment.

Where is the actual factory?

Depends on the garment, but it’s all in Europe. So, and then the other question of staying relevant; obviously it’s super, super difficult to stay relevant as a brand, especially with how many different brands there are in the world and how trends come and go so, so quickly. There isn’t really like a right or wrong answer and there’s not really a definite answer of how to stay relevant in a society like ours. For me, it’s more like: always remember the values of your brand and never let go of that because that’s what got people interested in your brand in the first place. So I think that’s what’s really good about our brand, is that we haven’t really lost it yet, yet, as in maybe one day we will but we haven’t yet. Obviously it’s a young company so right now we have a lot of material to test and learn and make mistakes with different levels of marketing, different levels of production, different levels of creativity that the brand can do, so it’s quite a good opportunity for us at the brand to grow and learn but always remembering those values that a lot of brands maybe don’t have that much. I think what’s different in my company is that there is a strong image behind us, that a lot of the companies that are surfacing at the moment might not have as much.

So, what’s the best thing about your job?

What’s the best thing about my job? I think it’s the people…and I wake up in the morning happy to go to work. Ever since I’ve arrived I’ve been given more and more responsibilities which actually I’ve taken up on. And I’ve actually been really proud of all the work I’ve done so far. It’s a very intense company, which is good and bad depending on the days and depending on the moments. However, when you see your job live and all of these days, or months, or years, of hard work coming alive, it’s so gratifying, and I think where I work it’s really nice because a lot of these things happen really quickly, which means that you always need to be on top of everything because otherwise you’ll lose yourself. So what’s really nice is that you can take the reigns on a lot of subjects, however you see the results quite straight away, and you always see that what you’re doing is for something…and also the people, I love the people.

I was going to ask what’s the worst thing about your job but you kind of answered it in the fact you said it’s really intense sometimes…

Yeah but also – like I think it’s like, there’s an expression in French that’s like: “un mal pour un bien”, so like, I feel like it’s stressful, don’t get me wrong, and a lot of people are stressed, (me included). However, based from experience, you know that it’s going towards something that you’re going to be feeling proud of afterwards – 

It’s rewarding.

Yeah exactly. So – what’s that thing where it’s like when there’s like stress there’s a reward or something like that?

I don’t know.

Whatever, you know what I mean.

No pain, no gain!

Yeah! Exactly! So…I feel like it’s like that at my brand.

---

How much do you love shopping on a scale of 1-10?

Oh my god, 10.

What’s your go to place to shop, or second-hand shop, or whatever? It can be a shop, a website, a place in Paris…

Okay, don’t get me wrong, I love my job in digital, however, I don’t really like online shopping because I like to feel the fabric. Apart from Vinted because I feel like working in fashion and already seeing the fabrics basically on the daily, you already see in the pictures how the material is going to feel in your hands, so it’s quite nice.

Do you feel like you have an advantage?

Like, ish. Um, I really like going to shops and feeling the material. I like to see the collection there, I like to see the different array of clothing, bags, accessories, etc…Basically, on average, a person stays on a website for like 2 minutes, because either you’re there to find a specific product, or you go there to see what there is. And if there’s not anything that’s interesting at the top then you’re going to lose interest and you’re going to leave [the site]. Which sucks, because there’s so many products that a company can sell that you don’t necessarily see on the website, which goes contrary to the retail store, where you can actually see the full selection. So, I kind of like going to boutiques. There is this shopping centre, or like outlet store, in Spain, and I love to shop at Bimba y Lola there. I love Bimba y Lola, I love their creativity, I love everything about them. I love their originality, they just did a Christmas campaign with Rossy de Palma – she’s like the muse of like, I can’t remember who it was, she’s the muse of someone. [Pedro Almódovar] And it’s like such a fun company, fun brand, that I would love to work for, but it’s in like, Vigo [Spain].

Yeah, whatever. [Middle of nowhere].

Exactly.

What’s in this year?

What’s in?

Yeah.

Oh my god, zebra print!

What’s out this year?

Oooo. [Pause] Honestly, I think like really, really baggy jeans. Like the baggier the better: no! 

Skirt or pants (trousers)?

Skirt, duh!

Yeah, I knew you were going to say skirt. Favourite colour?

Um, red.

Why?

Magenta actually. Because it’s one of the primary colours and it’s the best.

Are you wearing it right now?

No.

Why not?

Because my selection of clothing is more muted than magenta.

Ok. That’s allowed. Favourite TV show?

Should I also be asking you these questions?

No.

Oh. [Laughs]

Favourite TV show?

Sex and the City.

Something you’re looking forward to this year?

[Laughs]. Going to Fontainebleau? Joke!

Going to New York?

Oh yeah, going to New York!

If you could raid anyone’s wardrobe, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

Oh my god, um, probably Carrie Bradshaw’s if she was my size. Oh NO-no, sorry. Um fuck, what’s she called, Charlotte York from Sex and the City.

Oh I’ve never seen Sex and the City.

WHAT?!

I know…

[Audibly gasps] SHUT UP!

Yeah.

Why?! You’ve never wanted to watch it?

No – I feel like it’s too late now.

No! It’s never too late for Sex and the City. This is like the fourth time I’ve watched it now. I love it!

But if it’s really long I won’t want to watch it, like if there are loads of episodes.

No no no, trust me, it’s so good. No actually I’m sorry but you NEED to watch it.

Describe your go-to outfit for a night out: top, bottoms, shoes.

Oh my god. I would say knee-high boots, mini-skirt and a cute little top, and then my little fake fur coat. 

What’s your favourite item of clothing that you own?

Um, honestly this top that I bought on Vinted that has sequins all over it in silver. I love that and it suits me really well. I’m going to wear it to my birthday.

What’s your one guilty pleasure item in your wardrobe? Like maybe something that’s maybe kind of ugly but you like it, or something that was really expensive, but you bought anyway, or something that’s from like Zara?

Oh, ok my Jean Paul Gaultier jeans. They’re so nice.

The ones you bought in the archive sale?

Yes, they’re so nice, and I love them and I feel amazing in them –

And you get compliments on them!

All the time!

If you could get rid of an item in your boyfriend’s wardrobe, what would it be? I’ll make sure he doesn’t see this.

Honestly nothing.

Really?! [SURELY that’s not the right answer.] There must be something. Is there anything that he wears that you’re like, what the fuck is he wearing?

Oh yeah! Oh my god. There’s this parka he has that’s like green and like, he’s had it for ages and it’s like his toastiest coat and when it’s super cold he wears it. I’ve grown to love it, however, the first time that I saw it I was a bit standoffish. You know the parkas that were super famous?

Yeah – well, super famous? What do you mean?

Well you know those parkas that were green…But it looks good on him because it’s him, so.

We love a supportive girlfriend. What trends are you excited about and which do you hope will cease to exist? And you can’t say like skinny jeans.

I wouldn’t say that…Honestly, I’ve seen a lot online the return of the flowy Chloé kind of vibe. Let me show you…Like kind of this vibe, like boho chic. Bohemian chic was amazing! I LOVED it when I was a child. Um, so probably like that, more like linen…I’m a summer girl. Also um…chunky jewellery I like, watches. Hair accessories. People should accessorize their hair more. I don’t.

[At this point I should mention that I had 4 silver hair clips in my hair to the left of my middle parting.]

You know you do a slicked back bun? Okay, well then put cute little hair pins that have stars in them. You know, like – Also, more glitter in your eyes, more eyeshadow, something that like actually stands out whenever.

One of my questions was do you have any new year’s resolutions, but you’ve already gone through them, so.

Go to New York.

Go to New York, make strawberry pancakes.

Make home feel like home, I think that’s the main one.

And do you have any final words of inspiration to close this conversation?

I think don’t be afraid to be complicated –

Ok? In terms of what?

In your clothing.

Ok, in your clothing. [Laughs]

Functionality is key, and also being confident in your own body. Also don’t be afraid of trying more and trying to do different things with the clothes you already have, like for example, I have a dress that I make as a top or a skirt, or like, I had this top that I bought in Urban Outfitters when I was 13, and now I wear it the other way around because I think it’s better…You know, stuff like that. Don’t be afraid, if you’re bored of what you have right now, try to make different outfits or different things with the clothes you already have.