New Vintage Shop Brings Designer Style to Joburg!
Let’s face it; shopping for vintage fashion isn’t always the most glamorous process. Most vintage stores are dusty holes where once-beautiful clothes go to die. But one vintage store is looking to change all that by offering shoppers a unique luxury, vintage shopping experience in Joburg. Located in the heart of Melville, The Stuff We Love, a new vintage designer-ware store, is hoping to put the glamour back into vintage shopping. Keep reading to find out more about this exciting new vintage store in Johannesburg.
A silk slip of a dress by Jean Patou or the perfect Dolce and Gabbana shift lined in leopard print – chances are The Stuff We Love, on Melville’s trendy 7th Street will have it on offer. The brainchild of Gwynne Conlyn and Susan Russell, The Stuff We Love launched in 2014, as an online and pop-up experience for close friends. Just a few years later, the concept has outgrown its chic shoes, and was in need of a formal retail outlet to meet the demand for, and house, the treasure trove of glorious designer finds.
When visiting this vintage wonderland you can be sure that it won’t be like any other vintage or ‘2nd hand’ store you’ve ever visited. And, if you thought the whole ‘vintage’ vibe was so yesterday then think again because vintage fashion is still huge overseas. We love that everything in this store is beautifully presented and personally selected by the owners – two self-confessed magpies.
“The age of cheap, disposable, mass-produced fashion, is over,” says Russell. “People are increasingly looking for well-made, unique items they can personalize and incorporate into their own particular style. Increasingly the concept of vintage and ‘previously-loved’ clothing stores has moved into the mainstream, particularly in Europe, where it has become a complete passion,” explains Russell.
The pair describe the store as a space to cure beautiful second-time around clothes in a fresh way and you can be sure that there will always be something new and exciting on the shelves and racks each time you visit. The emphasis throughout the collection is on both quality and choice with something for every taste and across the price spectrum – a R50 silk camisole can sit quite happily alongside a Dolce and Gabbana cocktail dress of several thousand rand.
“We love finding those unusual, quirky, one-off pieces and showing them off in a fun, beautifully curated way,” says Conlyn. “It also goes without saying that we strongly advocate having fun with our clothes.”
As they grow, The Stuff We Love aims to be the one-stop source of the best local and international previously-loved items money can buy. The next phase is the creation of a limited edition range of garments under its own label inspired by some of their own favourite vintage pieces.
For more information say to The Stuff We Love on Facebook.