Everything you need to know about how to change your shopping habits ...
Ireland’s premier festival of gardening, food and sustainable living, Bord Bia Bloom celebrates its 20th anniversary from May 28 to June 1 in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. As part of this year’s landmark line-up, Katrina Carroll, owner of popular vintage shop Preloved By Shay & Jo, who’s passionate about sustainable fashion and interiors, will discuss the circular economy with sustainability leader Pat Kane. We spoke to Katrina ahead of the long weekend for her expert advice on sustainability, plus we’re giving away a pair of tickets to experience it for yourself.
What’s considered vintage? Vintage is anything 20 years or older, which feels crazy because the ’90s or 2000s are considered vintage and that upsets me!
What should people know about fast fashion? I think people need to open their eyes to what they’re actually buying. On the high street, you might pay €90 for a wool blend and there’s 2% wool in it, which is madness. If you start paying attention to fabric and where your clothes come from, you realise that you’re paying too much for items that won’t last. I think a key thing for people to do is to follow a few different social media accounts that only promote second-hand or vintage style. There are some incredible voices screaming out when it comes to things like workers’ conditions and the fact that they’re not getting paid properly. There has to be a bit of empathy too. Once you see the bigger picture, you start thinking differently about where your money goes.
Shopping your wardrobe is a not-so-new sustainable trend – what do you recommend? I love shopping my wardrobe, but you need to think outside of the basics. There’s always something you can do with what you already have – even jeans and a t-shirt can be completely transformed with a vintage blazer or unique accessories. Those are always the outfits that people end up complimenting. I think that the more you shop what you already own, the more surprised you’ll be at your personal style. You really don’t need to buy new when your wardrobe is already full.
What about furniture? I love finding vintage furniture, but I understand the fear around upcycling. I think that people are afraid they’ll ruin it, but my main piece of advice is to start small. Look at upcycling a chair or stool and build your confidence from there. There are so many tutorials online now that I always go to YouTube to get started on my projects. Once you upcycle one piece and it works, you’re hooked.
What advice do you have to donate quality goods? There’s always a market for quality. Now that we have resell platforms like Vinted or Depop, you can actually get the satisfaction of people buying your items. It helps charity shops too as they can be so overwhelmed and may not have the resources to take on bags of clothes. Taking that time means that you can keep items in circulation for longer and make a little money. It’s not just clothes as these platforms are amazing for furniture and homeware as well.
Many people aren’t comfortable recycling footwear, but can they be restored? If you have a really good quality pair of shoes that you’ve worn to death, go to a cobbler and get them resoled. That stands for shoes you buy and sell. There are some amazing independent and traditional cobblers around, and they’ll help resole or re-line the shoes to give them a new lease of life. Ultimately, good quality shoes are always worth investing in.
How do you rate resell sites? Right now for me, Vinted is number one. As a platform, it’s very straightforward and we’re linked to France where you can find true vintage for accessible costs that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. I use Depop less, but it’s still great if you’re looking for more pre-loved modern clothes. Ebay, Adverts and Done Deal are treasure troves when it comes to antiques or furniture. It’s really opening how we shop online.
Is AI affecting how we shop? I’m actually finding it quite scary. I’ve seen fake brands appear online, crafting entire identities pretending to be Irish vintage sellers when it’s actually just a fast fashion retailer with an AI shopfront. That’s worrying. People might think that they’re doing the right thing buying from an independent seller when, in fact, it’s not a real person. Everything looks too perfect. I’m trying to be more savvy when it comes to identifying AI advertising or shopfronts now.
What are your top tips to change our habits for the better? Start small and see what you find. You’ll be surprised and you’ll feel your mindset start to shift. It’s about reframing the thought that you need to buy new to be into fashion. Most of what we see online can be sourced pre-loved or you can find true vintage, which is even better. My main tip is that if you see an outfit that matches your sense of style, screenshot it. Vinted, Depop and even Google Lens allows you to upload a photo, then it will scan for similar items. Most of the time, it’s almost identical, usually better quality or vintage, and you can find it for half the price.
Win a pair of weekend tickets to see Katrina in conversation on May 29 from 11.30am-12pm by following @theglossmag on Instagram, tagging your friends and sharing the post. The winner will be chosen at random and the tickets shared online. Good luck!
