Last Fall, FOND fell in love with Kate Sekules – the charismatic visionary behind re{FASHION}er. In addition to running ReFashioner, a {r}ecommerce site dedicated to the practice of ‘haute-cycling’ unwanted or unworn couture and vintage (green, yes!), Kate has embarked on a personal mission to educate other style-mavens-with-a-conscience on the virtues of recycling and upcycling vintage wares. Her message is catching on.
The art of vintage and its place in high fashion (all fashion for that matter) is somewhat of a taboo topic since designers are constitutionally opposed to revealing just how heavily past collections influence their style and creative process. There are people in New York City and in other fashion meccas whose SOLE JOB is to hunt through past designers’ work in thrift shops and online, organize it into collections and then share those collections with their employers (big name designers) who use their finds for ‘inspiration’. It’s a fascinating rung in a complicated industry that doesn’t get the press it deserves but that it should because the more of us who recycle and upcyle our clothes by shopping and trading second hand and vintage, the better off the world is. (More on this in a future post.)
KATE’S CLASS – VINTAGE HOW TO>> This July, Kate is teaming up with Skillshare (another business we love) to teach a course on Vintage to give would-be and experienced hunters alike the resources they need to embark on successful couture treasure hunts. Taught online, the course is self-paced and taught via a video and curated resources hand selected by Kate. She’ll walk you through the who’s who of the underground vintage curation society as well as provide the basics on how to search by date, price, fabric, designer. All for just $15.00.
Check out the course and sign up here.
USE CODE: FBFWEND for 30% OFF
More on Kate Sekules >>
Kate is the founder of online couture and vintage consignment site ReFashioner. She has been obsessed with vintage ever since it was called “secondhand” and found only in rummage sales. She started her hunting career in London’s famous Portobello Road at the age of 11, and ten years later had collected so much she had to open her own vintage business. She never really stopped: hence ReFashioner.
More on re{FASHION}er >>
The site aims to educate against throwaway fashion, giving individuals a means to recycle their unwanted clothes, save money on new items, reduce waste and shop without guilt. Users can also share their clothes’ stories, attach emotion tags, answer 20 Fashion Questions, and can ‘stalk’ each other’s style, making it easy to shop and find quality couture and vintage clothes.
To shop online, swap online and sell your unwanted clothes, visit www.refashioner.com
Don’t forget to read their blog, re{MAG}.
FOND GROUP 