Championed by style icons like Kate Moss, vintage clothing is in hot demand. Francesca Craggs meets model, Carly Walkington, who shunned the bright lights of LA to launch her very own vintage clothing company here in the North East.
Importing from the US, Carly hand-picks every item of clothing and bases the collection of pieces she likes to wear. The range of day and eveningwear features dresses, vintage Levi jeans, shorts, tops, and jewellery ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s. Prices range from just £10 to £200.
She also has hopes of launching her own vintage inspired T-shirt collection, as well as opening a boutique in Newcastle.
Despite only marketing the business on Facebook, era vintage has already forged a loyal customer base in London. She was also lucky to have a bit of help from friend, and Northern Ireland Photographer of the Year, Ciaran O’Neill, who took the pictures for her website.
“The collection is high end vintage, yet very wearable. I like to choose items that I would wear myself. I’ve had some stunning pieces in stock including some great vintage Vivienne Westwood, but they sold within hours.
“I’m always falling in love with pieces I buy in and sometimes find it hard to part with them.”
The growth in popularity of vintage clothing has been fuelled by celebrities and the media, according to Carly.
“There are lots of celebrities like Kate Moss and Sarah Jessica Parker who are big fans of vintage clothing and a lot of people have followed suit.
On TV, the likes of Gok Wan and Twiggy have made it more socially acceptable to wear second hand clothing.
“Also people are a lot more experimental when it comes to fashion these days. They don’t want to wear what everyone else is wearing.
“People want to be individual and stand out from the crowd. The beauty of vintage clothing is that it allows you to wear something that nobody else will have.
“With the current credit crunch, people can’t afford to buy designer any more.
“With vintage, you can pick up reasonably priced pieces that are unique and look amazing.”
All clothing available at www.eravintage.co.uk
tel: (0191) 584-0014
