On August 21st, from 4-10 p.m., vintage clothing stores Filthy Rebena and Dugout Vintage are taking over flex street for what they’re calling Vintage on the Block.
Vintage on the Block is a night market that takes advantage of Dundas Place’s traffic closure on Saturdays. This is their second time hosting the market. Taking place every 3rd Saturday of each month, they hope that Vintage on the Block can be an annual or at least semi-annual event.
Natalie Bradshaw and Darlene Davis are the owners of Filthy Rebena. They have been operating their Dundas store for 6 years and have recently opened a second location in Old South. About Vintage on the Block, Davis had this to say:
“We have a bunch of vintage vendors come and set up on the street. We have live music and food places on the street stay open late– we just bring a lot of energy to Dundas Place.”
Via https://filthyrebena.com/pages/vintage-on-the-block
Where to Start?
London’s vintage scene has been exploding in the last few years, evident by Filthy’s rapid expansion.
“The community is really supportive,” Davis says, “With the global conversation of how bad the fashion industry is, lots of people are turning to an alternative way of shopping.”
Stepping into a thrift store and seeing the racks of clothing may be daunting to someone without any experience of vintage shopping. Bradshaw and Davis have some tips for those looking to jump into the world of vintage:
- Be prepared
- Check the labels
- Start simple (Graphic tees, sweaters, and jackets are your friends)
“Vintage shopping is like a treasure hunt. You have to be in the mood to hunt and you have to have time and patience.”
Another thing that would go over any novice-hunter’s head are tags– which they say is very important if you want to make sure your clothes were sustainably made.
An example of a union label to look out for when diving into the racks
“We like to make sure our stuff was made in Canada or the U.S. to make sure they were sustainably made back in the day and you know its good quality. Another cool thing is to see if there’s union labels on your tags . . . that shows it was fairly made by a union.”
Fashion trends are always changing, but vintage shopping is a great way to save money and shop sustainable. If you’re looking to get started in vintage shopping or are already an experienced hunter, than Vintage on the Block is a great place to jump in.
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