We are in the midst of a sustainable clothing revolution - and a young entrepreneur is driving it with a stall in Liverpool's premier destination for vintage clothes.
Becky Chorlton runs Becky's Bazaar online and via a stall in the Red Brick Market in the Baltic Triangle. She specialises in reselling vintage Formula 1, NASCAR and Harley Davidson pieces.
What has turned into a successful Depop account and stall in a fashionable Liverpool outlet started merely as a part-time job at university. Speaking to her outside the cool graffiti-esque exterior of the Red Brick Market, she said: "I was in uni in July, 2019, I think. My mum and dad basically said, 'the bank of mom and dad's closed! You've got to figure out what you're gonna do'.
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"I started reselling clothes from my own wardrobe and I realised I paid a lot less than what I was selling them for, so I was making a little bit of money. That's when I kind of first realised that it could be a little bit of a side hustle."
Becky began ravaging charity shops and car boots sales for bargain buys, showcasing her finds on social media and reselling them on clothes app Depop. She counts a leather Red Bull NASCAR jacket as one of her best finds, as part of her fascination with racing themed clothes.
She added: "I think the quality is just something you don't get nowadays on the high street with fast fashion. I love the fact that each piece is unique.
"With Harley Davidson t-shirts, they're like tourist souvenirs. Each t-shirt is from a different place or different country and the graphics are just unbelievable."
With this, Becky has become a champion of car boot sales and second hand clothes generally, welcoming a "new generation" that is reusing old clothes. She said: "There is a stigma that car boot sales, or second hand clothes in general, are dirty and, and you can't wear them anymore. But in reality they're actually a lot cooler, in my opinion, than normal high street, fast fashion clothes."
Becky is a "100%" supporter of sustainability, going back to when she was a child. She added: "I remember when I was a kid, I used to use the cardboard from toilet rolls as accessories for my dolls. I just hated throwing things away, and I think with clothes now it allows me to prolong the life of them with this business."
Her stall is a prime example of this commitment. Amidst the swathes of Harley Davidson shirts, there is a Nike logo procured from a closed down shop and an M&M figure held up on a tyre with her mum's old mirror stuck through the middle. It's both makeshift and stylish.
Becky relishes her own "little space", establishing a connection with customers not replicated when selling online. She said: "There's nothing better than seeing people come into the stall, pick up a jacket and they're like, 'wow, this is amazing'. That feeling's just incredible."
She finds the wider market a friendly environment. Becky said: "Everyone else in the market is really, really nice. It's like a community of other small businesses and vintage businesses too."
Originally from Lymn in Cheshire, she is relishing spending more time in Liverpool, arguing the vintage clothing scene in the city eclipses Manchester's. But for now, she pinches herself that she has turned a side-hustling hobby into a full blown career.
She added: "I wake up every day and I can't believe that this is kind of my job and I'm having so much fun doing it. It's a lot of hard work, don't get me wrong. But yeah, I love it and it's such a passion for me."
Alongside her business, she has an active TikTok and Instagram presence, with 146,000 followers across the two platforms. She posts intriguing challenges such as setting a budget of £20 to spend in a car boot sale.
It's been so successful she is now making money through that too. She said: "I think it's really important to just spread yourself as much as you possibly can to make as much money."
It's an area she'd love to more in going forward, citing her passion for marketing. In an time where sustainable fashion and content creation are incredibly popular, Becky has successfully combined both.
You can buy clothes from Becky's Bazaar at the Red Brick Market on Stanhope Street and on Depop. You can follow her on TikTok and Instagram.
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