Georgia brings us her top tips for shopping sustainable in Notts, focusing on the purchasing of clothing items from second hand, vintage and eco-friendly stores.
Sustainability has been a buzzword of recent years, with concerns around the environment and climate change being increasingly discussed. On writing this, the United Nations are currently in the midst of a Climate Change conference, and outside, in the streets of Glasgow, Greta Thunberg and other activists take part in a youth climate march. Even as an in-debt uni student myself, I feel it necessary to do my part. One means of enacting slight change is through our shopping habits. It is becoming more readily accessible to buy clothes made from sustainable fibres or clothes that are second-hand. Since moving to Nottingham as a student, I have gained a passion for vintage and charity shops. In fact, I can scarcely remember the last time I bought a new item of clothing. Below I will mention a few, though of course not all, sustainable clothing shops in Nottingham, in hopes that it will encourage others to try and incorporate them into their more sustainable lifestyle.
Cow: 3 Carlton Street, NG1 1NL
Cow Vintage is definitely one of the most known vintage shops in Nottingham, perhaps partly down to it being also located in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham. It offers a variety of vintage clothes but is particularly popular for its reworked items they make themselves from ‘salvaged materials and vintage pieces past their prime’. Likely down to the work that goes into handmade items, I do find Cow to be slightly on the pricier side of things. However, it is worth a visit, if not just for its incredibly aesthetic interior which is said to be ‘custom interiors made from 90% recycled materials’.
Bubble Vintage: 15 Exchange Walk, NG1 2DD
I would say that Bubble Vintage is my go-to Vintage shop, having bought quite a few items from there. It’s Instagram bio describes it as providing ‘thrift and premium vintage clothing for everyone’ and claims to sustainably source all clothing and avoid big brands that are known for bad treatment of their workers, which if the case – is certainly commendable. It can be pretty good for a student budget, as prices tend to vary quite a bit so you may find a good deal. My only complaint would be that payment can only be made by cash, which may change at some point, but not to worry as there is a cash machine almost immediately outside of it.
Braderie: 19-21 Pelham Street, NG1 2ED
A vintage shop that I often don’t hear as much about is Braderie. Similar to Cow, it offers a range of vintage and reworked fashion, but its range probably isn’t as extensive. However, I would say that this store may be better if you’re looking for staple pieces like a good pair of trousers or a nice jumper; as opposed to the probably more statement piece you could get at Cow. Also, every single time I visit the shop I am met by extremely friendly staff, with one staff member once offering to take my contact details in order to let me know when they had a particular item back in stock, which certainly motivates me to visit again.
Wild Clothing: 4-6 Broad Street, NG1 3AL
Wild Clothing states it to be ‘one of the UK’s fist vintage clothing shops and Nottingham’s longest running independent fashion clothing store’, having been opened in 1983 and I have not been disappointed when visiting. I would certainly recommend this store if you’re looking for particularly good quality, ‘proper’ vintage, with its collection ranging from 1950’s to 2000’s fashion. You can certainly find some fun and colourful items; I myself bought a pair of purple corduroy trousers that have a stylised pattern on as well as being flared, so doubtless to say, I feel very cool when wearing them! It was a bit on the pricier side, but I did feel like I was buying something of good quality. After my purchase I did have the option of joining the polaroid wall of customers, and I did decide against it given my lack of photogenic skill, but seems like a fun idea nonetheless.
White Rose:
I have not included the address of White Rose simply because there are an abundance of them in Nottingham and walking around the centre you will almost certainly stumble upon one. This shop slightly straddles the boundaries between charity and vintage shop, but I would probably define it more so as a charity shop, with it supporting the Aegis Trust. Being a charity shop therefore the quality is not guaranteed to be of a particularly high standard, but you can find a good deal and I have certainly bought my fair share from the White Rose shops across town.
Other Charity Shops:
If charity shops are more up your street as opposed to vintage shops, then I don’t blame you given the extremely low prices you can find. There are a fair few charity shops within the centre of Nottingham, such as a Cancer Research and British Heart Foundation. I would, however, instead advise looking around Beeston, which may be very nearby if live near or on the Uni Park campus. Walking along the high street in Beeston you will find a Sue Ryder, British Heart Foundation, Salvation Army a fair few other charity shops. They also have an Oxfam Books which if you’re a slight bookworm like me is an absolute godsend given that you can find books for a few quid.
Ultimately, I hope that this has demonstrated the extensive collection of vintage and charity shops around Nottingham, which is not limited to what I have written about. As a student it may not be realistic to constantly purchase high-quality vintage clothing and it is certainly not the only way to be more green, but you can find second-hand items for a range of prices, which can contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle.