Vintage shoppers, bargain hunters and general quirky fashion lovers, listen up! Not only has Lancaster’s number of vintage shops increased, Alice Young and Becky Eastham are the joint presidents of the all new, yet old inspired, Vintage Society. This group hopes to seek out great pieces from decades gone by, find bargains and incorporate all things vintage into shopping, parties and nights out. I met up with Alice and Becky to find the future plans for this exciting new society!
Sarah: How long have you been interested in vintage clothing? Was there something specific that triggered this interest?
Alice: Probably since I started going to college, I got really into vintage clothes and stuff, I can’t really think of anything in particular that triggered it, just being a bit fed up of the high street, trying to save money.
Becky: My mum brought me up charity shopping, but think it was probably the end of high school when my friends started vintage shopping, then when I came to Lancaster I started with Alice!
Sarah: What is the reasoning behind setting up the society?
Alice: We’re both incredibly passionate about vintage clothes and we realised so many other people are too; there really was a niche to target. Two vintage shops have been set-up in Lancaster over the summer, so it’s getting even more popular. We thought it was an opportunity to come together and create a society.
Sarah: There did seem to be a shortage of specific vintage shops in Lancaster. When I first started here wasn’t any…
Alice: There is more now, and I think it’s a case of letting people know where everything is. We went to Morecambe at the weekend and the charity shops there are awesome. Vintage shops too, we’d love to do a trip there despite the poor reputation that it holds amongst Lancaster students!
Sarah: What are the plans? What will people be able to do?
Alice: We want to do lots of events and trips, especially as there are loads of vintage shops in Manchester. We’re really excited about a vintage tea party, little tea-cups, cakes and things like that. Nights out with various themes, such as 1920s for example. A visit to the costume museum, a charity shop crawl, there is lots we can do.
Becky: We also wanted to do things to do with eBay as well, help people sell things. A lot of people have said to me, “I’ve got all this stuff and I don’t know how to sell it, I just buy more stuff.” It would be great to give people a few tips- as students we are all short of money after all.
Sarah: Who should join the society? How and where? Cost?
Alice: Anyone who is interested in vintage fashion, clothes and style. Guys can join too! We’re thinking of charging £3 membership fee, which will go towards making these events really good. I’d say join the Facebook page, (search Lancaster University Vintage Society), we’ll keep everyone updated through there.
