High-street stores such as ASDA and Tesco are now selling vintage clothes and furnishings and this year’s Royal Ascot style guide for the race meeting says it is “celebrating the art of conscious shopping” and suggests sourcing clothes from “nearly-new boutiques and vintage emporiums”.
Ling stands regularly at the Frock Me fairs at Chelsea Town Hall where she hopes to be on July 18.
She is also a stallholder at the weekly Cirencester Market on a Monday and is looking to run pop-up events in Bristol and Bath as well as holding occasional Sunday night sales on Instagram.
Vintage fashion dealer Samaya Ling.
Ling, a passionate advocate for the sustainability of vintage fashion – she is an ambassador for Sustainable Fashion Week UK – said: “I believe there is now a true shift in the way we shop for fashion. The reasons are most prominently the climate emergency and the textile industry’s impact on resources and its waste input.
“Vintage fashion is one part of the solution to fast fashion. It’s here, it’s usually well made and has lasted a long time with more wear to go. There are also discussions about buying higher quality to increase the demand for higher quality and these pieces will be the antiques of the future.
“I can’t see an acrylic knit costing £9.99 still in use in 2030, unless it’s unworn and with a waist.”
