Fashion fix

who’s about

With many years’ experience in the fashion industry, Kim and Andrea are very familiar with the ever-changing trends of the high street, that endless treadmill of fast fashion that is in favour one moment and then out the next. For dedicated followers of fashion, this can lead to a wardrobe of clothes that have only been worn once, sadly relegated as newer, shinier outfits have their moment in the spotlight. After working together for high street brands Monsoon and Coast, in 2018 Kim and Andrea made the decision to try and set up their own brand. “To have your own collection is every fashion designer’s dream but we soon realised that to do this sustainably was prohibitively expensive. Just to have a single silk shirt made in a London factory would have to have a retail price of £350!”

It was this realisation that led them to rethink their plan. “We went to a talk by Orsola de Castro who set up Fashion Revolution, a non-profit organisation that has for many years been campaigning for a transparent and accountable fashion who’s about industry. She firmly pointed the finger at the environmental disaster that fast fashion has created, exposing companies for sending returns straight to landfill and for exploiting the workers who make their clothes.” It is a stark reality, and after attending another talk, this one by the founder of Traid who stated that there is no need to ever make any new clothes as we already have enough for every person on the planet, Kim and Andrea needed no more convincing and turned their idea on its head, deciding instead to focus on the vintage fashion market.

As fashion buyers and designers, Andrea and Kim were flown around the world to meet suppliers and manufacturers, and it was on these trips that ironically, they picked up many beautiful vintage pieces.

“We have long had a love affair with the design aesthetic and quality that comes from the past. We have always endeavoured to create beautiful clothing that makes the heart flutter. Vintage Sister is the perfect combination of all these things.” Their upcycled clothes are treated with a professionalism that befits this ethos, being styled into aspirational high-end collections that are only released every 4-5 weeks. “We love sourcing and styling these collections and shoot them ourselves, either at home or at friends’ houses, and use models that we know, and sometimes people we spot on the street. We both love the control this gives us, and it ensures the looks are representative of our brand – timelessly elegant, modern, minimal and with a nod to the 70s and 80s –but without the shoulder pads!”

As well as these capsule collections, Kim and Andrea sell a range of vintage embroidered sweatshirts under the name We are Sisters. “Our vintage sweatshirts have been designed with an intention to appreciate all girls and women and each piece is lovingly embroidered by Mona and her wonderful team of women at the Bow Sewing Centre – a community led organisation that was set up to support women who have suffered domestic abuse. It is wonderfully fitting that the sweatshirts they work on are a symbol of sisterhood, which we believe is the key to empowerment, social change and freedom.” It is the perfect collaboration, and a percentage of the sweatshirt sales is donated to the United Nations Refugee Agency, a fantastic charity that has helped millions of people restart their lives.

Four years in and Vintage Sister has certainly captured the heart of a loyal following, with packages of preloved loveliness being posted all around the world. With their eye for detail and quality, Andrea and Kim are constantly on the hunt for statement vintage pieces and ageless classics that deserve a second chance. Their message is quite simple: be proud to wear second-hand because if we don’t turn the tide on fast fashion soon, we are all going to drown in consumerism. So come on people, don’t say yes to the dress, instead join the sisterhood and stand up and be counted!

Vintage Sister Pop-up:

6th-8th July at Vanil, Woodbridge www.vintagesister.co.uk

out & about

May

Until Oct: East to East

Over 30 local artists share their appreciation for Chinese and Japanese art and craft. The Stables, Houghton Hall

Until 17th Sept: Sculpture at Helmingham Hall

Over 300 sculptures adorn the gardens of Helmingham Hall in aid of Art for Cure.

Until 10th Jun: Duologues?

Exhibition exploring how artistic collaboration enriches and enlivens art. The Cut Halesworth

13th – 28th May: Suffolk Walking Festival

Celebrates Suffolk’s natural landscapes with guided walks in every corner of the county.

14th: Bungay Garden Market

Plants, flowers, garden ornaments, food and drink. Earsham Street, Bungay. 9am-4pm

19th-20th May: Global Music Weekend

Mehboob Nadeem & Hanif Khan and Grupo Lokito bring their exotic blend of music to The Cut, Halesworth.

26th: The Trials of Cato Welsh/English trio, originally formed in Beirut and dubbed “the Sex Pistols of folk”. Thorington Theatre. 7.30pm

27th: Beccles Food Festival

Artisan food and drink, world street food, cookery theatre, children’s entertainment. Beccles Town Centre

27th: Chalk Five hitchhikers have gone missing from the backroads of Norfolk. A thriller by the Garage Theatre Co. Fishers Theatre, Bungay. 7.30pm

28-29th: Spring Plant Fair & Artisan Market

Two days of plants, pots, vintage finds and artisan stalls. Helmingham Hall

29th: Gala Fest

Fun for all the family with a carnival parade through Framlingham.

30th – 4th Jun: Kids Rule!

A right royal knees-up to celebrate the coronation of Charles III. Framlingham Castle

31st-1st Jun: The Suffolk Show Two days celebrating everything that is great about Suffolk. Trinity Park

June:

9th-25th: Aldeburgh Festival

Five exhibitions, five films, two operas, a centenary celebration of the composer Ligeti, concert theatre and more. Snape Maltings

9th: The Black Feathers

Soaring, dramatic melodies combined with sparkling and occasionally spicy guitar motifs. Wingfield Barns. 7.30pm

10th: A Band Called Malice

This Jam tribute band takes you back to ‘when you were young’.

Fishers Theatre Bungay 7.30pm

11th: Gainsborough String Quartet

A summer recital featuring baritone Robert Gildon. Walpole Old Chapel. 3pm

13th: A Line in the Sand Words and music explode in an exploration of challenge and protest in art song.

Snape Maltings. 7.30pm

17th-18th: First Light Festival

A shimmering solstice celebration of music, dance and the arts.

Lowestoft beach

17th-18th: Slaughter in Southwold Live author interviews with best-selling crime novelists. Southwold Arts Centre

22nd: Midsummer Nights

Four special evenings allowing you to discover the gardens with a glass of wine. Helmingham Hall

23rd: A Summer Opera Evening

The world-class opera company Wild Arts bring its brand-new show to the open-air Thorington Theatre. 7.30pm

July

2nd: Stand up under the Stars

A hilarious night with comedian and puppeteer, Nina Conti. Thorington Theatre 7.30pm

2nd: Music in the Gardens

The DixieMix Jazz Band entertain at Helmingham Hall. 11am onwards

7th: The Remains of Logan

Dankworth

The third of acclaimed performance artist Luke Wright’s trilogy of political verse plays. Fishers Theatre Bungay. 7.30pm

7th-9th: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The ultimate family musical adventure presented by awardwinning youth musical theatre company, the Co-op Juniors. Snape Maltings

13th-19th:

Contemporary Art Exhibition

Abstract paintings by Boo Compton and graphic needlepoints by Sally Anne Elliott. Aldeburgh Gallery. 10am-5pm

15th: Framlingham Horse Show

The oldest and most traditional horse show in Suffolk. Castle Meadow, Framlingham

26th – 26th Aug: The Winter’s Tale

The Red Rose Chain Theatre returns to the forest for another spell-bounding performance under the stars. Sutton Hoo 7.30pm

28th-30th: Primadonna Festival

A celebration of women, Black and Asian artists, the LGBTQIA+ community, disabled and workingclass people. The Food Museum