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vintage threads
Welcome to Peckham’s diverse lifestyle boutique. Text & photos by Katie Woodward
working on Mayfair’s Savile Row, “I was the executive assistant to the directors of a bespoke house on Sackville Street which is where I did my main apprenticeship in tailoring.” After progressing onto another boutique on Columbia Road, she explains, “I freelanced doing dressmaking for Lily Allen’s Lucy in disguise and then came here, so it has been a long journey.”
This May, vintage and contemporary clothing boutique Threads will begin selling designs by owner and designer Jemima Beulah. Specializing in vintage and locally designed pieces, the store combines the aesthetic of retro fashion with characterful homeware pieces making it the go-to lifestyle boutique of Peckham. Sitting amongst the cafes, restaurants and secondhand furniture stores of Bellenden Road, the boutique first opened in 2011. After acquiring the store in 2014, Jemima changed the mood from thrift shop to modern boutique, showcasing the designs of local artists and designers. Developing alongside the increasing style-focus of the area, the store is transforming into a working atelier.
Immersing into different eras of the 20th century, the space is filled with individual treasures: an upcyled turquoise table displays a floral china tea set; vintage vases by Hornsea Pottery line the windows and a large basket stores a selection of vintage handbags. Surrounded by rails of clothing against every wall, jewellery and accessories are also scattered around the store. Jemima reproduces the quality of original vintage clothing by deconstructing the traditional dressmaking process. “I have a massive library of original dress making patterns, and depending
Mastering her craft of fashion design at Kingston University, Jemima has since worked for Yves Saint Laurent, Paul Smith and Hussein Chalayan. She gained the majority of her experience
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on what the trends are I will cater for them.” Creating a series of capsule collections from season to season she explains, “I have got a lot of clean-cut patterns where I do a lot with colour and fabrics to make pieces which all interlink into one collection.” Designing her clothing to compliment other pieces on sale, Jemima’s designs seamlessly connect fashion with homeware. “I want to be able to sell things which match and go well together.” Continuing with her capsule collections, homeware is set to be the next point of expansion. “I have just started sourcing from London’s mid-century markets, which I hope will be really successful,” she says. “Stocking clothing and homeware has created a sort of lifestyle brand, it is integrating a one stop shop for my clients.” Joyce Wan of homeware and clothing brand Bobbie and Lola stocks her designs in the boutique. “It made sense to me that someone who is interested in buying vintage clothes might also be interested in vintage home wares, or vice versa.” Also based in Peckham, she says, “Jemima was very enthusiastic about my products. Our designs have a similar aesthetic — mixture of vintage and contemporary styles.” Eco-conscious design company Pica Pica, is a locally based ceramist and jewellery stocked in Threads. Founder Claire Thorp aims for her pieces to have a relationship between each other. “They all seem to speak to each other quite nicely,” she explains. “I think the two are undeniably interlinked, they both reflect current trends, which in turn reflect where we’re at in terms of modern lifestyle.” Not only sourcing from South London, Jemima stocks pieces by independent designers. Having spotted ceramic designer Lilly Ballard at The London Artisan Market, the boutique now has a large selection of her earth tone designs available. “Each stockist is carefully chosen and I think Threads have got it just right,” Ballard says. Her clean-line bowls and mugs sit seamlessly amongst the other collected pieces on sale. “Jemima is always really keen to get new pieces so I can try out new work and see how it sells.” Maintaining the support of local designers, the work of Peckham based woodcrafter Leoni Bullock are also
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placed around the shop. Her minimal Danish-inspired wooden tables sit perfectly with Jemima’s clean cut 50s utilitarian dresses: “A lot of people buy my pieces for the fashion element,” Leoni says. “I sell a lot of my products in Threads boutique.”
base: “Someone who is quite ethically minded, and does not want to pay into creativity, but rather wants to support it.” Conveying the original artistic nature of its local area, Threads has integrated a stylish hub for its diverse community. It is a contemporary reflection of creativity, and the ever-changing nature of Peckham.
A focus on creativity also comes as the reason behind developing the lifestyle store, Jemima explains, “There are a lot more creative people coming to Peckham now, so I am selling to people who want key little pieces for the house or like unique clothes.” Reflecting Threads’ ethos to support the community, Jemima hopes she attracts a certain customer
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