HALIFAX’S TRENDIEST THRIFT STORE Jaymee Huggins- June 2015 With the environment being at the top of everyone’s agendas and retailers always looking towards sustainable fashion, there is one boutique in Halifax already miles ahead. Makenew Curated Thrift Shop, owned and run by Anna Gilkerson, is Halifax’s most fashionable destination for preowned fashion. Located downtown, Makenew hosts ‘carefully selected pre-owned clothing with an emphasis on quality and minimal fashion forward style’. We spoke to Anna to find out more and find out why we should all be thrifting!
What inspired you to start selling pre owned clothing? “I thrifted a lot and I had a lot of clothing I had collected over the years. After I had my daughter and had taken a break from my first ethical clothing line (Deux fm) I decided to sell it all. I knew I wanted to sell it in an interesting way to get people's attention online so I decided to shoot it in collection inspired themes. The first one was called 'On the Road to Sicily' it was quite dark and gothic. Lots of black but then bursts of citrus color thrown in. It was pretty wild. I shot it on a model in lookbook style and that's how Makenew started. I called it Makenew because I was giving all these random items of clothing a fresh start. A place to belong in a collection. I wanted it to feel very cohesive and current.”
Whilst looking for pre owned items, where do you usually source your products and what catches you eye whilst looking?
‘The thrill of the find is what fuels the hunt’
“I hunt at all the second hand clothing shops- the ones where you really have to dig to find the gems. It's a lot of travel and can be hard work but I love it. The thrill of the find is what fuels the hunt. I always say it's about the senses. Touch is number one. Does it feel good? Does it feel
like silk? What is the quality? It's really easy to feel quality. Then I go to sight what's the color, what's the label, what's the condition. I rely on my ability to move fast but not miss a single item. I often hit four to five shops in a day or up to eight nine of I make a trip out of it. I pretty much thrift daily as I hit the few same