A Journey from Fast to Slow Fashion

Clare Lewis founded Retold Vintage after over a decade in the fast fashion industry, re-igniting her passion for vintage in 2018 and then transitioning into the second-hand sector, creating Retold.

“I was going through a period of change in my consumer values (I had just left a job spanning 14 years working for a high street retailer) and I was turning to vintage more and more as an alternative to buying new. I wanted to inspire other to also do the same so created retold.” Retold was a way for more people to have access to buying vintage and second hand. “ I like to think retold represents todays fashion conscious women who love a modern aesthetic but wants to shop sustainably without compromising her style.” 

In addition to online sales, Clare began to trade at vintage fairs and soon found herself part of a community of people that were champions of sustainability. “I gradually educated myself more on the subject, and soon, what initially started out as a job to provide financial support and keep me involved in fashion became a mission to make a real difference to how people shop.”

With the invaluable skills learnt from Clare’s vast experience in visual merchandising, she was able to carry them into her current career: “how I handle stock and create visual stories, the versatility and usefulness of the pieces I source and, above all, understanding that the customer is the main priority.”

Based in East London each of their items is handpicked and new collections are realised every other week on their website. From oversized classic suites to wedding dresses, Retold has everything you could want to be stylish while shopping responsibly.