TRAID specialises in providing Brighton’s unique folk with one-off pieces, stitched together from clothes donated to one of the charity’s 900 clothing banks nationwide. It also houses a wide range of hand-selected, good quality second-hand and vintage gear. “Every week, each manager has a day at the warehouse where we go and pick stock,” says Rob. “It gives me a chance to give the store its identity and it makes the shop different because we get stock in every single week.” And it’s all for a good cause. After business costs, the money goes towards fighting poverty, with the Disaster Emergency Committee benefiting from what you’ve paid for your slinky new dress. So as well as looking uniquely stylish on the outside, you can cultivate a warm inner glow too.
Remade: “It’s what sets us apart from the other vintage shops and charity shops. We make things like handbags and dresses from recycled vintage fabrics and leather. Everything’s a one-off, so there’s no chance of seeing someone else in what we’ve got.”
Ladies Remade: “Again, a lot of unique pieces, made from vintage fabrics. We have a lot of regular customers for this kind of stuff. It’s one of our key ranges.”
Vintage: “Thirty to 40 per cent of what we’ve got is vintage stuff, ranging from the 50s to the 80s. We get new vintage stuff in every week, so there’s always something new in the shop.”
Menswear: “When I took over the shop, we didn’t really have a great deal of menswear, but our customer base is 50:50 men and women so I’m quite happy that we’ve got more of a balance now.”
Ladieswear: “There’s a wide range of stuff – lots of vintage dresses and knitwear, but at the other end of the scale we’ve also got designer jeans and coats.”
Open Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5
42 Duke Street 01273 746346
www.traid.org.uk