With an increase in criticism of fast fashion, there has been a strong trend towards second-hand shopping- and there is no exception in Kingston.

Already harbouring many charity shops, this town has always had a niche for sustainable and ethical shopping. We Are is a second life fashion pop up store that travels around the country, bringing affordable second-hand clothing to new venues every week.

At £20 per kilo of clothing, they offer vintage garments that are competitive in price to their new designer counterparts. They carry brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and The North Face, and in their ‘gold label’ of individually priced clothing they also carry Dolce and Gabbana, among others.

The Kingston pop-up was held in All Saints Church, providing a stunning backdrop to the racks of clothes with the stained glass windows and stone pillars. The event required tickets to be bought before in order to monitor the number of people in at once and keep it covid-safe. Although it seems there would be a benefit to going earlier in the day to get the ‘good’ clothes, more clothing is continually put out, and due to the wide array of people at the pop-up, everyone wants something different.

This pop up is a step in the right direction, both in terms of bouncing back from the pandemic, and moving away from a destructive consumerist culture. It was refreshing to see such a lively event celebrating sustainability, and it seems this is just the beginning. Next week the We Are pop up will be visiting Ealing, Clapham, and Notting Hill.