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Back to the future: How vintage aims to replace fast fashion

The fast fashion industry produces 10 percent of all humanity's carbon emissions and makes up 20 percent of all industrial water pollution worldwide yet 85 percent of all textiles go to landfill each year according to a 2019 Business Insider article.


Fast fashion waste and pollution is a topic many people ignore as it’s more convenient to shop with these brands that are not sustainable.


Dom Hadley, 23, from Manchester is the owner and marketer of Payday Vintage clothing store which has over 112k followers on Instagram, their main platform.

Dom has always had a love for vintage clothes so with the help of friend and co-marketer Alfie Biss, in 2018 they started Payday Vintage utilising Dom’s already large following on social media.

Dom said: “Vintage clothing is better quality, sustainable and it’s an affordable price for rare or one-off pieces, but fast fashion brands are always cheaper and easier.

“However much more people are becoming aware and vintage clothing continues to get more popular.”

Image Credit: Dom Hadley via Instagram


Textiles and clothing production has doubled since the start of the millennium, people buy more but keep their clothes half as long.

European fashion companies have more than doubled their annual collections on average from two to five.

Retailers such as Zara produce 24 collections annually, H&M produce 12 to 16.

Dom encourages people to share articles on social media about the impact of fast fashion on our planet and attempts to put shoppers off particular brands.


Payday Vintage sells items such as branded sweatshirts which can range from £40 to £75 and are considered investment pieces.

Items are sources second hand, therefore no waste, there is only the additional shipping costs.

When asked whether the fast fashion industry will dissolve after consumers become more environmentally conscious, Dom said: “I don’t think it will die until sustainable brands can lower their prices or a tax is put on fast fashion.”


Louisa Gertrude is a fashion designer from the North East, her original website Tredlistr, which in the past month has changed to ‘Studio Courteney’, has been featured on Etsy, Vestaire Collection and Vinted.

Studio Courteney repairs damaged vintage pieces or makes whole new designs inspired by deadstock fabric, Louisa is currently sourcing larger amounts so she can produce a consistent collection.


For the past three years Louisa has travelled to universities such as Newcastle, Northumbria and Sunderland guest lecturing her fashion students on sustainability.

Students tend to shop fast fashion for the price, but Louisa reminds them that charity shops are often even cheaper and more ‘fun’ with what you may find.

Louisa said: “Some sustainable practices are more accessible to them than they might have initially thought.”

Apart from food and the odd pair of shoes, Louisa buys everything either second hand or at indie brands.

Louisa’s passion to stop pollution, excessive waste and remain sustainable goes further than, as she says: “A term we tack onto what we do to try and justify ourselves,

“We need to think about excessive consumption as a mindset and then follow that through in operation.”

Louisa believes there is still so much work needed in regards to effecting systematic change in the industry.

Image Credit: Louisa Gertrude via Studio Courteney

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