Things I love about Brighton: The fact that you can stop three girls in the street because they look wondrous and they will tell you that practically all they do to fill their wardrobes is: recycle, wear hand-me-downs, go to charity or thrift shops and even make their own items of clothing! Oh and not to mention that they will be carrying 5 or 6 huge empty tobacco jars that they’d just fished out the bin to use as lentil jars. We <3 the planet.
Alba, 21, from the Canary Islands is in Brighton doing an Erasmus program, studying modern languages at uni and loving it! “I love Brighton. There is something about the atmosphere here, it’s kind of magical. You just feel very happy and you don’t really know why.” Alba gets her clothes from vintage shops, places like Beyond Retro and thrifty stores.
Alba’s message to humanity: “Cease the day!”
Selena, 21, also from the Canary Islands is in Brighton visiting Alba. She is currently living in Barcelona studying violin. Selena gets a lot of clothes from vintage shops, second-hand shops but apparently, in Barcelona, it’s a lot cheaper than Brighton so everything’s a bargain!
Selena’s message to humanity: “Live everyday to the fullest.”
Lol, 32, says that though her name is the same as the term ‘laugh out loud’, she is older than the term so she came first. “They stole my name!” Lol is a student support officer at BIMM. “It’s really rewarding. You’re facilitating learning and I think there’s a lot of situations where if students didn’t have student support they might not get through their course.” Lol gets her clothes from charity shops and vintage shops. “My new obsession is the lady in front of Snoopers Paradise with the stool that has all sorts of stuff like this red item I’ve got on. The recycle sari lady.” She also makes some of her own clothes! Rarely buying new stuff, trying to recycle as much as possible, shopping on Ebay and Depop too. Fran’s lovely vintage coat was a gift from a friend.
And Fran’s dog is the called Otto!
Lol’s message to humanity: “Wear lots of glitter and be kind to each other.”
Rimma, 26, from Germany was living in Brighton when she met, Fran and Lol but has moved back to her homeland to study set and costume design at uni because it’s cheaper! She is now down for a visit and recap with her friends. Rimma makes a lot of her own clothes and also tries to recycle as much as possible. “In Germany, we have shops where you can go and exchange clothes or just get stuff for free, which is really great.”
Rimma’s message to humanity: “Think about what you say.”
Fran, 32, has been working for an ethical food store called hiSbe on London Road for the last 2 years and she also does some web design work on a freelance basis. Fran says she gets her clothes from “everywhere”. She’s all about the hand me downs and swapping clothes with friends. Fran doesn’t even bother with the bargains in thrift shops it’s really about free stuff in her world! Her amazing coat from ASOS was a gift from a few years back!
Fran’s message to humanity: “Recycle more dudes. It’s really easy!”
