Musgrave thrift store fights fast fashion

MUSGRAVE siblings, Brett Foxcroft and Ashleigh Wesner, sell high quality thrift items in their online store, The Foxcroft Haberdashery. The pair opened the store in 2021 to do their bit to reduce the carbon footprint of the fashion industry. As Environment Month is commemorated in June, Berea Mail chats to the store owners to find out more about thrifting.

For Foxcroft, who is a fashion designer, the clothing industry wears heavily on the environment.

“Second-hand shopping helps promote the circular economy and extends the lifespan of a garment to years instead of a couple of months. Nearly 2 700 litres of water is needed to make a T-shirt, while jeans need at least 7 500 litres, so buying second-hand will always be better,” he said.

Foxcroft added that thrift stores aren’t bound by the ‘revolving door’ of fashion and styles that fast-fashion brands adhere to.

ALSO READ: Get thrifty for Earth Day- check out these great Berea stores

“We sell what we have available instead of mass-producing stuff and hoping people will buy it. We also don’t send stuff that doesn’t sell to landfills or burn it like the majority of fashion brands do,” said Foxcroft.

The siblings were inspired to open the store when decluttering their own wardrobes – they decided to sell high quality items at local Durban markets and open an online store on Yaga. There are items from their travels to Turkey, Morocco, France and Nepal, as well as pieces purchased at thrift stores through the years.

“We like to share the ‘story’ of the pieces with our customers. Each garment is special, and some are quite difficult to sell because of sentimental reasons, but someone else should be able to enjoy the clothes instead of them just staying in our wardrobes,” said Foxcroft.

While the term ‘second-hand’ might raise eyebrows for some, Froxcroft says vintage clothes are usually high quality items that are made to last, with some of his pieces in perfect condition after 20 years.

“Fashion always comes and goes, so this year, something could be seen as outdated, but then next year, everyone wants it,” he added.

Thrifted items also offer shoppers a unique look that no one else will have.

“A lot of our vintage pieces and jewellery are one of a kind which is cool because you won’t see other people wearing them. We have some clothes that are ‘everyday basics’ in classic styles, but we prefer finding things that are more unique and that you don’t see often,” said Foxcroft.

Among the range of clothes on the Foxcroft Haberdashery rail are ‘grandpa jerseys’, jewellery from Turkey and Morocco and scarves from Thailand and France.

ALSO READ: Jogging Journalist: Sailing on that second wind

“I think nowadays, people are looking for quirky, unique and fun clothes, so we try to sell these kinds of products. Clothes in South Africa can tend to be on the more conventional and commercial side, so we like selling clothes with bold colours and those that can make a statement,” said Foxcroft.

Foxcroft’s top three tips to spot a thrift gem:

1. Do your research
“Always check if there is a name-brand on the garment, and do an online search of the designer if you aren’t familiar with it,” said Foxcroft.
2. Statement pieces
“When I’m walking past a shop, and something inside catches my eye and stands out from everything else, I know it is probably worth getting. Something that can make a statement from so far away must be quite special,” said Foxcroft.
3. Love it? Get it
“If you see something you really love, buy it because there is no guarantee that it will be there next time,” said Foxcroft.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.        Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Berea community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.   PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.