Q&A with Joburg’s pre-loved fashion queen Tamsyn Jade

Who’s that girl?

Tamsyn Jade is the owner and curator of Dear Prudence Vintage, a pre-loved clothing brand based in Johannesburg. Tamsyn’s approach to fashion is timeless. Elegant, simple, and almost always, with a hint of beige. We sat down with the pre-loved vintage queen to chat about the complications of shopping fast fashion, and to get an idea of what shopping pre-loved is all about.

 

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A post shared by Dear Prudence. (@dear.prudence.vintage)

How did you start your pre-loved journey, and why?

Eleven years ago, a hugely popular fashion retail brand arrived in SA. I won’t mention who. The first whispers I heard about them was their aim to make the hottest runway trends available here, in just 15 days. It didn’t sit well with me and remained a niggling thought. There wasn’t much info on the impact of shopping fast fashion at the time. We were yet to really know the real complications it would leave in its wake. I continued to shop these brands for a good couple of years, but the niggling thought grew. Especially when I completed my garment construction diploma through LISOF (now STADIO) fashion school. 

I couldn’t stop myself from questioning aspects of these big brands. It was as clear as day, they were copy-catting off other up-and-coming designers’ work. And, as someone who could now sew – I knew all too well the time, effort and energy a well-made garment requires. It left me perplexed, saying, “How!? How are they achieving that and at the expense of who?” I started reading up on the brands. Where their items were being made and by who, their ethos and waste management policies and I was shocked at what I discovered! 

Let’s get into the nitty gritty of shopping fast fashion, shall we?

There’s a place on the planet where the sun just doesn’t Shein. Let’s zoom in on one particularly troublesome offering that most of us know about – Shein. There’s a plethora of reporting available that details their labour law violations, intellectual property infringements, factory collapses, child labor allegations and sweat-shop conditions. How utterly terrifying that their business model is ‘real time fashion…’  as though fast fashion isn’t already fast enough.

@choosefinch You 🤝 The Environment – #fyp #ecotok #shein #fastfashion ♬ Music Instrument – Gerhard Siagian

If you’ve ever shopped Shein and wondered to yourself, ‘Wow! How is a pair of jeans that cheap?’ There’s good reason for your wonderings. Simply put, they actually just cannot be, not without coming at the expense elsewhere. That expense comes at the makers and employees, their communities and neighbourhoods. Go and read up about how Chile’s Atacama Desert is the graveyard where fast fashion goes to die and it’ll leave you in shock. Chilling images of tonnes and tonnes of clothing waste will leave you worrying, “where does it all go?” 

What drives the throwaway fashion market?

We can’t talk about the suppliers without talking about the demand – Fast fashion feeds our ‘instant’ culture as humans – nowness, newness, immediately, more! Here’s an actual quote from a Shein platform:

“Time to give in to those need-new-stuff-everyday cravings!”

We don’t need new stuff. Let alone every day. Many of us believe that consumption is a means to feeling better about our lives and what we have. Women are an easy target for brands who offer to ‘make us feel better’ about ourselves. How do we do that? We buy, buy, buy! 

Why make the switch to pre-loved?

Shopping preloved offers the most style-wise, with just a little more patience and effort! Thrifting makes way for us to develop and explore our personal style beyond what’s trending. There will always be a trendy new garment available at your local charity shop, but there’s also that incredible biscuit-coloured, mohair, vintage jumper with swirls of small pearls, detailing the collar and cuffs. There’s just one of them, and now it’s yours for a steal of the original price! And it’s an absolute treasure, you should covet it. Then suddenly, “oh my gosh, what’s that!?” You just found the matching skirt! 

Isn’t the goal to tailor a quality wardrobe that really expresses your personal point of view? Pre-loved fashion allows you to do that. You just need to know where to look! Instagram resellers, like me, are a great way to shop quality controlled pre-loved pieces without having to dig through hoards of stuff yourself! 

Who are your fav local sustainable fashion crushes?

Sindiso Khumalo based in Cape Town, whose label focuses on creating modern sustainable textiles with a strong emphasis on African storytelling. Sustainability, craft and empowerment lie at the heart of her label.

 

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A post shared by Sindiso Khumalo | Designer (@sindisokhumalo)

The lovely Daisie Jo! She creates limited edition, hand-crafted pieces of slow-fashion art for her wearers. A small local business with seasonless style and ethical practices. All of the best things a sustainable brand could offer!

 

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A post shared by DAISIE JO (@daisiejo)

What does your sustainability journey look like now, as a new mom? 

With our baby girl in tow, it has been such a fun space to explore! I’ve made some amazing new discoveries:

Cloth nappies from Pokkelokkie! I promise they’re not difficult to manage, and it’s not gross. The sustainable nappy brand delivers nationwide and offers the easiest cloth-system to shop! The founder, Kerryn, is personally available to help troubleshoot any nappy issues, and she runs a Facebook group where you can buy their cloth nappies pre-loved. Truly a testament to her passion for sustainability. Plus, you can’t imagine how cute a baby bum covered in a cloth nappy is. 

You may not think it… but Facebook marketplace is amazing. We’ve found such beautiful furniture pieces for the nursery on the marketplace. Like our IKEA cot, co-sleeper and changing table for example! It was the exact natural wood aesthetic I was looking for, and we found it on Facebook for a fraction of the price, and in impeccable condition! What a score. 

My last advice would be to accept all of the second-hand stuff your friends, family and community want to pass your way. Your baby will wear or use them for mere moments before outgrowing. If you really don’t love something, then donate it to an NGO like Hatch. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to be given a whole bunch of really lovely stuff and I’m excited to love it and look after it well. Then leave it to someone else who will do the same. That’s what pre-loved is all about. 

Feature Image: Tamsyn Jade Postma