Where to buy the best preloved clothing in Sussex
Karen Skagerlind, co-owner of preloved clothing boutique Willow & Eve shares her recommendations for finding the best preloved clothing in Sussex.
I started writing for Talented Ladies Club not long after it was established in 2013. Knowing my background as a fashion buyer, and then becoming a full time mum, I wanted to keep a toe dipped in the fashion industry and Hannah kindly gave me a chance to do that as Fashion Editor for her online resource magazine.
Alongside that I was writing a blog called mumsweardaily and as the name suggests wrote every day; with my daily outfits providing the inspiration to put looks together from current collections of premium and high street brands.
Why I joined Sussex preloved boutique Willow & Eve
When the children got older and I had more time, and energy, to commit to a ‘proper’ job I became a business partner with Yvette Stubbs, another mum I’d met through my daughter’s school, who had just founded Willow & Eve, a preloved clothing boutique.
Five years later we now have two established preloved womenswear boutiques and are probably best placed to talk about the other businesses in Sussex that are helping to promote buying fashion in a more sustainable way.
When we first opened there were the traditional bricks and mortar dress agencies, which we considered competition but we soon learnt that there was room for everybody in what was still a developing market. Now the concept of purchasing preloved is almost mainstream with more consumers concerned about sustainability and wanting to contribute to circular fashion.
According to a recent BBC worklife article 76% of millennials in the UK shop second-hand. The Co-OP banks Ethical Market Report valued the current UK market to be £1.2 billion with Thred-Up predicting that the fashion resale market would double by 2027 to £2.7billion.
Over time we built up a rapport with some of the businesses redirecting clients or customers accordingly. Unfortunately, some of the older, traditional run stores have now closed. Two such stores were Chatelaine in Arundel, which is now Willow & Eve’s second store, and L’Eternal of Petworth, which has just been taken over by the Haselmere girls that also run Circle boutique.
We realised that we had to be a ‘modern’ consignment store and so invested in our website, opting for Shopify, so our inventory is digital. We also use social media platforms, regularly posting on Instagram, Facebook and send out targeted marketing campaigns as well as a blog ‘Preloved Style Notes’ and monthly newsletters for those that join our mailing list.
Where to buy the best preloved clothing in Sussex
While we hope that our brand Willow & Eve has now become the ‘go to’ for preloved womenswear, shoes and accessories, there are several ways you can buy preloved clothing in Sussex, from online only to specialist shops. Here are our top six (including ourselves!) that we would recommend to you if you wanted to buy the best preloved clothing and accessories on offer this season.
1) editsecondhand
editsecondhand in Haywards Heath, West Sussex is an online boutique, with over 35.5K Instagram followers. We love Darcy and Amy’s chemistry and natural style of showcasing their gorgeous offer of preloved designer items.
2) Preloved of Brighton
Preloved of Brighton on Preston Drove, Brighton is an established consignment store. Opened by Vanessa in 2013, this boutique sells premium and boutique brands, for example Fillipa K, Agolde jeans, BA&SH.
3) Eternal of Hove
Eternal of Hove on Portland Road, Brighton and Hove is the original, having been established in 1999. Sally has gained a loyal following of clients and customers and was one of the first stores we got in touch with when we opened. It sells nearly new premium high street and designer clothing and accessories.
4) Vanity Fair
Vanity Flair bridal and occasion wear on Ferringham Lane, Ferring is a specialist preloved shop, with a dedicated floor of Bridalwear including Maggie Sottero, Kelsey Rose and Essence of Australia gowns, all £1,000 or under, and a floor of occasion wear. Caroline opened this destination boutique last June and is currently getting in stock for next year’s prom season.
5) Triangle
Triangle on New Street, Petworth is the newbie. Recently opened by Julianna and the founder of Circle in Haselmere, Surrey this small boutique offers a range of preloved designer clothing and accessories.
6) Willow & Eve
And of course, last but not least, there’s us. Willow & Eve is the multiple! Our preloved clothing brand is best for elevated everyday wear from high end high street, premium and boutique brands with a sprinkling of designer. We carefully curate our offer and have built up a trusted client and customer base over the years.
Our Rustington shop opened in June 2019 and when Chatelaine, Arundel closed we took over the lease and opened our second preloved shop in November 2022. This year we are trialling preloved menswear, with a pop-up shop, in Arundel, with a soft launch from late October.
Other Sussex preloved shops we like
Other preloved shops that are worth a mention are Rehab dress agency in West Street, Lewes, East Sussex and Deja Vue in Felpham Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex.
Buying preloved is the best way to refresh your wardrobe
We’re excited to be part of this growing market and vow to continue to promote and encourage slow fashion. Like our pick of the best in Sussex we truly believe that buying preloved is the way to refresh your wardrobe without costing the earth!
Karen Skagerlind is an ex-buyer for Harrods. Together with her friend Yvette Stubbs she runs Willow & Eve, a preloved consignment boutique for premium brands with stores in Arundel and Rustington, Sussex and online.
