Give clothes a new lease of life and buy second hand

It is something that Julianna Heale wants to tackle with her online designer dress agency, where she sells pre-loved and new designer clothing on behalf of clients through her website.

She said: “Clothes are my passion, but I do not believe in saving items for best. Life is too short and I think clothes should be enjoyed.

“If you have designer items wasting away in your wardrobe, unused, then you could free up some funds to put towards something you will enjoy more.

“Also, the more cluttered your closet, the harder it is to make your choice.

“Often, when assisting clients to ‘weed their wardrobe’, they will rediscover items which they love and have forgotten; because they can’t see the wood for the trees, they lose sight of compatibility.”

According to clothes-waste charity, Traid: mass produced, cheap clothing is churned-out, and bought to be worn, on average, only ten times before it is thrown away.

Julianna said: “ This means that the majority of garments are not recycled, or donated, but end up in landfill which can take up to 200 years to decompose.

“It is so wrong, when we can help to reduce our impact and be more conscious as consumers, not to elect to buy more sustainable or second-hand, wherever possible. We can all make a difference.”

Julianna, who lives in Fernhurst, added: “I always try to buy second-hand now, as it is lovely to think of resale offering a new lease of life to both garment and client.

“Buying this way, has lost any stigma it once had, and ‘pre-loved’ has become trendy. There are even apps where you can rent your clothes out now.

“The items I sell can be viewed on my website, and if someone is interested, I can send additional photos and information.

“Recently, I was able to supply images of a Gucci handbag to a customer who was shielding, and then drop it off on her doorstep when she bought it.

“I enjoy it when I know someone’s taste well enough to alert them when I have handpicked something I know they will love.”

For anyone looking to invest in a piece Julianna says that Chanel is a label which is always requested— especially Chanel handbags. And she adds that the price keeps rising.

For 12 years Julianna has worked as a personal stylist but prior to that she worked for Jigsaw, Whistles Matches and a number of independent designer boutiques.

She said: “I have always been obsessed with fashion and love putting outfits together.

“The turning point was when I decided to have a sale at home for friends and family.

“Working in retail for a number of years, I had accumulated rather a large wardrobe thanks to generous staff discounts and benefitting from receiving a “uniform”, so I had some rather good pieces, needing a new home.

“Since the success of the sale, I haven’t looked back, and I now organise regular pop-up sales, which friends sometimes kindly host for me and, having moved online nine years ago, word of mouth has spread and I now resell items on behalf of new clients countrywide.”

For more information on the services Julianna offers, visit juliannaheale.com