The style activist leading Goodwood Revival's Revive & Thrive Village | Vicky Meets

Vicky meets… Dandy Wellington, who will lead the Revive & Thrive Village at Goodwood Revival
Dandy Wellington. Photograph: Anne Hugus PhotographyDandy Wellington. Photograph: Anne Hugus Photography
Dandy Wellington. Photograph: Anne Hugus Photography

•You are going to be leading Goodwood Revival’s new lifestyle hub, the Revive & Thrive Village. Can you tell us more? At Revival we revisit a time when people would ‘make do and mend’ cherished belongings for a lifetime of use. This year, the brand new Revive & Thrive Village will embrace that strikingly relevant ethos throughout the festival with a beautiful celebration of second-hand and vintage treasures.

You’ll be able to meet experts and artisans who have studied traditional heritage skills repairing, recycling and repurposing clothes and household objects in a series of special crafting cabins, and sewing workshops.

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Then there’s the Revive & Thrive stage, where I’ll be moderating talks with members of the vintage community on the Friday and Saturday, offering rare insights into vintage living and empowering visitors to source their own vintage pieces.

I’ve heard great things about this event, so I'm looking forward to a weekend among the classic cars, bygone glamour and frivolity unique to Revival.

The platform of Revive & Thrive also gives us an opportunity to engage with the diverse stories and perspective of the UK vintage community; to learn from and celebrate the past through a modern lens.

I’m there on the Friday and the Saturday. It's sure to be an unforgettable weekend – I can’t wait!

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•How important is sustainable fashion today? It’s a huge part of how we can protect the planet at this point. We’ve never been as wasteful as a population when it comes to fast fashion.

When we look back, people really treasured their clothes and belongings, and passed them down the generations – they were built to last!

Revive & Thrive will bring together this wisdom from the past as a solution to the current throwaway culture.

•You are described as ‘New York jazz bandleader and style activist’. Will you tell us more about your career? For the past 10 years I’ve had the pleasure of creating and leading a band that specialises in early African American Music from the Jazz Age.

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Inspired by musicians and performers of the past but with my feet firmly planted in the present, I’ve been fortunate enough to have performed at venues such as the Sydney Opera House and the Roundhouse in London, as well as being featured in a number of books, documentaries and media outlets for my music and style.

All along I’ve embraced the ethos ‘Vintage Style Not Vintage Values’, which to me means appreciating the aesthetics and craftsmanship of the past while endeavouring to live in the plurality of now.

•What are your top tips for sourcing great vintage pieces? My tips are simple: follow your inspiration, plan around your existing wardrobe and be patient. The perfect vintage pieces for your lifestyle are out there, it just takes a keen eye and the will to discover those hidden gems.

•Where can we find more information? I’m over at @dandywellington on Instagram. For tickets for Goodwood Revival, visit goodwood.com