Kiama residents and visitors flocked together over 15-16 June in search of their next greatest vintage find. 

The Rekindled Fashion Market, held fortnightly at the Masonic Hall in Kiama, is a treasure trove of pre-loved quality clothing, accessories and bric-a-brac. 

The Australian Fashion Council released a report highlighting the staggering amount of Australians' wardrobes ending up in our landfill each year. About 227,000 tonnes of clothing is discarded by Australian households annually. Ultra fast-fashion online stores such as Shein and Temu contribute to the ever-growing fashion waste problem. According to new research by the Australia Institute, Australians have been revealed as the world’s biggest fashion consumers. 

Rekindled owner and organiser, Donna, began the market as a way to do her part in keeping clothing out of landfill, and to encourage others in her community to do the same.

“My passion is to recycle. The market is a tool to raise awareness on how bad the problem really is,” she said.

Each of the stall holders share the same philosophy, Jean operates her stall under the name ‘Lola’s Closet’ and has been attending the market since last year. 

Her stall is an array of vintage leather jackets, women’s attire, sports jerseys, and coats all sourced from high quality designer brands. Jean began bringing her collection to the market after the communal store she operated her store out of was hit with a rent increase. 

Adriel is also a frequent attendee and has been coming to the market for four years to showcase her curated selection of vintage womenswear, compacts, handbags and shoes. It began as a personal hobby, however it was “within mind to share with the world one day,” she said.

There are also other benefits for Adriel, “The great thing about the market is the community spirit.” 

Rekindled Fashion looks forward to new and returning customers at the market, the next pop-up will be on July 6th & 7th. Don’t miss out!

For more information on upcoming market dates, visit Rekindled Fashion’s facebook page here.