In the last four years, some London stores and pop-up events have offered opportunities for shoppers to purchase their clothing by the kilo. The practice initially started in the Netherlands and Eastern Europe subsequently spreading to the rest of the world. There are many reasons why you might find shopping by the kilo appealing. Perhaps you’re looking to redesign your wardrobe in a sustainable way. Perhaps you’d like to resell what you found online or somewhere else. Either way, in this article you’ll get some ideas about options.
Regarding the environmental aspect of sustainability, recent research on the environmental impact of clothing found that for every second that goes by in the UK 2,625 kilograms of wasted clothing is burned or dispatched to the landfill (Moneyboat infographic). This waste gives off 60,000 kilograms of CO2-E in the manufacturing sector by itself. Worldwide about 150 billion garments are produced each year.
Besides fast fashion, many of the high-end brands overproduce items of clothing and end up burning or disposing of some items in order to preserve the high-end nature of their brand. Thus, trying to do your part as an individual to stave off the demand for fast-fashion, shopping by the kilogram could definitely help contribute.
1. Brixton Vintage Kilo Sale
Pop Brixton hosts a pop-up sale on the first weekend of every month. Even if they run out of stock, they replenish it throughout the event. You can purchase women’s and men’s clothing in a wide range of goods. Items include shirts, flannels, blouses, and jackets. The approximate price-range for clothing is about 15 pounds per kilo. In addition to traditional forms of payment, they also accept Apple Pay and Google Pay.
2. Preloved Vintage Kilo
Held at multiple venues including: Arlington Conference Center (close to Camden Town station), Round Chapel (Hackney), Kia Oval (South London), as well as Croydon Conference Centre, the Preloved Vintage event is a pop-up that takes place from time to time. You need to check their website to find out about available times. Shoppers can search through nine tons of vintage and retro clothing. In order to ensure good quality a team of staff selects the items individually and grades them according to quality. In addition to a good deal for shoppers, the Preloved Vintage Wholesale team says they prevented about 200 tons of clothing from ending up in the landfill in 2019 along with keeping waste to a minimum. If you prioritize the environment in your life, then this is definitely a step in the right direction. Most of the vintage items are made after the 1960s and include retro shirts, leather goods, sportswear, and some accessories. You do have to pay a small fee for entry if you don’t score one of the limited amount of free tickets. The price per kilo is about 15 pounds.
3. West of Me
Keep your eyes peeled for West of Me clothing sales because they aren’t very often. Their vintage items range from the 1970s to the 1990s. Yes, those of you that have lived through the 1990s, this decade is now considered vintage. The events have been held at multiple locations including Stoke Newington Church Street, Sclater Street, and St. Hilda’s East Community Centre in Shoreditch. The price per kilo is about 15 pounds and the entrance is free.
4. Shop Kilo
Considered the first ‘shop by weight’ event in the UK, Shop Kilo, was established in 2009. They sell their vintage clothing in three different ways. First, they have about 45 pop-up shops all over the UK. Second, they sell on their online shop. Third, they gather unwanted items to create a rework collection. Vintage items range from the 1960s to the 1990s and the clothes are supplied from Europe’s biggest vintage wholesaler. The best part of this event is that there’s no minimum amount of money you can spend meaning that if you only want one item, you would be able to spend as little as 50p. Their live events start at £20 per kilo. To enhance your shopping experience, the event is organized in sections for women’s clothing, men’s clothing, and gender-neutral clothing. The company also has a goal of laundering all of their items by 2022. Presently, they try to launder and wash all of their items but promise to do so entirely by 2022. A selection of the venues where this event is held includes: The Lighthouse Theater (Camberwell), Cecil Sharp House (Camden), and Copeland Park & Bussey Building (Peckham). Another great piece of information is that this event can be found across the UK in Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, and more locations.
5. PickNWeight
Located in a touristy section of Covent Garden between fast-fashion giants Zara and Urban Outfitters, it’s the first of its kind in London. Picknweight itself has locations across Europe in Berlin, Ibiza, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne. Decorated to fit the mood of a hipster crowd, you can find one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, accessories including scarves and handbags, surrounded by vintage jukeboxes and pinball machines. One wall even features vintage wooden tennis rackets.
The founder of the company believes that her customers want sustainable products that span across eras. Clothing is color coded to reflect prices starting at £30 per kilo and going up to £70 and £100. It’s not uncommon to see customers return items to the racks once they have them weighed. Owners of other kilo sale establishments keep their prices as low as £15 per kilo and lead successful businesses.
Most vintage and secondhand shoppers are looking for affordable deals as an alternative to high street prices. After all, many shoppers might not want to pay £30 for a used item of clothing when a similar brand-new item exists for the same price. Staying afloat in central London might justify the higher prices in terms of rent and hopefully the growing popularity of eco fashion will keep their business going.
Many shoppers are trying to change their habits by being more sustainable and taking advantage of pop-up kilo sales or more settled or established locations. In order to contribute to the weakening of the fast-fashion craze, these types of clothing by the kilo establishments need to keep their prices reasonable.
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