Recycled Frocks Fit for the Famous

Credit: Joanna-Lowy

Holly Jade of Prangsta Costumiers. Photo: Joanna Lowy

Fed up with fashion waste? Desperate to dress vintage? Then it’s about tie-m you shoe-t off to Prangsta Costumiers, a vintage costume hire shop on New Cross Road.

Melanie Wilson, a fashion school graduate, founded the business in 1998 to rally against the fabric waste attributed to the fashion industry.Using discarded vintage garments which are then recycled into new creations, she provides bespoke costumes tailored for the individual, however outlandish and extravagant, for both sale and hire. She also manages a 1,500 sq ft design studio in Deptford, where she passes on her expertise to students in her dressmaking and tailoring classes.

ELL visited the quirky shop, and spoke to Holly Jade of Camberwell, who’s worked in the shop for a year and a half.

ELL: “Why did you decide to work here?”

Holly: “We’re really against mass production and outsourcing to other companies- we want to do it all ourselves.”

ELL: “Do you cater for men as well as women?

Holly: “Yes, we do. We really like dressing handsome young men actually!”

ELL: “Do you enjoy working here?”

Holly: “Yes. It allows for the freedom to express yourself creatively. Mel likes the staff to be creative, so she gives us the ability to do what we want to do. With this we can investigate the past through fabrics and tailor for the individual, rather than just mass producing something you can get anywhere.”

ELL: “Has anyone well known come in here?”

Holly: “We’ve dressed a number of bands, like The White Stripes and The Noisettes.”

ELL: “How would you describe the shop to someone who’s never been?”

Holly: “A treasure cove of vintage costumes that have been custom made.”

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