REPORT
Favourite find: 1940s glass head pearl wired stems
after having moved shops several times in south London, they decided to become an online business only and to relocate their stock to a warehouse in Canterbury, Kent, where rents were infinitely more affordable. Michelle and Fiona are always on the lookout for vintage materials, but often sellers come to them. Lately, they have come into a great number of beautiful collections from family businesses without successors. Sometimes the owners are very attached to the supplies they have cherished for so long and keep in touch with them to know how their ‘stuff’ is selling. This can result in long-lasting email relationships and even visits. Often, these items have a history attached to them, which makes them even more special. Although Petershams also sells
new materials, they are known for their large stocks of vintage haberdashery. Clients are not only model milliners but also the television and film industry. Costume designers are particularly interested in authentic materials, especially for close- up shots where the hat can be an important feature. Michelle and
from Europe at a time when Johannesburg was an important clothing
manufacturing centre. The two explorers went home with trims, lace, velvets, French sequins, all in their original packaging with handwritten labels.
When opportunities to buy
“Although the sales of vintage materials represent only roughly twenty per cent of turnover, these items take up the majority of space in their warehouse”
Fiona find their stocks worldwide. One of the most remarkable places they visited was an abandoned haberdashery firm in Johannesburg, South Africa, dating from the 1930s. The business had closed in the 1990s and been left untouched, as frozen in time. Most of the merchandise had been imported
important stocks present themselves, financing such operations can be tricky. Luckily, owners are often prepared to make financial arrangements over a longer period, as they prefer their treasures to go to a good home, rather than make an immediate profit. Although people are retired, they still keep an interest in the millinery world, and sometimes Michelle and Fiona feel as if they are a kind of adopted grandchildren, with a mission to take care of the family heirlooms. They choose the items they want by instinct, knowing which materials are hard to get nowadays; often, the quality of vintage materials is better than their current substitutes. Reasons not to buy certain things can be financial (too expensive), ethical (no new fur felt, for instance, only already existing) or sanitary (feathers can be infested
with vermin). Quality can also be a determining factor. Certain materials are more fragile than others, and their condition depends on the way they have been preserved, with straw, veiling and flowers in the fragility top three. When they do come across items in their stocks
that are not fit to be sold anymore, Michelle and Fiona give them away to courses and students or fill little goody bags with them. As their motto says, ‘Nothing gets thrown in the bin!’ Petershams has built up a huge collection
of vintage millinery materials, and the company is planning to expand storage space yet again. Although the sales of vintage materials represent only roughly twenty per cent of turnover, these items take up the majority of space in their warehouse; in addition, they take a longer time to sell. Photographing and listing those items on their website is also time-consuming; Michelle and Fiona now have a team of ten people. As a business model, their deadstock vintage collection may not be the most profitable part of their trade, but as a passion, it remains unbeatable!
may 2024 | 51
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