This week we are super excited to bring you this exciting insight into Leeds based vintage clothing brand Garmworks! We had the pleasure of chatting to Gabe Sheehy about all things Garmworks. If you love 90s nostalgia fashion and responsible consumption choices we may have just discovered your newest obsession.
Please can you tell our Leeds RAG readers about the background of Garmworks?
Garmworks is a Leeds based vintage t-shirt business, focusing on nostalgia of the 90s through the form of a t-shirt. You can find us both online, on our website and ASOS Marketplace as well as at our concessions in Best Leeds and the Gents Lounge Barber Shops.
I started Garmworks in 2016 when I was 15, a year after moving back to Leeds from Southern California. I began with a interest in the streetwear scene, which takes strong influences from the 1990s - leading me to being introduced to vintage. Soon after that I started going into Best Leeds, I became fascinated about the vintage they sold and even more so the community around the shop. Slowly I built a relationship with the guys from Best, going into the shop weekly - most of the time with no money to be spent but becoming part of that community, constantly picking up on knowledge of vintage from their experiences. From there I began to bring t-shirts into the shop to sell to them, rarely making a profit, it was more of a way to bring value to myself in their eyes. Behind the scenes I began selling online mainly on Depop and the Facebook group, The Basement, which led to creating my first website in 2018.
Now I run Garmworks full time with the same values that I learnt in the beginning, focusing on stock that truly interests me and holding a strong importance on the community around the business.
What is your favourite Garmworks product?
I follow a rule of thumb that I’ll only sell something if it interests me, that's why I focus on sourcing t-shirts that fall into the art and skate subcultures. This includes a mixture of both branded and unbranded t-shirts, the most popular brand we sell is Stüssy - probably a brand you’ve heard of. It’s one of the original streetwear brands, starting in the late 80s with a strong sense of community self titled ‘the tribe’ and still a prominent brand today. For the unbranded t-shirts the possibilities are endless, while sourcing we look over 1,000s of unbranded t-shirts, all one-offs which creates the challenge of which to buy for the shop. Beyond the graphic of a t-shirt we take into account the condition and quality, as the majority of stock we hold are 20+ years old they have signs of wear from previous owners, creating character for each t-shirt.
How does Garmworks support sustainability?
In the past 12 months we’ve sold over 1,000 vintage t-shirts, that's 1,000 t-shirts being saved from landfill and entering back into the fashion cycle. On top of this we’ve been able to create a growing customer base who are conscious of the positive impacts they have whilst buying vintage. So although were only a drop in the pond of the fashion industry as a whole, we are making a proactive effort to be sustainable.
Over time we’ve looked through all aspects of the business, beyond the stock we hold, to see how we can become more sustainable, for example we’ve recently changed our shipping couriers to a more eco friendly option. We’ve started using Mule App, a shipping provider that gives you options of couriers to use, assuring all parcels sent are carbon neutral.
How has Garmworks been affected by COVID19?
As I have concessions in Best Leeds and the Gents Lounge Barber Shops the constant changing of rules and lockdowns have been a challenge to keep up with. But the lockdowns have given us the opportunity to focus on the online side of the business - mainly focusing on the website and Instagram page. Compared to other vintage businesses my sourcing habits haven’t changed massively due to the pandemic, I’ve still been able to handpick t-shirts online from across the world. Of course shipping delays have been a constant issue, due to COVID19 and Brexit but I’ve been able to adjust to that with buying little and often.
Do you have any advice to share on entering the sustainable market?
Any type of business or creative can be sustainable, it takes an understanding what sustainability is and how it can be implanted into your plan.
I have a strong belief that people should be conscious of what clothes they buy and where they’ve come from. Fast fashion brands have created a customer base that may not know the impact they are truly making on the environment. Vintage clothing resides on the other side of the sustainability scale. I recently learnt that the most sustainable step someone could make as a consumer is to buy vintage, showing the environmental impact vintage has beyond the fashion aspect. On top of that in my opinion the best clothes are vintage and already out there just waiting to be found.
What is your best piece of advice for others considering starting their own business?
I don’t think I’m necessarily the best person to be answering this as I am still very much at the beginning and working towards where I want to be. But I do think people should put value on enjoying their time working, especially if they’re creating a business around what they have a passion for. Tying into this, with Garmworks I value the community that's formed around the brand: these are people around the brand that have continued to support and see it grow whilst following there own passions.
We hoped you enjoyed this insight into Garmworks, as always, Leeds RAG encourages you to shop from local businesses wherever possible- why not treat yourself to a gem from this super funky brand next time you are seeking a wardrobe refresh, rather than fuelling detrimental fast fashion houses.
Love,
LRFS x
P.S. Check out Garmworks website here: www.garmworks.co !
Photography by Grace Cox-Rawnsley for Garmworks
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