The hunt for clothes is never-ending, but the revolution of buying up-cycled, thrifted or vintage fabrics is on the rise now more than ever.
Hailey Wyatt, owner and designer of slow fashion label Wyatt House, is no stranger to making old fabrics new again. Recently, she’s begun using up-cycled textiles, such as old bedsheets, to create elegant, creative and wearable pieces for people of all sizes.
The 24-year-old formerly co-owned the online vintage clothing shop Denim Gene Vintage with her sister. After her sister moved on to complete her master’s degree, Wyatt decided to repurpose their business. Instead of just selling old clothes, Wyatt wanted to make her own clothing out of vintage and recycled textiles.
Wyatt House is part of a number of “slow fashion” businesses, including Toronto-based Preloved where only vintage and deadstock fabrics are used, that are focusing on making clothing with processes and resources rooted in ethics, quality and a low environmental impact.
Wyatt said her goals for the new business include producing zero waste, creating more unisex designs and designing clothes for all sizes.
“I just want to be as accessible as I can while also being sustainable,” Wyatt said.
Cultivating a sense of connection
Looking forward, Wyatt said she would like to create custom pieces that allow people to connect with their clothes.
“I would love to have that sort of collaborative project where the customer gets to choose and bring their own fabric with them [to be repurposed],” Wyatt said.
“Victoire kind of represents a curated assortment of Canadian design, and what I love about slow fashion is you get to feel the connection with where your money is being spent,” Paquette said.
Paquette said the best part of running a slow fashion business that emphasizes local designers is having the designers live nearby to local shoppers.
“I feel like in a world where we don’t have as much human connection, it’s very fulfilling to feel like you’re a part of something and contributing to something good with every purchase,” she said.
Higher cost for higher standards
Paquette said one of the difficulties she initially faced as one of Victoire’s founders was educating the public on its prices.
“It was a bit of an uphill battle. Educating our customers on the price point was difficult because they’re always comparing us to [fast fashion brands],” Paquette said. “But recently there’s been a huge change of awareness in terms of the general public knowing the cost of fashion.”
Wyatt noted that although she’s excited about the recent change in her business, she’s also nervous about what the response will be like to the prices she’s charging for her new designs.
“I have to charge what I’m worth so my prices are obviously going to be way different,” Wyatt said. “But I have had a lot of support and people seem to be excited about what I’m doing.”
A welcoming community
Wyatt said the community of designers and vintage sellers in Ottawa has been very welcoming towards her and her transforming business.
“There’s so many amazing, beautiful people and the communities are very supportive of each other,” Wyatt said.
Kristina Martin, founder of Ottawa-based consignment shop The Slow Fit, agreed that the community of fashion designers in Ottawa is supportive.
“There are a couple of other awesome people around the city,” Martin said. “We have partnered on pop-up [stores] and it’s really cool to see [the slow fashion community] grow.”
Martin, 33, said she started her business in 2020 because of all the free time she spent at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said there’s more to it than just selling clothes.
“I love consignment but also there’s a bit of an activist movement at the same time [to get] young women to rethink their habits and know that they can look really awesome while supporting the environment at the same time,” Martin said.
Starting a new chapter
Sydney Edwards, a 21 year old double majoring in criminology and sociology at Carleton, is an avid thrifter who said it’s extremely important to shop ethically and sustainably.
“We live in a time where fads are super common and businesses capitalize on trends. We need to stop reinventing ourselves and try to shop more ethically,” Edwards said.
Edwards, who previously shopped at Denim Gene Vintage, said she was happy to hear about Wyatt’s business change and looks forward to seeing her new pieces.
Wyatt said she’s excited about her rebranding and hopes people enjoy her new designs. After earning her bachelor’s degree in microbiology and immunology and working at the heart institute for a long time, Wyatt said she’s excited to explore something new.
Currently studying at the Fashion Design Academy at Richard Robinson, Wyatt said she’s confident Wyatt House will fulfill not only her own sustainable fashion dreams but her customers’ as well.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated Hailey Wyatt’s age. The Charlatan regrets the error. The article was last updated on Oct. 21.
Featured image by Anya Swettenham.
