FILTHY REBENA VINTAGE
STORY BY APRIL LOVIE
EDITED BY ELEANOR GEBROU
PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAIN AILLES
Darlene Davis and Natalie Bradshaw
are London’s new powerhouse fashionista's.They have found a way to translate their value for mindfulness and sustainability by way of curated vintage goods. The fashion industry is ranked as one of the highest pollutants in the world, which, paired with its frequently poor working conditions, creates a dangerous medley of global decline and human rights violations. This reality upsets Davis and Bradshaw, therefore the duo has set out to create a space that nourishes individuality by catering a beautiful array of pieces that are easy on the eyes and the conscience.
The pair were fated to meet at Beyond Retro in 2010, a raghouse and e-commerce studio based in Toronto.The company ended up relocating, which subsequently led to the ladies losing their jobs — a loss which set the foundations for what would eventually become their store, Filthy Rebena Vintage. The name Filthy Rebena manifested during a late night hangout and has since become more of an alter-ego for Davis and Bradshaw. As playful as they may be, these women are wildly skilled. Their combined expertise encompasses; styling, photography, fashion design, and writing.
For the past four and a half years, Davis and Bradshaw have worked tirelessly to make their mark in London’s fashion scene, inspiring countless patrons along the way. These style icons travel throughout Canada and the U.S. searching for unconventional, novelty vintage goods to satisfy our local cravings, and let’s face it— Filthy Rebena makes London an infinitely more interesting place to live. We sat down with the filthy ladies to discuss their love affair with vintage. Below, we detail some of their inspirations, future plans, as well as their passion to see the fashion industry embrace higher standards of ecological integrity.
HOW DID YOUR CREATIVE PATHS EVENTUALLY LEAD TO YOUR CURRENT ROLES AT FR?
NATALIE BRADSHAW: Growing up I was always creating things. The first time I really realized that this could be appreciated was with an artist that I babysat for. I guess from her always observing me making things with her daughter she asked if I wanted to help her with her sculptures. That was my first paid art gig— I would cast her sculptures for her. The last couple years of high school, I got more into the fashion classes than visual arts, so I ended up going to Fanshawe for Fashion Design. I moved to Toronto after I graduated and started doing an internship for a local designer. I fell in love with styling and moved away from that technical design and started assisting this stylist. During this time I got a job with Beyond Retro, a huge vintage company whose stores are in the UK and Sweden. This is where I met Dar, we were both photo stylists, dressing and photographing 200 mannequins a day for their e-commerce site. Beyond Retro gave me an amazing wardrobe to style with so I had great resources and was able to freelance style on my own. During this time Beyond Retro had large company layoffs Dar and I both got canned but we decided to try and sell our own vintage treasures on Etsy. That is when Filthy Rebena Vintage first got started. To stay afloat in Toronto I got a retail job managing American Apparel. It ended up taking up all my time, which put passion projects on the back burner. I remember reading of Mice and Men on the subway on my way to American apparel one day feeling totally burnt out and was like fuck this, I’m going to open my own store and be my own boss! That is how Filthy Rebena got to London. Eventually I persuaded Dar to move here and the rest is history.
DARLENE DAVIS: As a teenager, I worked as a lighting technician in our community theatre, illuminating the local stars— this is where I fell in love with sequins. I started hobnobbing with the costume department who shared their juicy secrets of thrifting with me. I began frequenting a thrift store up the street from my home called “The Bargain Shop”— This is where my love of eccentric glamour began. I moved to Toronto and fell in love with department store window displays; the outfits on mannequins, lighting and storytelling really turned my crank. I decided I wanted to become a window dresser and landed a degree in Visual Merchandising Arts. After a short while working as a window dresser in the fast fashion industry, I found my “do-good” ego was eating me alive. I knew I had to work with fashion in a more sustainable manner. This is when I met Nat Brat, while working as a vintage photography stylist at Beyond Retro, le reste est de l'histoire!
YOU’RE BOTH PASSIONATE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY AND REDUCING OUR OVERALL NEGATIVE IMPRINT ON OUR PLANET. WHAT HAS BEEN A FUELING FACTOR TO THIS LIFESTYLE?
DD: Fast Fashion is much like Fast Food - it’s cheap, addictive and unsustainable and I don’t want ANY part of that hot mess on my sleeves. Fashion is about being alive, it shouldn’t represent the exploitation of human rights and our environment.
NB: I think also, just having to be exposed to the corporate world with past jobs, and feeling like you are just a number in this weird chain that is going forward destroying resources and people’s lives, really makes you stop and think “I do not want to be a part of this toxic entity.” So we try our best to do what most of the fashion industry is not doing, that includes recycling our inventory instead of creating more stuff that may eventually end up in landfills.
WHAT ARE SOME SIMPLE STEPS TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
DD: Go thrifting. Donate instead of trashing. Repair your clothes— preservation is always en vogue.
NB: Ya, if we are just talking fashion— know your style so you are not always sucked into every trend that comes out. This is how the fast fashion world gets so many youth (and adults) over buying garbage that they end up throwing out in a year.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT FASHION, SPECIFICALLY VINTAGE THAT EXCITES YOU?
DD: Eccentric glamour and vintage go hand in hand. I feel like mixing vintage into an outfit is creatively fulfilling.
NB: This may sound lame but for me it is honestly when I find designer pieces for cheap that I’m like holy shit I just saved $400! I think this comes from me always working for free in the fashion industry and having no money from my youth. A more sophisticated answer would be to see how things were constructed back in the day as well. They made things to last and the construction of a garment is an artform in itself.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
NB: Dar and I come from larger cities where we were in full hustle mode so it is interesting to be somewhere where everything seems a little slower. The main obstacle is to always find excitement in our business. To keep that excitement alive, we need to keep evolving and growing our business.
AS FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS, WHAT TRICKS AND KNACKS HAVE YOU ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO MANEUVER IN WORK AND LIFE SUCCESSFULLY.
DD: We perform monthly Moon Manifesting rituals to set and attain our goals. Connecting with the lunar cycles lets us tap into a natural rhythm of momentum and power that supports us. We also surround our business with outrageous and intelligent (usually gemini) women that fully support our kooky moon manifestations.
NB: Luckily, being our own bosses enables us to surround ourselves with like-minded individuals. We are not going to work with people that don’t get what we do or why we do it… They no longer exist in our lives.
“Fast Fashion is much like Fast Food - it’s cheap, addictive and unsustainable and I don’t want ANY part of that hot mess on my sleeves. Fashion is about being alive, it shouldn’t represent the exploitation of human rights and our environment.”
IS THERE A SPECIFIC SUBCULTURE THAT HAS LONG INFLUENCED YOU?
NB: Anything that is on the fringe & a bit kooky; mods, rockers, bikers, hippies, the freak scene, rude boys, DISCO scene, leather culture, the New Romantics etc. I am now finding millennial style/culture inspiring, but already getting bored and want to see what the youth come up with next!
DD: My parents are serious bikers and I grew up seeing all of North America on the back of my Dads harley. I travel light, like to take backroads and no matter where I’m headed I always enjoy the ride.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST UNEXPECTED REWARD OF PURSUING YOUR CREATIVE PASSIONS IN A CITY LIKE LONDON?
DD: I get chirped or stopped in the street when I wear something fabulous the ultimate compliment! In Toronto that would never happen… unless you’re Natalie Bradshaw, who once got chirped three times in a row whilst wearing head to toe cheetah on Lakeshore.
NB: I think enlightening unaware people about the vintage world. I was surprised by how many people didn’t really know or understand the concept of a boutique vintage store, since there are so many in Toronto. It is cool to bring that world here.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT THE LOCAL FLAVOUR HERE AND HOW DO YOU THINK THE CITY SUPPORTS SMALL BUSINESSES AND CREATIVES IN GENERAL?
DD: I love the booming environmentalist and well-being network here in The Forest City. I enjoy fluttering through the many local farmers markets, yoga studios, vegan restaurants, riding my bicycle along the TVP and attending drum circles where I can rock out on my finger cymbals. The “green side” of London brings in some interesting fashion flavor as well. I love a good fringed velvet piano shawl or a breezy off-the-shoulder chiffon shirt. The city is always there for encouragement, to answer questions and it will often let us borrow their fancy video editing equipment if we ask nicely. I would be interested in seeing more locals participating in the London political scene. I would be really interested in seeing Patrick Dunham from Patrick’s Beans run for mayor.
NB: To be honest I think the organizers (ie. City of London, Downtown London) of the city could be better at supporting their small businesses, but don’t get me started on that… We are gritty and ruthless, hence why we have been successful for 4.5 years.
The actual communities of people in this city are great. They are supportive, kind, loving, encouraging and excited about what we do.
WHAT IS ONE QUESTION YOU WISH PEOPLE ASKED YOU MORE OFTEN?
DD: What do you want to be buried in?
NB: Haha ya Dar and I both have great stories for the burial/not burial? Didn’t I want my skeleton on the front of a large ship?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE BURIED IN?
DD: What I wish to be buried in is constantly changing with my tastes and mood. Right now I want to be laid to rest draped in Koji Tatsuno’s cream chiffon Spider Web ensemble from the 1990’s. It has a killer jacket with a deep v-neck that ties at the chest, bell sleeves and a long skirt with side slits. The cream chiffon is dripping in extra large, graphic brown spider webs. Spiders are my spirit animal.
NB: Bury me naked so my friends and family can have all my clothes. I request bangles up to my elbows though so my skeleton is accessorized for the pirates who pillage me.