Laura Vogt is determined to make her second-hand clothing stand out among a sea of sustainable fashion in the city.

Owner of Sustainable Clothing Co., Laura Vogt, describes the aesthetic of her new underground retail space (formerly home to SWOP Clothing Exchange) as “industrial meets the natural world.”

“I stock natural and new,” she says.

You could say this environmentally minded ethos is carried through the clothing that hangs between the two rooms, but the new underground vintage shop on Hindley Street isn’t solely for sustainability-focussed shoppers.

“A lot of my customers party, they go to musical festivals and go clubbing, so I really want to create a store that’s fun for them. But if that’s not enough there’s a party section too,” Laura laughs, while directing CityMag‘s attention to a sign that says ‘Party’.

After moving out of Mixed Spice Creative Studio on Coromandel Place, Laura turned to the West End to make her mark on the second-hand scene. Laura’s aim for Sustainable Clothing Co., a Renew Adelaide project, is to supply unique recycled clothing to young Adelaideans while also teaching them the value of consignment and the harms of fast-fashion.

“My store is for people who don’t want to support fast-fashion brands, and it’s for people looking for those hard-to-find items,” says Laura.

“People come in here looking for vintage clothing and they automatically want to be part of the community.”

As well as offering vintage clothing that has a mainstay in ’90s sportswear, plus some new pieces from brands like Whatever 21, Laura also offers consignment.

This means a member of the public can drop off their clothes, Laura will value the items, and then she will offer that person 50 per cent of the retail price of the item when it sells.

If you’re in the market for consignment, Sustainable Clothing Co.’s shelves offer brightly coloured Adidas, Nike, Fila, and Umbro, and if you have something to sell outside those boundaries, Laura promises she can fit it in in the sale section.

“I want fun and unique pieces, but if there’s anything that doesn’t fit I put it on the $10 sale rack,” she says.

Above: Laura’s Rainbow Serpent Festival aesthetic

Laura doesn’t only source the clothes from the public and wholesale retailers like Melbourne’s Yesteryear, she also looks to her own wardrobe for inspiration.

“These pants, I wore them to Rainbow Serpent,” she says, laughing.

“Now they’re being recycled!”

In terms of fit out, Laura went for chains, flowers, and art painted on the walls from her friends at Mixed Spice.

The change room curtains were designed by Laura’s friend, Asha Bombara, who had leftover denim and fabrics and decided to turn them into something useful.

Sustainability-focussed businesses that offer consignment, like Sustainable Clothing Co., can help alleviate the pressure put on op-shop charities, which have recently had to invest in new ways of repurposing donations to address the increased volume they receive due to fast fashion, and avoid sending clothing to landfill.

“They can only recycle so much of it,” says Laura.

“It’s best that you use it for something.”

Welcome to the party zone