After two years of lockdowns and restrictions, the desire to get back to some degree of normal life is certainly palpable. Yet, as the world slowly regains routines, returning to commutes, the office, and socialising once again, an admirable trend is emerging – with many of us wanting to do so in a more planet-conscious and sustainable way. This has certainly been the case for 24-year-old fashion entrepreneur and YouTuber, Dom Hadley, who buys vintage clothing from suppliers and upcycles them into original designs across his company, Payday Vintage. Through a combination of not having much money and wanting to experiment with outfits, Dom’s love for charity shops grew, before he realised there was so much creativity to be had with vintage clothing. This aspiration intensified as he became more aware of the environmental impact of fast fashion on the planet. “I had watched as my friends would wear something once and never wear it again – but that never sat well with me,” says Dom, who on a typical day travels all over the city – meeting with suppliers, thrift shop owners and fashion experts, to source sustainable materials and glean essential know-how for his business. “The issue seemed particularly embedded in women’s fashion. Then I learned how much water goes into making one pair of jeans [it takes 7,500 litres to make just one pair of jeans], and my desire to promote vintage clothing, to move away from fast fashion, became even greater.” Zipping from place to place, Dom is enabled by his fully-electric Vauxhall Corsa-e, which easily nips into small spaces and handles the often stop-start city traffic well. “I don’t do too many big journeys, but I do plenty of small ones,” Dom explains. “I’m constantly in and out of shoots, picturing upcycled vintage clothing, often in the industrial areas – not to mention the daily post office run to send orders out to my customers. Luckily, Manchester, like most cities, is filled with electric charging points and there are at least five near me, so it’s easy – and cheap – to recharge my Vauxhall Corsa-e in between meetings. I use the in-built GPS to find the photo studios and outfit locations around the city. The car has three modes – sport, normal and eco – I didn’t have those options on my previous petrol Corsa, so I value the difference. The car is extremely nippy – especially when accelerating away from traffic lights – in sport mode and impressively fuel-efficient in eco-mode.” Dom’s creative, friendly, planet-conscious approach to fashion quickly introduced him into Manchester’s artistic circles in a way he couldn’t have imagined. “People are just really proud to come from this city and so they naturally want to lift each other up,” he shares, proudly. “I learned how to source pieces by speaking to older people. Bags of Flavour on Tib Street, for example, have been running for 20 years and the owner, Rich, is like my mentor. I’ve also met a lot of artists through friends of friends, while socialising at community events at the Warehouse Project or parties arranged by the Mason Collective.” As a result of these connections, most days will see Dom joining local creatives for a lesson in originality, working in a studio to create upcycled garments. “They’ve taught me key skills, like how to sew or paint onto clothing, which have been invaluable.” Still Dom says, despite his progress, there are a lot of challenges and misconceptions he needs to overcome. For example, many people think the only way to get good quality clothing is to buy new from expensive brands, but this isn’t the case. “Vintage outlets sell items from brands like Levi’s and Wrangler, that have high quality stitching and material – and it’s so easy to upcycle them into something original,” he says. “I paint or sew onto the clothes to make them stand out. I also make sure everything – from the packaging to the business cards – is sustainable.” Getting the message across that vintage fashion is not only affordable but also high quality and sustainable is vital. “Before now, people felt they didn’t have the funds to have an impact, even when they felt strongly [about a cause like preserving the environment]” Dom says. “I want to educate my community: to show them how affordable vintage can be, and that when you’re shopping vintage, you’re also helping the planet.”
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