One vintage shop, hidden on an industrial estate in Cardiff, is selling designer and big brand labels for as little as £2.99.
The Thrift opened three years ago and has built up a strong following from students who attended the store's popular "kilo sales".
Originally starting out as an online second-hand clothing side hustle, owner and founder Gareth Natale has grown the business from a tiny set-up in his bedroom to a 12,000 sq ft physical store.
In 2015, Gareth saw a gap in the market and launched his website Deadstock as his aspiration was to open up his own streetwear fashion business.
Gareth said: “I wanted to start a streetwear store, which was a style that nobody was really offering at the time."
“Topman and Urban Outfitters hadn’t quite cottoned onto the trend.
"I thought that being a kid with no money and no experience of running a business, I wouldn’t be taken seriously by traditional wholesalers.”
Gareth frequented to other thrift stores and local charity shops around Cardiff to collect his stock and at just 25, he then launched his website from his 12-bedroom bedsit on Fitzhamon Embankment.
He added: “I was taking all the photos in my bedroom, storing all the clothes in my bedroom, packing every order in my bedroom. ”
Eventually, Gareth moved into an apartment in Cardiff Bay and operated from there until three years ago, where he secured the top floor of the Jubilee Trading Estate unit.
The business quickly expanded to the ground floor of the building and this was when the vintage business began its popular "kilo sales".
Gareth said: “I decided to put an event on - a kilo sale - expecting 50 people to come.
"Then, a whole lot more than 50 people came and I was like, ok, I think the people of Cardiff are ready for something interesting like this."
Gareth's original Deadstock now operates from the top floor of the unit and specialises in designer streetwear, while The Thrift takes up the ground floor of the unit.
The Thrift has an expansive value section, with colour-coded labels for different items that range from £2.99 to £11.99.
At the store, you can grab big brand names such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, The North Face, and Nike, and you can find designer items for a fraction of the normal retail price.
Levi's jeans can cost upwards of £60 when bought brand new but are just £24.99 at The Thrift.
There’s also a section full of "repair and save" Levi’s jeans where you can buy a pair for £11.99 if you’re willing to take on a small project to fix them up - there is also a kids section too.
Gareth added: "The audience for The Thrift, I hope, will be just regular adults who haven’t considered shopping second hand before.
That’s the goal - to just reduce all of the pinpoints that I possibly can to make it as similar to shopping in a regular department store as possible."
The Thrift is open between 10am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday, on the Jubilee Trading Estate, East Tyndall Street in Cardiff.
What you can get as The Thrift
- Reebok fleece - £2.99
- GAP sweatshirt - £2.99
- Tommy Hilfiger shirt - £17.99
- Ralph Lauren jumpers - £24.99-£45
- Levi’s jeans - £24.99
