Words and Photos by Laura Schjoett
ItÔÇÖs been a whole year since Cardiff graduate Micha opened her fashion re-sell business Bootysale. Situated on the ground floor of the Cardiff StudentÔÇÖs Union, the clothing store has become a staple part of the arcade and is frequented by many students daily. It is hard not to be drawn in by the fabulous clothes, or by Bonnie ÔÇÿthe shop mascotÔÇÖ (a F1 Toy Cavapoo) who perches on the counter and is always up for a snuggle.
Micha has combined her interest in both fashion and sustainability with her mathematics degree to create a sustainable business that caters to the needs of students. Her maths skills are put to use with hours of spreadsheet filling and pricing items. There are racks and racks of preloved clothing, perfect for maintaining great style whilst on a tight uni budget. Micha tries to keep a balance of feminine and masculine styles in her store and is keen to get rid of the assumption that she caters more to women. A lot of people have had the misconception that Bootysale is a womenswear store, but that isnÔÇÖt true in the slightest ÔÇô half of her store is devoted to menswear (and this is without starting the whole gender and fashion discussion). While Micha has huge dreams for the shop, at the heart of it all is her desire to create a safe space for students, ÔÇÿthatÔÇÖs the only type of environment IÔÇÖd want to createÔÇÖ, to come and cwtch with Bonnie, drop in for a chat or a just get a breather amidst the hustle and bustle of student life.
When I asked Micha how the business had grown over the past year, she shared with me her amazement at the increase in sellers; ÔÇÿWhen I started it was just my friends, but now 90% of sellers are people I donÔÇÖt knowÔÇÖ. Last year, when she first opened, her friends brought in items to sell to get the ball rolling. The message of her new store was spread mainly through word of mouth as well as social media. Now students bring in bagsful of clothing at a time and Bootysale hosts an astronomical number of loyal customers. Similarly, to preloved fashion apps, selling is student led with full control over pricing your items, with Micha lending support to those who need a hand. She is ÔÇÿin the market to help people make moneyÔÇØ, elaborating that ÔÇ£if you have clothes you arenÔÇÖt using, come and give them a second chance at life. You may be done with them, but someone else might not be.ÔÇÖ Open from Mondays to Fridays 10am-6pm, Bootysale is always filled with a warm atmosphere and usually a lot of students browsing in-between classes. In an amazingly brief period, Micha has created a unique student ecosystem in Cardiff which caters perfectly to two student needs: making some extra cash and finding outfits for a myriad of social occasions. When I ask what the most popular items are she shares that ÔÇÿthe things that seem to go well are the brands that people know and love: Nike, Adidas.ÔÇÖ She explains that this is because people know the quality of these brands.
The success of Bootysale is evident in the myriad of praise from customers who approve of the sustainable concept. What sets the shop apart is its complete sustainability: ÔÇÿeverything else has a footprint, even DepopÔÇÖ Micha tells me. Whereas at Bootysale all business happens in person and all the negative impacts of shipping and packaging of the online second-hand sellers is reduced into nonexistence. We all know that the current climate of fast fashion is a terrifying reality, with businesses such as Shein producing 1000 new pieces a day. Micha believes it is a tough line between affordable clothing and over consumption. In university, one issue that keeps popping up for most students is the need for outfits for many different nights out and all the themed events. Shopping second hand is a perfect solution to this as well as re-selling items after wearing.
Over the past year, Micha has single-handily sold 2200 items sustainably, so is clearly off to a flying start. The business has developed vastly in its infant year, with Micha now starting to introduce collaborations with other small student led businesses as it is important to her to help other students. She has started selling a studentÔÇÖs handmade crochet tops and will soon be making space for anotherÔÇÖs handmade jewellery, as well as introducing her own side-hustle scrunchies to the store ÔÇô a hobby that started during lockdown. Some of the scrunchies include zippers, making them not only the best accessory but perfect for a night out or a festival where you can chuck your keys and lipstick in them!
ÔÇÿHappy, proud, stressedÔÇÖ is MichaÔÇÖs response when I ask her how she feels when reflecting on the past year. She confesses that she tends to beat herself up and be critical of her work, yet there is no denying what a feat it is that she has accomplished and how proud she should be. What started out as Micha selling a few pieces on Depop quickly developed into a pop-up shop in 2018, yet it became increasingly clear that a permanent base would be needed for MichaÔÇÖs ambitious project. Setting up the shop in the SU was an arduous task involving ÔÇÿlots of painting, drilling and stressÔÇÖ, and requiring help from friends, family, and an angle grinder with ÔÇÿsparks flying everywhereÔÇÖ. Even the interior of the shop is partly sustainable, with unique gold painted scaffolding and second-hand racks used for displaying items.
Micha makes me laugh when she says that sheÔÇÖs discovered that the best part of having a fashion business is ÔÇÿfirst dibs on anything that comes inÔÇÖ. But she discloses that the biggest challenge of the past year has been making enough money to earn a profit on top of covering the rent. Micha had been running the business entirely on her own, and hesitantly she admits it has been tough to ÔÇÿswitch offÔÇÖ outside of business hours as there has been so much she wants to do.
And her top tip for others looking to start a fashion business: ÔÇÿPrepare to be surprisedÔÇÖ. Micha has learned not to be selective with what styles she takes in, as long as the items are clean and undamaged, stating: ÔÇÿjust because itÔÇÖs not my cup of tea, it could be someone elseÔÇÖs.ÔÇÖ She tells me how running the shop has made her realise ÔÇÿhow diverse peopleÔÇÖs tastes areÔÇÖ leading her shop to host a wide range of styles. She advises on immediately deciding whether to go broad and cater to all or cut down to a niche selection. Effectively, know your market.
We get round to discussing tips and tricks for shopping sustainably, and Micha instantly states that the best sustainable idea is to spend money on quality pieces that can be worn for years; ÔÇÿin an ideal world people would spend more money on a few high-quality pieces that had been ethically made, rather than all their money on hundreds of pieces that are garbage and will last them few months because that will just end up in landfillÔÇÖ. For example, a single pair of timeless jeans is worth spending more money on because they will last far longer; Micha also divulges that tailoring is a way of making clothes last so much longer, and actually picking up sewing yourself is a cheaper alternative. She suggests that student should ÔÇÿreduce the appetite for a new outfit every night out.ÔÇÖ An effective way of solving this is to also swap clothes with friends, housemates, and even romantic partners. For one off events such as themed costume events try to buy second hand, the Facebook group Cathays Clothes Swap is particularly handy for this. Consider selling on items such as formal dresses so others can get use out of it as those kind of items are only worn once.
So whether youÔÇÖre looking for a costume, a new jacket or to meet a lovely puppy, there will be something worth dropping by for; as Micha says, ÔÇÿcome have a look, come have a browse, come pet Bonnie, come sell stuff’, for the Bootysale really does have it all.
