Meet Melbourne’s Buzzkill Vintage, a size-inclusive secondhand store curated by five best friends

“We are trying to show everyone that you don’t need to have new clothes to create something interesting.”

Above Nico’s Sandwich Deli in Fitzroy, past the best-decorated green wall you’ve ever seen, lives Buzzkill Vintage. The store has only been there since December but it‘s already made its mark on Melbourne’s vintage fashion lovers.

Founded by best friends Tianya, Michelle, Ebi, Sofie and Beth, the group set out to create a dreamy, community-focused space stocking both secondhand and upcycled pieces. 

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Inclusivity was front of mind for them, too. They made a conscious decision when bringing the store to life to stock a wide range of size-inclusive styles, ensuring the shop is a welcoming space for a broad array of customers. Below, they tell us what it was like bringing the store to life.

Tell me a bit about how the vision for Buzzkill Vintage came about.

We’re a group of five queer femme besties who all met through retail/fashion/creative work together! All of us are guilty of a major addiction when it comes to secondhand clothing and thrifting of course. In terms of our fashion background, we have collective experience in buying, selling, styling, content creation, social media, marketing, store management and logistics within the fashion industry…

Before starting Buzzkill Vintage we all loved the idea of continuing to work in the fashion industry, but like many people, we’re painfully aware of the negative impacts hyper-consumerism and fast fashion have on both people and the planet. Getting a pay cheque to make ends meet at a retail job/creative gig where we can is survival. But when it comes to building the foundations of a career – knowing that it could end up being our life’s work – it was ideal for all of us to invest time into something that doesn’t just mindlessly fuel the waste and exploitation that is unfortunately so prevalent in today’s fashion industry…

Our drive was fuelled by the belief that we could start something cool together while also saving clothing from landfill. But there’s also a desire to prove that if we silly goofy queer girly pops can make it out here with no factories, no drop shipping, no mass-produced items, reasonable pricing and a collaborative/community-focused business model, then these big corporations need to step the fuck up! 

Rapid consumption of micro trends via fast fashion obviously really sucks. But also, people’s attitude towards secondhand and vintage is still evolving, the stigma around it still lingers in many places even if not in our little bubbles. It would be great to see more love for the art of curating and upcycling items. Thrift resellers have also been getting some flak recently for what they do, which is wild considering op shops only sell about 15 per cent of what gets donated in-store.

How would you describe the store’s aesthetic?

CVNTY! The cutest, slayest, swaggiest vintage stuff ever… with really cute people running it.

What was the process like putting the store together and were there any challenges or roadblocks along the way?

Turns out you should measure the store before you buy furniture. We had to disassemble our glass counter to get it up the stairs two days before opening and then reassemble all of the glass pieces… The silicone was still curing whilst we had our opening party oopsies! But it all worked out so that lesson probably won’t be learnt.

The process took us almost a year before we opened the physical store. There were heaps of challenges obviously; none of us had ever started a business before and we’re all just a little bit mentally ill (lol) so the stress and pressure of the unexpected can be a lot at times! But since we’ve got our little team it does help knowing we’re all in this together.

Though what takes the cake may be opening the store. It was just so monumental, after all the late nights and 14-hour days we spent turning that space into what it is now, preparing stock, the trials and tribulations that of course are destined to occur right on the opening week… It was just so exciting to see it all come together and have everybody come visit and celebrate with us! If you saw the store literally two days before the opening, you would’ve been shocked at how much we still had to do.

Of course, it’s a privilege to be able to have your employment align with your morals and ethics. It‘s truly a huge motivation knowing that all these hours we put into this are for something we truly believe in.

What do you like about the area/the Melbourne creative scene in general?

We’re still in our baby stages right now, very humble beginnings of course. It’s been barely a year since we even started talking about the idea of what Buzzkill is now. Our store just opened in December, and we know that this is a long-term project that could take a while to fully establish and grow. But we’re definitely optimistic and willing to take the risk with our time. The experience has already been so incredible; the people we’ve gotten to know, the support and energy that exists in this community, it is all really amazing and we can’t wait to keep up this energy and enthusiasm. 

Currently, we are trying to build upon our position within the community, in providing access to clothing and styling options in a place that feels authentic to us and to our followers/customers. A sanctuary where we can create freely without limitations of what people perceive to be traditional, in terms of what you can typically expect from a vintage brand. We are trying to show everyone that you don’t need to have new clothes to create something interesting…

How can we buy one of your pieces?

Come find us at our shop above Nico’s Sandwich Deli on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy! We’ll give you a free sticker. You can also find us on Depop (our online store is in the works, watch this space) and at markets for the time being! Though, there may be a few more platforms to add in the near future, the best way to stay on top of that would be through our Instagram of course!

Follow Buzzkill Vintage here.