In a perfectly ordinary warehouse in an ordinary Devon town, something extraordinary is causing a stir in the glamorous world of fashion, TV, theatre and film.
Inside this building in Torquay is the operational HQ of Ella’s Vintage, a carefully curated collection of clothing and accessories, spanning from the 1920s to the 2000s. All proceeds of the sales from the stock of this online shop go to Rowcroft Hospice, a charity that cares for local patients with life-limiting illnesses.
Since its launch during lockdown, Ella’s Vintage – part of the Rowcroft charity - has become a go-to resource for the costume departments of some of the biggest film studios around, including Warner Bros and Pinewood Studios.
As well as that, collectors from across the globe have been queuing up (digitally speaking) to bag the incredible one-off rare and premium pieces that make their way to the rails here from Rowcroft’s charity shops across South Devon.
‘I mean, just look at this,’ says Nichola Thomas, Rowcroft’s online sales specialist and lifelong vintage fashion fan. ‘This is a Jean Paul Gaultier skirt from the 1990s – isn’t it great?’ she adds, hanging it up for a better view. ‘I just get so excited when pieces like this come in. I never tire of it.’
Nichola, I reckon, is a big part of why this venture has been so successful (there have been more than 2,000 sales so far). Her expert eye, honed after years spent rummaging through charity shop rails and online stores, can spot a classic piece in an instant.
Nichola started working for the charity five years ago when she moved here with her family from Yorkshire. Initially, she was sorting through the donations before the clothes were then distributed to the hospice’s charity shops.
She was astonished at the number and quality of vintage fashion gems that were coming through the doors of the Rowcroft warehouse.
‘For ages, I was thinking, why aren’t we keeping the vintage pieces to sell online?’ says Nichola, who knew some of the one-off finds would make more money and reach a new and wider audience if they were sold on a digital platform.
‘It was hurting my head!’ she says, laughing.
When lockdown hit, Rowcroft’s head of retail, Caroline Wannell, asked if anyone had any skills or ideas to help the charity generate an income. Nichola and her colleague Adam Kime had both previously worked selling vintage online and Rowcroft already had an existing eBay store. It was the perfect combination. Nichola and Adam, who specialises in retro collectibles, have since helped the charity to change direction and sell higher value vintage stock.
Over the past four years, Ella’s Vintage ‘digital emporium’ has gained a significant following. Costume designers working on some of the biggest films and television series of the moment are regular clients.
Nichola name drops a few of the programmes that have starred an Ella’s Vintage piece, including The Crown. Actor Elizabeth Debicki (who plays Princess Diana in the Netflix series), wore a certain retro Jaeger striped cardigan that Nichola knew had been sold to a production company client.
‘I was watching it at home and I recognised it straight away!’ says Nichola. ‘That’s because I’m so weird about vintage clothing. If I’ve seen it, I’ll know it when I see it again.’
There could be similar sightings to come, judging by the list of repeat customers from various production companies and theatre costume departments. But Nichola, Adam and their team (they now have three additional people to help with vintage linen, books and media) are far more starstruck by the clothes that arrive here, rather than the glamorous places they end up.
‘We had an original, full-length Biba cape that came to us from one of our shops,’ says Nichola, her face lighting up at the mention of the iconic 1960s label. ‘I’d never seen anything like that. It was just donated to us. We put in online and it eventually sold for £700.’
Like the rest of the team, Nichola remains thankful and humbled by the ‘incredible’ local people that hand over these unique and exclusive pieces. We agree there must be some seriously well-dressed and savvy Devon residents out there who are helping to raise vital funds for Rowcroft, just by having a wardrobe clear-out.
‘This is really sought-after,’ says Nichola, gently rifling through the rails and pulling out a classic floral Laura Ashley dress from the 1970s, the kind I remember my mum and my aunties wearing. ‘There are Laura Ashley collectors all over the world who will love this,’ adds Nichola. ‘Certain labels will sell really well. This will go for about £350.’
Wow. Must tell mum and my aunties.
'We also had this fantastic Jean Varon chiffon cocktail dress that was bright yellow,’ says Nichola. ‘I couldn’t believe it. I’d love to know who wore it and the story behind it.’
Sometimes, there are little clues. Hidden treasures found in the pockets of donated pieces include old tickets, payslips, name tags, notes and photos. The team once found a handbag with tickets inside to the 1969 Wimbledon final.
‘You never see the same thing twice,’ says Nichola. ‘That’s what I love about this job.
‘I also love the fact that we’re getting all these amazing finds, just from this one little pocket of Devon.’
Nichola says some items are difficult to part with. She shows me on screen a 1970s Harrods Astraka faux fur coat that was recently sold through Ella’s Vintage.
‘That one was hard to let go!’ says Nichola. ‘We also have quite a few of these that come in,’ she adds, unfolding a beautiful silk scarf by the famous designer department store Liberty. ‘Look, you can tell this is an older one because the name says Liberty, but the letters are in lowercase. The newer ones have the name all in capitals.’
I could hang out here all day (I think the team were worried that I would at one point). There are so many treasures hidden along these rails and inside boxes and piles of bags that are waiting to be sorted through. And the great thing about all of it is that every single sale from this sustainable fashion collection helps a good cause. Everybody wins.
‘A lot of people don’t know about us yet, so it would be great to get the word out there,’ say Nichola, adding that more buyers and more vintage donations would be gratefully received. What would be the dream discovery?
‘Any early Vivienne Westwood would blow my mind,’ she says. ‘That really would be something.’
