Carla King-Molina| Fashion Editor
The world of online retail is ever expanding and with the internet further dictating who we direct our sartorial eye towards it only makes sense that the online retailers like Nasty Gal, BlackMilk and ThreadSence are becoming major players in the e-commerce and fashion game. However no founder has become a brand themselves in the way Sophia Amoruso has! Amoruso has been heralded by the New York Times as “The Cinderella of Tech”. By using social media in a way no one had at the time she helped Nasty Gal become one of the fastest growing companies. She has now become an inspiration to many young entrepreneurs hoping to edge out a space for themselves in the increasingly crowded world of e-commerce.
And one of those young entrepreneurs quickly following in her highly successful footsteps is none other than Trinity’s own Fleur Moriarty. Graduating from Trinity with a degree in Political Science and Geography just this year, she has been quick pounce onto a career that obviously excites her. When I asked her what inspired her to open up her own little real estate on the internet she said that the Fashion Society helped her realise it was what she wanted to work in because she was getting more lost in their events and the society itself than she was in her actual course. She cited being a personal assistant to Aaliyah Ansari the founder of TAGMAG as an invaluable education into the world of online retail. Unlike the usual coffee runs she would help Aaliyah sell her excess clothes on Shopify by modelling her clothes, pointing out that something can look “drab on a hanger but absolutely incredible on”. She also helped to design Lulu Vintage Store’s own online shop which then helped her go on and create Foraged&Found.
When I asked her about any fears or apprehension to opening up Foraged&Found she explained that she didn’t invest much money into it so that wasn’t a fear but the real challenge begins now. “Getting the word out becomes more difficult as there are so many online vintage shops.” But following in the trend that Amoruso started, social media is clearly her best friend. Her favourite parts are “giving [herself] an internship” and “wearing a story”. Her own style is a mismatch of tomboy meets extremely girly. “Nothing beats ripped jeans, tailored pants and black… except my favourite fairy-esque tulle dress”. Her love of bargains drive the site and she finds her items from ebay and “concessions from well connected people”. “Vintage is growing because people want to invest in things that will last, once you have your basic high quality wardrobe you can by the trends from Zara and Topshop; If a fabulous coat has lasted thirty years it’ll definitely last twenty more. Good staples — thats my philosophy”
“Friends would say my favourite fashion era is the 60’s and to be honest I do wear a lot of cat eyeliner, but now I’m going more towards the 70’s, even though palazzo pants will never suit me!” she laughs. Fleur also fears the inevitable return of the 00’s style to popular fashion but claims “There’s a lot to be said for looking back on trends and the runway. Sure, there might be disastrous trends on the runway too but the clothes themselves last. Whereas after a few months highstreet trends just aren’t so cool anymore”. On her wardrobe treasures, I got a sense of just how much she appreciates a bargain! “I got this amazing pair of suede high wasted trousers for £20 in Brick Lane and an amazing purple Miu Miu dress… I always wear this amazingly tailored black maxi skirt by Jil Sander. They were all worth so much more which just make them better.”
“Something I noticed about fashion in Trinity is that everyone dresses extremely well but by the end of fourth year you realise everyone is also wearing the same thing, like they still look great, but we are students, you’re not going to be thinking about what you’re going to wear everyday. Although there are always amazing jumpers on display and everyone wears scarves incredibly well”. When I asked Fleur if her degree has helped her much in what she’s doing today she told me that she read that Miuccia Prada had a Ph.D in Political Science so she knew it wouldn’t stop her from pursuing a career in fashion. “You learn to write and to be critical, which is essential as you’re constantly bombarded with images and everything is a blur at the end, but you still need to judge what’s just a trend and what’s going to last. “Fashion Soc taught me how to work with a team and styling, so it was so helpful to go from that to what I’m doing now.”
While I was going through Foraged&Found I couldn’t help but notice the amazing coats on it, from the vintage Nina Ricci to the 90’s white Prada. I asked Fleur what she had to say on finding the perfect winter coat. “I always get amazing coats in the January Sales and Topshop always have amazing winter coats as well! I nearly always get at least one coat from there and to be honest, you cant go wrong with a black duster coat; If in doubt wear black. And always choose a warm coat.” Vintage mammy advice made cool again from one impressive vintage boss, much like the the entire content of her website!
You can view Fleur’s precious vintage finds here.
