It may not be in a high street location but to all other intents and purposes Label is like any clothing retailer. Fitting rooms, chairs to sit on and try the shoes paired up on shelves, a large mirror to admire the view. Except here the clothes are sensibly sorted by size and type – looking for a size ten dress, then take your pick. Size 14 jeans? All lined up together.
Looking for an outfit for a wedding or other special occasion? They all hang in one place and coordinated hats and headpieces to go with them are within reach. The presentation is immaculate, the quality high. So high that you might find a £1,350 Victoria Beckham dress for £275 or a £1,200 Mulberry handbag for £500.
All this attention to detail by owner Charlotte Tyson is paying off since Label, in Brampton, near Carlisle, is proving to be a popular spot for followers of fashion – and those who simply want to save some cash by buying pre-loved.
After a visit recently one customer reported: “There is an extensive range of occasion outfits from high-end/designer to high-street brands with something for all budgets.
“Charlotte is incredible, employing local staff and has an exceptional business model for buying and selling preloved clothing, handbags and shoes – good for the environment too.
“There was a lady in the shop who has five family weddings to go to this year. She was having a great time trying on many outfits – Charlotte has a keen eye for style and was happy to help advise and suggest a number of options.”
It sums up what Label is about – the chance to reduce waste by buying good quality, sometimes unworn, pieces presented well in a friendly, safe environment and backed up by honest and supportive customer service
It is an atmosphere and retail experience that Charlotte started in May last year having decided to take her pre-loved clothing sold from the top floor of nearby antique shop Vintage North. It was going well as she identified clear demand for good, pre-loved clothing, but then the pandemic came along.
“After Covid I was working for a friend selling clothes and a man whose wife had died said to me, ‘why are you working for someone else?’. He had a mountain of clothes of his late wife’s and asked me to help him with it, and he helped me find a small unit where I began selling them. It’s grown from there and I can’t believe how much it’s taken off,” she explains.
She was not brand new to fashion retail, however. Born and educated in Carlisle, Charlotte worked in Next, in the city centre, for many years, following a family tradition in retail. “My great grandad owned Robbs department store, in Hexham; it was really well known. I grew up going there and always had an interest in fashion.
“Back then, when I was working in Next, there was a big emphasis on customer service and helping people to find the right pair of shoes or trousers that fitted well. I got a lot of training from that job.”
She left to begin what would become a large family – five children, now aged 12 to 24 – but later, divorced, was looking for something to support herself. “I started doing vintage furniture then moved onto clothes. You need to have a lot of stock so you can offer choice but because of my background it wasn’t as challenging for me as it might be for someone else.
“I understood about dealing with stock and knew how to make it happen.”
Having opened the small unit two years ago, she soon had to expand into a much bigger space in The Old Brewery, at Craw Hall, just outside the centre of the market town. It has been decorated and is newly carpeted with new lighting, and her carpenter has created shoe shelves, the fitting rooms and a large central unit with shelving for bags.
“The difference came when I started photographing myself wearing the clothes and putting the pictures on Facebook,” says Charlotte. “The moment I started doing that, everybody got really interested. I’ve got 4,500 followers now. Now people come in and say things like, ‘I saw you in a really nice red dress on Facebook’.
“By presenting the clothes as they’re meant to be worn people can see what they really look like, and it helps them to see how good something that’s pre-loved can look. We aren’t a charity shop, we have some really good makes and our clothes are as good as new.”
Stock largely comes to her – some of it sold on commission for sellers – but mostly it is donated or sourced by Charlotte herself. “I think most people don’t like waste and they like the fact that something they have hardly worn, or not worn at all, is having another life. “People can give to charity but when it’s been an expensive piece they have worn once it feels like a bit of a waste. They feel better knowing it will be worn by someone else who loves it. And they’re not adding to waste.”
The market for pre-loved clothing has, of course, exploded in recent years evidenced by the growth of e-commerce sites like Vinted. The platform launched in Lithuania ten years ago now has 80 million registered members worldwide and saw revenues of 370.2 million euros in 2022.
Charlotte, however, is a believer in ‘real shopping’ where touching, feeling and trying on clothes is an important part of the experience. “I strongly encourage people to try things on. They might find a more fitted dress suits them better than the floaty one they thought they were looking for; they may end up with something they didn’t expect.”
One thing that is guaranteed is a supportive response from Charlotte and the team, and other customers, with the sense that Label is a safe space for women to try. “Sometimes you just want another opinion if you’re not sure. We are honest and wouldn’t let anyone pay for something that they don’t look good in.
“Ladies can come here where there is lots of choice and they can try as much as they want. It’s a very sociable atmosphere which, from a mental health point of view, is good because you’re getting out and interacting and knowing you look good helps build confidence, so it’s really positive.”
Although she says it is not about the designer, brands such as Monsoon, Hobbs, LK Bennett and Phase Eight sell especially well. There is Marks & Spencer, Boden and, of course, Next too.
Bags may be by Kurt Geiger, Radley, Cath Kidston and Osprey and shoes by Roland Cartier. Coats by Barbour and Fairfax & Favor can be found. The shop is especially popular with people looking for occasion wear. “Come May, almost everybody who walks through the door says, ‘I’m going to a wedding’. It can be mothers of brides but also guests. We also have evening dresses, cruise wear and, later on, prom dresses.”
They may be lucky enough to pick up a £900 Ian Stuart outfit for £300 or a Joseph Ribkoff dress and jacket combination. Clothing comes in sizes from six-22 and shoes from three-ten.
“As I’m getting more well known, the quality of stock is going up and up.
“I look at a piece and judge it as an individual piece first and if we like it, whatever the brand. I have a good eye for what I think will sell and what my customers are looking for. And the stock is changing all the time, it’s like a sweet shop for ladies.”
Photographing herself in the stock is not just a selling tool for Charlotte, it also helps to familiarise herself, and her team of helpers, with each garment so they are better placed to advise on its cut, drape and how it looks to interested customers.
She has also persuaded customers to be photographed which widens her community and brings more familiar local faces to her social media.
“We try everything on as it comes through the door so we get to know each product really well, then if people say, ‘I want something that will cover my arms’ or ‘I don’t like my bum’ we can point them to things that we know will work.”
Equally, happy customers send her their pictures of themselves wearing Label outfits at events.
As spring approaches, Charlotte is looking forward to what comes through the door and she can refresh stock with new season pieces.
She has plans to develop menswear and introduce children’s wear too.
Regular customers admit they only buy from Label these days. “They are happy to say, ‘everything I’m wearing came from Label’.”
Charlotte, of course, wears pre-loved all the time. “I find it a more exciting way to shop. It gives you more freedom to put things together rather than a shop deciding the look and what goes with what. I really enjoy what I do, I love it. It’s become a real passion, not like work at all.”
Label, at Unit 9, The Old Brewery,
Brampton CA8 1TR, is open
Tuesday-Sunday from 11am-4pm
(closed Mondays)
07377 460358
labelfashion.org
FB: @label Insta: @label_lounge_brampton
![Cookham Barns 1925, Gilbert Spencer, Abbot Hall [credit Liss Llewellyn]](/resources/images/128x89/1x/17938067.jpg)
![Cookham Barns 1925, Gilbert Spencer, Abbot Hall [credit Liss Llewellyn]](/resources/images/180x180/1x/17938067.jpg)
