Bay Garnett has been a dynamic protagonist for the case of charity shop shopping and second hand garms for some time now. Infamously self-publishing a fanzine-ish magazine called Cheap Date in the early noughts, she gained notoriety by shooting her pals (and the Hilton Sisters, and Debbie Harry) styled in second-hand gear and market finds. The pioneering style maven has watched as tastes have changed and low has become very much accepted as high. For the past six years she has styled the Oxfam fashion show, and this season saw the show being granted the prestigious opening spot at London Fashion Week.
Hi Bay! Tell me about the Oxfam show.
We’ve been doing it since 2016 but this one opened LFW; it got more attention than usual and it felt positive. And obviously second hand is a lot more relevant now, in a mainstream way, than it was before. So it was really nice that it had some interest in a genuine way. Fashion is all about relevance and second hand feels relevant to people now.
How do you go about selecting the clothes?
It’s really instinctive, there’s two warehouses and I pull things I think are interesting, and that could be a 70s smock or an Adidas tracksuit or a classic trench. All of the pieces have a reference point, that could be quality or history or tribe or vibe.
Do you imagine it being worn on the catwalk?
I don’t let myself do that because I don’t know who is going to be modelling when I’m pulling the clothes, there’s no certainty with the casting. You can’t see how they are going to live until they are on the person. Sometimes you need to subvert the outfit, like I might put a Jackie Kennedy style outfit on someone from Strictly Come Dancing. You have to adapt and find the fun and reverence in what’s in front of you, it’s really fun and freeing.
Have you ever found anything really surprising?
Yeah definitely, I’ve found some really good stuff. Lots of stuff that isn’t so great too obviously – it’s just loads of stuff. The first time I went there I was like, oh my god this is amazing.
Do you think charity shops have changed a lot?
Yeah hugely, it’s almost the shopping habit of choice now. Before it was this other “thing” that some people did and most people didn’t. I think now it’s a form of activism and most young people do do it. I’m not saying everyone should do it, but by doing it you are contributing to less carbon footprint. It’s not totally sustainable, but it’s a lot more sustainable than buying new clothes. It’s also a form of rebellion and a bit anarchic and often by choosing second hand people are enjoying that spirit within themselves.
It is also a form of rebellion and a bit anarchic and often by choosing second hand people are enjoying that spirit within themselves.
Do you think there’s always been a political element to your work?
It can be superficial – you’re just subverting something into what you want and saying, ‘hey that works’. The political side is not feeding the system of making the rich richer. All that money from the OXFAM show is going to the DEC appeal to go to Turkey and Syria and that is political. It’s not going to make a corporation richer. And that is so powerful, clothes going to help people who don’t have anything.
Do you have any charity shop regrets?
Not now. I used to but I regret giving stuff away. Anita Pallenberg used to give me the most amazing things, things that were Keith Richards before they were hers, and I had amazing finds that I gave to people but… oh well.
Is your wardrobe huge?
It’s quite small! I just want the things I really love. I want a working wardrobe. I have my banana top, and pieces I will never wear but never get rid of because they have a value to me. Jeans I’ve used in shoots and punk t shirts with zips, I’ll never wear them. My wardrobe is what I wear.
The banana top is iconic – a charity shop find that was copied and inspired a catwalk moment and then a million banana-top imitations.
We all have the power to be original and find our own thing. And that’s what the banana top signifies to me. I look at it and I feel positive, it’s a little top with bananas but it means so much more. I remember so vividly coming across it and just loving it straight away.
Do you have a rule of thumb for charity shops?
I always look at the men’s rail, the cashmere and blazers, then I go to the women’s. Today I was trying on a cashmere roll neck and I put it back and it was there, this grey, men’s shirt with black epaulettes on the shoulders… it was just so good. I nearly missed it. You have to cast your eye and look, look again. Go with something in mind. Be switched on, be engaged and go to different sections. Look at the accessories! Look at the jewellery! You never know what will be there!
