I've been receiving e-mails from several vintage shops and boutiques within the past few months but I was excited to find out that 2 of them were owned and co-owned by Nigerian women (it made me think of Teju Bolaji who I interviewed last year!) I'm Nigerian so it makes me so happy and inspires me to see my fellow Nigerians doing amazing things. So I am happy to present to you all, Raw Edge Boutique & Coal N Terry Vintage.
Click on the pictures to go to the websites
Raw Edge Boutique
“Raw Edge Boutique was birthed out of my own desire to access different clothing from the rest of the general public. REB is essentially an online boutique which caters to the fashion conscious individual who wants to stand out from the crowd, by providing an exclusive shopping experience.
The fashion industry is in a great place now, being fashionable is now inexpensive therefore accessible to all, which is fantastic everyone can buy 'on trend' pieces at reasonable prices. However I became increasingly aware of the style clones of the capital, thus found myself questioning 'has fashion become too accessible?' I soon realized this was not the issue. The issue was the availability of varying clothing outlets, especially with the high street being dominated by certain brands; we were all shopping in the same shops. I decided to explore further. Whilst studying and living in the east end of London I found myself hobbling down its cobbled back alleys & falling in love with its vintage outlets, exclusive one off pieces from eras which the world's catwalks cling on to. Additionally my mother's vintage treasure chest (that is her wardrobe) furthered this vintage love affair. Clothing & accessories, totally exclusive to me was thrilling, I wanted to share this experience with others.
Unfortunately there is not a vintage store on every corner so Raw Edge Boutique's Vintage Collection was created to
provide others with an accessible collection of handpicked vintage clothing from the comfort of their own homes!"
-Tolu, owner of Raw Edge Boutique
Coal N Terry Vintage
“Coal N Terry Vintage is an online vintage boutique store that carries one of a kind vintage Items. Some of our items are red carpet worthy. We specialize in 20th century mid-century modern items. From atomic 50's and Scandinavian modern to couture party dresses and 80's glam, we hand-select every piece we sell for design, quality and condition. We also provide Wardrobe Styling Services for all occasions. We primarily focus on Vintage Glamorous looks but if you present us with your theme we can definitely create a style for you.
The owners of Coal N Terry are Damilare Jimoh and Azeezat Owokoniran-Jimoh.
We love everything vintage from vintage furniture to vintage clothing. I started collecting vintage pieces because I would go to my local vintage Boutique/antique stores and see pieces that weren't my size but I never could leave without a purchase because I knew someone out there would cherish it the way I do."
-Azeezat, co-owner of Coal N Terry Vintage
