On Sunday October 1, Manchester’s Victoria Baths hosted ClothesCycle, the UK’s biggest thrift market. Shoppers took advantage of the overwhelming variety of sellers with over 100 vendors offering preloved clothes and accessories, as well as things like nail art, tooth gems, and plenty of food trucks.
It has been over a hundred years since Victoria Baths first opened in 1906, and its current purpose is very different from the originally intended bathing and leisure space. It now functions as a venue hosting a wide range of events, tours, and shows. On arrival, the beautiful terracotta exterior of the old baths makes an impression, and the buzz of people buying tickets around the door is an indication of what’s to come inside.
Entry was quick and easy, and shoppers were given a map to help negotiate the huge space and at times overwhelming amount of things on offer. Walking into the first room was like being transported to a different universe that revolves completely around fashion.
Huge spaces where the pools used to be were packed edge to edge with clothes, accessories, and people clamouring to get a look. There was even a balcony of stalls above, making the whole building seem alive with activity. The balcony also housed the DJ booth, where upbeat tunes were blasting all day to accompany the hubbub of the shoppers.
Victoria Baths was the perfect choice of venue as the quirky retro changing rooms that line the interior were a great place to try on clothes. Unfortunately, they didn’t have mirrors, so a photo taken by a friend had to suffice, but the beauty of the original tiling and stained glass windows more than made up for it.
The baths were also the perfect location because the courtyard space outside offered a brilliant refuge to rest and get something to drink or eat. There was a coffee vendor, a bar, and loads of different foods to choose from including loaded hotdogs, tacos, burgers, greek food, and sweet treats (we went with the delicious ‘slaw topped tacos).
Back inside the venue, the variety of garments available was monumental – just when you thought you’d browsed through everything, the ‘more this way’ posters directed you to another room filled with clothes. From unique, one-off vintage pieces and cool branded garments to modern streetwear, ClothesCycle offered something for everyone’s wardrobe.
In the market’s main ‘pool’ rooms, prices were higher and the stands much larger, whereas on the balconies there were many more deals to be found. Although it was often possible to negotiate a discount, many stalls downstairs were priced like the average Depop shop (so a little on the spenny side).
The best hack for finding deals in markets like these is to stay until the very end. Vendors want to sell as much stock as possible so often near closing time they offer larger discounts than usual. We even managed to score four gorgeous items for only a tenner and left the sale on a thrifting high.
Shoppers had the unique chance to memorialise the event with beauty treatments like tooth gems or nail art, and, for those interested, there was also a clothes swap. In one of the rooms visitors could exchange up to five items of good-quality clothing for another item. Not only was the market full of vintage and preloved garments, but the addition of the clothes swap gave buyers the opportunity to recycle their own clothing.
Events like these encourage a more sustainable approach to staying stylish through second-hand buying and recycling. The sheer amount of stock left at closing time really drove home the wasteful nature of the continual production of new garments. When such a mass of preloved clothing is brought together, picked through, and bought from, and still so much remains, it makes you realise that all the clothing we need is already in existence.
