I’ve got a lot of clothes. Like, a lot. Wardrobe-bursting, drawer-overflowing, “where did I even buy this?” levels of clothes. And now I’m selling most of them on my eBay shop, Blink Friction, to raise money for a luthier course at West Dean College.
This isn’t some curated minimalist purge or a polished side hustle. It’s me, a student who needs to fund the next chapter, looking at rails of jackets, dresses, shirts and the occasional outrageous statement piece and thinking: these can turn into tools, timber, and time in the workshop instead of gathering dust.
I’ve always been a fashionista. Properly into it. Back when I was running the Brighton Arts Club I’d dress up to host events – big energy, big outfits, the works. Clothes were part of the performance, part of making the night feel special. Then there was the massive reclaimed Fashion Show I arranged. Months of planning, sourcing, styling, pure excitement… and then COVID shut it down. The clothes from that era, and everything before and after, have been living with me ever since. Some pieces I still love. A lot of them I’ve outgrown, or they’ve just become reminders of a version of me that’s ready to shift.
West Dean College’s luthier course is the shift. Learning to make and repair stringed instruments – the quiet focus, the craft, the smell of wood, the satisfaction of something well-made – feels like the right next step. Courses like that aren’t cheap, and student budgets rarely stretch that far without some creative fundraising. So I’m clearing the wardrobe the only way that makes sense to me: selling the clothes that once helped me host, create and show up, and putting the money straight toward the course fees and materials.
Blink Friction is the shop name. It’s simple, a bit scrappy, and very much me. Listings go up as I sort through everything. Expect a mix – everyday pieces, event outfits, the more theatrical stuff from the Arts Club days and the reclaimed fashion project that never quite happened. Condition varies (I’ll be honest in the descriptions), prices are kept realistic, and everything’s being sold so I can get closer to that workshop bench.
If you’ve ever wanted a piece of someone else’s past wardrobe while helping them fund something they actually care about, have a look. Every sale chips away at the course costs. Every item that finds a new home makes space – physical and mental – for the next thing.
I’m committed to this. Not in a glossy “follow my journey” way, just in the practical student sense: clear the clothes, raise the money, get on the course. One listing at a time.
Come say hello on Blink Friction if anything catches your eye.
