Rellik, a fashion hub since 1999
Fiona Stewart started Rellik, a vintage fashion shop in London back in 1999. She discusses her journey in fashion and how the idea for a vintage fashion boutique came. The owner also talks about the growth of the brand and its credibility in the market, today.
How does one name their vintage fashion shop? In the case of ‘Rellik,’ it is a wordplay on the word Relic. Its owner Fiona Stuart said: “We got the idea from Trellick Tower which is across the road. And also, the word relic. It was a brilliant idea. And the shop’s name spelt backwards is Killer.”
Rellik was started in 1999 and today has become one of the prominent vintage fashion boutiques in Portobello Road, west London. The store sells specially curated items from the 60s to the present day and is loved by its customers. Its owner, Fiona Stuart, sits comfortably in her cosy office, as she talks about her journey as the owner of a vintage fashion boutique.
Fiona moved to London aged 15. From being an interior architecture student to doing a BA in interior design, she has come a long way. After losing her job at a design office, she started her market store in the mid-90s in the Portobello Road market.
“I ended up at the market as I didn't like working for someone. I ran my market store for five years. We were selling vintage and dealing with upcycling old clothes like jumpers and men's trousers and customising stuff. It was doing well.”
This gave her the idea to open a shop. She found the right space for her dream vision. She further added that vintage fashion in the 90s had to deal with three businesses, which are selling vintage, upcycling used clothes and customising. Keeping that idea in mind she inaugurated Rellik in 1999, alongside two other partners Claire Stansfield and Steven Philip.
Fashion is a medium of self-expression for people and vintage fashion helps people explore various options.
Fiona says fashion is something that “speaks to your soul”. Growing up in Australia, she never came across many fashion stores, but seeing the images in the magazines, Fiona found fashion to be a very fun and interesting way of self-expression.
She was involved in doing the interiors for the boutique. She designed the stands for the clothes as well. She said: “We wanted the shop to be a place where people walked around and they came out again, I wanted it to be something that you can explore. And it was a success. We grew from that.”
Being in the same area for over two decades, the individuality of the store speaks for itself. “People always ask why we didn’t open another. But this has become a central location and people from many places come here. We have also become a part of the community here. All the people, the residents, and the locals love having us here. We respect them too,” she said.
For a vintage fashion brand, that has been around for a long, maintaining its credibility may be a challenge. But Fiona has had a very positive approach towards her brand. “Since it is all about buying and selling in a business, and I have been involved in it for a long time I make sure that I love what I am involved in,” she added.
After working together for 20 years, her business partners decided to take a step back from the business in 2019, as they wanted to change their career direction. Fiona bought the rights to the company from them and decided to take the business online.
Rellik went online in 2020, and this shift helped the business a lot. According to Fiona, displaying their products online is more of a “window to the business.” She adds: “Yesterday, we had a guy who worked for a design company, and he'd brought printouts of things they had seen online and wanted to buy. Finally, he ended up buying seven pieces.”
Apart from the customers that visit the stores, many magazines like Vogue and ELLE have approached the boutique to source their clothes. Even celebrities like Rita Ora, Shakira and others have procured clothes from Rellik. They would see the images online or make an appointment at the store.
Rellik gets all its products from many different places, mostly based in the UK. “I don’t get to travel a lot, so I source them from within the UK. People were saying that the UK fashion scene is really good. So, my customers generally come in and find what they are looking for. We also have products from certain labels that may be hard to find in the UK,” she further added.
Owing to its loyalty and customer satisfaction, Rellik has managed to stand apart from its competitors. Factors like good prices, quality products and satisfactory service have always been a huge hit with vintage fashion lovers.
Fiona has been in the market for a long time now and said: “I think in the end, it's because you stand the test of time.”
Businesses faced many challenges during Covid lockdowns. But Fiona looked at her glass as half full. Although the shop was closed, the pandemic gave her a lot of time to think about their website. “I had no money coming in. But it made me focus on what things I did have and what things I didn't want to use. It also helped me understand what I wanted from the website.”
Fiona thinks that since vintage fashion is differently placed, the cost-of-living crisis may not affect her business a lot. But she keeps in mind that her customers may perhaps hesitate to buy products when under such a crisis.
She believes that vintage fashion comes with such bumps along the ride. “And also, as a small business owner, I can diversify. I can think if I still suddenly need to do a sale next week, I can do an offer that gives discounts to my customers to bring them back in.”
As a 15-year-old, who decided to pursue a career in fashion, what helped her along the journey was perseverance. After working in the vintage fashion industry for so long, learning from every experience and continuing to maintain the reputation of Rellik, Fiona finally added: “I think you just have to hone your skills.”
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