I Went to a Vintage Pop-Up at Leeds Beckett… and Found Some Gems

I popped into the Rose Bowl at Leeds Beckett University the other day, not expecting much more than a quick browse, but I ended up staying way longer than planned (which says everything).

The Oxfam vintage pop-up was busy in the best way. You know when there’s just that kind of energy where everyone’s picking things up, trying stuff on, hyping each other’s finds? It was exactly that.

Straight away, I noticed how put-together everything looked. It didn’t feel like digging through a typical charity shop rail (love that too, but you have to be in the mood). This was way more curated. Rails titled things like "Festival Finds" and "Bali Summer", which made it obvious that this event was organised by 'GenZ'

I started off telling myself I was “just looking” (obviously), but then I picked up a few pieces of jewelry that were exactly on trend right now, Bingo.

Vintage shopping just does that, finding something that's trending without contributing to fast fashion makes you feel a type of way.

I ended up grabbing a couple of bits that felt like actual finds, not just random purchases. A short white skirt that i just know will be worn multiple times this summer. A gold bangle and mixed metal bracelet that created the perfect stack, which was sort of needed as I don't own any bracelets! and some double looped chunky earings which are all the trend right now.

There was loads going on besides just shopping too. There was a section displaying re-designed and re-purposed corsets done up by the fashion students. i felt this made the whole even feel more purposeful; not just buying second-hand, but actually thinking about how to up-cycle and make something new from other peoples unwanted items.

To me sustainability isn't just about buying second hand, its about fixing and repurposing clothes too.

Also… the photo booth?? So cute. They’d set up this floral wall with fairy lights and a mirror, and everyone was taking pictures with their outfits. It felt very Instagram-core, but in a fun way, not forced. You could tell people genuinely enjoyed it.

What’s mad is that the whole thing was run by students from different courses as well, not just fashion. Marketing, journalism, even engineering students were involved, which you wouldn’t expect but somehow it all worked so well together.

I spoke to Ava Quinn, a marketing student, who said "Were working with Oxfam for this pop up to try and spread awareness to our generation about shopping sustainably, you know we have the different themed rails which I think are very Tik-Tok/ Insta coded which I think will draw in a lot of people. It's going to be a good day,"

And the fact it raised thousands for charity at the same time just makes it even better. It didn’t feel preachy or overly “sustainable fashion lecture” it was just a good shopping experience that also happened to be doing something good.

I left with a bag full of stunning jewelry and a skirt id had on my wish list for a long time.

A very happy me indeed.

Oxfam GB | leading UK charity fighting global poverty