A VINTAGE and designer clothing business which began life in a boy's bedroom is already branching out to a bigger base as demand soars.
Maelhaus, the brainchild of a group of entrepreneurial teenagers with an eye on protecting the environment, is creating something of a maelstrom in the fashion world.
The business is growing so fast the team will open new premises at The Foregate in Worcester next month, a year after they opened the first shop yards away in The Hopmarket.
The ground floor will open to customers at a former tailor's at 16 The Foregate in October. A chill-out space for the city's youth is set to open in the basement in the new year.
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The growing business was established by a group of city friends, many of whom attended Worcester Sixth Form College.
They spotted the market for high-quality second-hand clothes including classic garments from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s which they believe are more stylish and durable than many clothes being made and sold today.
Brands which will feature at the 'sustainable vintage' shop include Supreme, Stüssy, D&G, Arc'teryx, vintage Nike and Adidas.
Vintage music t-shirts including products featuring Oasis, the Verve, Metallica, Whitesnake, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Robert Palmer and The Doors are also big sellers while classic football t-shirts from the past are also popular with customers.
Work on the downstairs room is scheduled to be finished by January which will provide a chillout area, a space for the youth of Worcester including a snack bar serving soft drinks, a pool table, arcade machines, skater gear and Xbox gaming.
The team also hopes the business can be a platform for bands, musical performers and designs by talented artists, some of which will be displayed in the shop.
Director Cian MacGabhann, 19 said: "The most important thing is the sustainable aspect. It is reusing clothing and it's not contributing to landfill.
"It's about protecting the environment, staying sustainable and also selling cool clothes."
He added: "This business started in my bedroom. We want to open shops in London and Bristol.
"However, we want to keep the one in Worcester. I'm from Worcester and we want our flagship store here."
The former Blessed Edwards student said there was already an abundance of high-quality clothing and there was 'no point buying new clothes', especially as the vintage clothing sold there was better quality.
The business was set up by friends Cian MacGabhann, Zak Lange, Sam Hope, Charlie Kerton and Willem Van Der Kleijn.
They had a market stall in Angel Place and it proved so popular they moved into a small shop in the Hopmarket last October which they have now outgrown. Pop-up stores in London and Bristol also proved popular, some attracting two-hour queues.
However, as the business expanded they decided to move to larger premises and their new base has room for three times as much stock.
Mr MacGabhann said he realised there was a market for such a business when he began selling things on Depop at the age of 13 or 14 and also made money using his Outerwear Archives page on Instagram, bringing in £16,000 a year while still at school by selling advertising space for independent clothing brands.
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