Together med Josefina Boston

Josefina, du är bosatt i London sedan 10+ år tillbaka, har startat en egen butik, jobbar som personal shopper och brinner för vintage. Kan du inte berätta vem du var innan och hur resan ledde dig till allt vi nämnde ovan?
I’m going to write this in English, because 1. I have no Swedish keyboard on my computer and 2. I have not written any substantial text in Swedish for a decade. So..
In 2010 – 20 years old – I got offered an internship at Escada in London. I left Stockholm for what was going to be 3 months – or so I believed – but I never returned. The internship turned into a permanent position and was the stepping stone into the world of Fashion PR. Over the next 5 years I managed PR for brands such as By Malene Birger, American Vintage and BA&SH. But I eventually started to feel an itch and decided it was time to move on to a new focus. After a Master’s Degree in comms at LCC in London decided to give the digital social media world that was booming a go. Despite leaving the fashion world behind professionally, the personal interest only grew. After all the years of buying fab clothes at wholesale prices, I turned to second hand to be able to afford the quality clothes I was after.
And with the second hand knowledge rapidly growing, so did the understanding of what an impact the fashion industry had on our planet. In 2017 I took the decision to only buy second hand clothing.What initially started as a weekend hobby, visiting all the markets in London finding vintage items for my own wardrobe, ended in me now fully committed to it personally and professionally – helping other women fall in love with the thought of items being able to be preloved to the point of perfection too.

Att starta eget mitt under en brinnande pandemi i en storstad som drabbas av lockdown efter lockdown – Vad har varit det mest utmanande men samtidigt roligaste sedan premiären av din butik?
Pregnant with my second in 2019 I told my work that I wanted to go on maternity leave early, to allow time to visualise and formalise my idea of a second hand business before the baby arrived. But on day ONE of my leave, New Years Day at 6am, my waters broke prematurely. And all my plans were, literally, washed away. I managed to keep the baby in for 4 more weeks with strict bedrest, and had my son at 36 weeks on the dot. All I did, business wise, during this time was to pick the name set up the Instagram account @secondarchive and dream about what it was going to become.
By the time I was ready to venture out in the world again, with a new baby under my arms, the world was not ready for me. Covid hit and a (the first of 3) 4 month long lockdown began, being stuck at home with two children, a husband and two dogs, was BLOODY HARD. It wasn’t until then that I truly understood the saying It takes a village; in the absence of that village support.
Despite it all, I was not going to let this stop me, the only thing keeping me afloat and sane was the thought of Second Archive. I spent every single night, while feeding my son, scrolling through online auction sites for items for my shop. And the thrill of seeing the items arrive through the letterbox every other day felt like Christmas. And then seeing them all sell via my IG account in record time, fueled me to continue! A year after that first YSL bag selling on Instagram, I have now set up my webshop and I have to pinch myself – I am living MY dream. I’m so excited for the future! I have so many plans.

Konsumtion och klimatångest är något som många kämpar med. Du arbetar mestadels (helt och hållet?) med att sälja vintage. Hur kommer det sig och var det ett aktivt val för dig?
Did you know that by buying one item of clothing second hand reduces its carbon, waste and water footprint by 82%? I tell this to all my friends and clients, and it fuels them to make the same choices I’ve made – the commitment to a second hand wardrobe. After having worked for other companies for a decade, none of which operated any sustainable practice, I am so excited to have found a way to help women feel and look good, at the same time as contributing to a better future.
In 2019 I had a woman tell me that I’d be the perfect buyer for her vintage shop. And that comment planted a seed that grew and grew and grew. I had been searching for a purpose for years, as I felt digital comms wasn’t it. And for the first time, in my life I think, everything felt so clear. This was my future! So it wasn’t even a choice, I just had to do it.

Vad gör egentligen en personal shopper och vilka är det som anlitar dig? Självklart fiskar vi även efter om du har fått möjlighet att klä någon av alla de kändisar som befinner sig i london!
One of the reasons I left the fashion PR world was the constant chase and pulse around who to dress and to be seen in the right place at the right time. My highlight was getting Kate Moss and Daniel Craig into American Vintage for a shoot, but that was about it. I felt it wasnt purposeful and the clothing I promoted was not sustainable. For this reason personal shopping has been something I want to help ‘normal people’ with; like minded women, creatives, mothers, working women, to make them feel empowered by their wardrobe, both visually and emotionally. This is where my passion lies.
I help them look at what they have, pinpoint their style, get rid of items that are not loved enough and source items that are missing. All to create the ideal capsule wardrobe for them and their lifestyle, and all being second hand of course. I am currently developing an online service launching later this year, to be able to help women with their wardrobes, regardless of where they live.

Det är många som drömmer om att starta eget i Heja Livet – Du är egenföratagare och mamma, vad är det vinnande konceptet och hur vågar man? Tips till de som tvekar?
Let’s start with the saying we all know: När det är rätt är det lätt. I agree. I spent my whole first maternity leave trying to figure out a business to run as I really didn’t want to go back to my then job, but nothing made it past the drawing board. I never felt the true excitement. But this time around, building Second Archive was fun, I had a burning drive to keep on going – despite my working hours being between midnight and 6am while feeding my son. I didn’t mind, because I LOVED every second of it. And knowing that this could be my future gave me butterflies, all I could think of was the saying: love what you do you’ll never work.
What also helped was the support from my husband, who wholeheartedly encouraged me to give it a go. Because in the end, what would you regret the most – that you tried and failed or that you didn’t try at all?

Dela med dig av dina absoluta London-favoriter som vi kan besöka när vi äntligen får möjlighet att resa igen?
Ohh how could I possibly list them all – there are hundreds of amazing shops in London!! But let’s go for my all time top three:
Retro Woman in Notting Hill – Here you’ll find modern preloved clothing to fantastic prices. Nothing 80’s and 90’s but more of a wardrobe from someone who shops at Selfridges and has had a clear out. Make sure you check out their Bargain Basement for heavily reduced prices!
Porto Bello Market – While you are at it in Notting Hill, make sure you visit Portobello Market on a Friday or Saturday – but skip the whole first part (or wander down it for the vobe) and make it to the end of the market under the railway. Here you’ll find true vintage items. Think perfect Levi’s jeans and denim jackets, dreamy french slip dresses, vintage leather jackets, quirky silk scarves, jewellery and boots. Everything and anything. Independent vintage sellers rent stalls and sell their own items.
Charity Shops – I know this is a very broad tip, but in London you find charity shops in every corner of every borough. Do not underestimate the power of these. Sure about 95% is crap… but I once found a real Chanel hanging behind some plastic backpacks. Let’s just say my pulse hit the roof.

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TACK and Thank You for having me, I would love to continue chatting second hand in the comments.

You’ll also find me on Instagram @secondarchive and if you fancy, have a look at my newly launched website www.secondarchive.com