Southsea’s Tea Tray is transformed as London streetwear brand Wavey Garms teams up with Samsung for pop-up ‘fashion swap’

The ‘fashion swap’ came as Peckham-based Wavey Garms descended on Tea Tray in Osborne Road, Southsea, in a collaboration to promote the new Galaxy S10 phone. 

In a series of hour-long workshops visitors exchanged their unwanted clothes for festivalwear – or breathed new life into dated pieces by customising them with help from a duo of Wavey Garms artists. 

The event also posed an opportunity for S10 selfies with some of Southsea’s street art, before Wavey Garms bosses staged a Q&A – baring all on life since starting up in 2013. 

Pals and University of Portsmouth fashion students, Molly Huntington and Katherine Chadwick, were among those who went along. 

‘This is all about upcycling old garments and that’s something we’re quite interested in,’ said Molly, 20. 

‘It’s also about the awareness of fast fashion and making sure our generation know it’s cool and it’s hip to take your old clothes and reinvent them.’ 

Katherine, 19, added: ‘It falls on our shoulders as fashion students to take on the responsibility of promoting that idea, because our generation needs to start finding new ways to stop pollution and wastage.’ 

Bucket hats, bangles, shirts, skirts, sunglasses and jeans were all up for grabs, with Wavey Garms founder and creative director Andres Branco milling around to meet people. 

His brand, whose name is slang for ‘cool clothes’, took off in 2013 after he started a Facebook group for people who wanted to swap and sell their clothes. 

Since then the name has grown synonymous with sharp-looking streetwear and the company has opened a shop in London, with thousands of social media followers to boot. 

‘I’ve never done anything like this before, so people have got the chance to talk to me and have a chat on a personal level,' he said. 

‘People can come in with their old unwanted clothes, which will go to charity, and they can swap it for an item of their choice.

‘It’s a nice way for Samsung and Wavey Garms to team up and meet people who are into fashion.’ 

Kyle Stanford, manager of the Tea Tray, which doubles as a vintage store a gallery, said the visit tied in perfectly with the venue’s focus on art and creativity. 

‘Our mantra is about being independent and owning yourself, that’s something Wavey Garms do very well,’ he said. 

‘They want people to push themselves and be unafraid to dress how they want to dress.

‘They’re body positive and style positive and that’s one thing the Tea Tray has always been forward-thinking on – expressing yourself.’

He added: ‘Having Samsung here with their phones also means people can take a look at some of Southsea’s vibrant art and capture them with the detail the artists intended.’