story

Hi, I am Vivien Kennedy, single mum of two and lawyer with a lifelong love of fashion and too many years experience hunting for a designer look on a High Street budget.

I used to wear vintage as a teenager/student but I got out of the habit. It is time consuming to hunt down those pieces when you’re trying to look after young kids, elderly parents and still do your day job.

You also reach an age when you think that the gorgeous busy prints, typical of the vintage look, and the often tiny sizes, maybe (definitely) are not for you any more, especially if you work in a formal environment as I did for many years.

But a while ago I went on a trip with my youngest vintage loving son back to Edinburgh where I was a student, to visit my eldest who had also become a student there. We trawled the vintage shops and I remembered how I used to dress. I had been admiring a blond shearling coat in Vogue  and was thrilled to find a preowned ringer for it, in a pristine state, at a fraction of the price.

So I bought the coat, which I still love, and I went on as before but it got me thinking...

I thought about my friends, other really busy women like me, of all sizes, who love their families, care deeply about the environment but also like the buzz of a great find, at a reasonable price, and the confidence of looking good whatever is going on in their lives.

And I read, and kept reading the shocking statistics on fashion pollution; the stories too of people working in fast fashion factories, until, like many others, I realised that things had to change.

So I came up with the idea for cercleboutique... a shop which makes vintage , and preowned, clothing an everyday alternative to fast fashion not just for a niche market but for every woman, whatever your age, size or lifestyle.

I focus on circular fashion rather than pure vintage stock alone because sustainability requires to be foremost and by including all preowned clothing I can offer a wider range of style and sizes, without compromising on quality.

You will find more information about the shop at the bottom of our home page, so I won't repeat that here, I know you have lots of other things to do. Over the next few months keep an eye out for our regular edits and new listings, as I add more preloved pieces, selected with an eye to current trends and classic style, which look good and don't cost the earth.

I really hope you find what you are looking for (let me know what it is, if you don't, via the "contact us" link) and come back to see us soon..xo