Ruth Spradbery is the Southampton based founder of Reloved by:, a new business encouraging people to wear pre-loved clothes and accessories with pride.

Romsey and Southampton North MP Caroline Nokes is among her fans and is proud to wear Reloved by: preloved items. 

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The firm is built from a lockdown hobby which involved Ruth buying and selling designer handbags, and adding a special charm to every bag sold to show that it was preloved. 

She told the Daily Echo: "I'd never owned a designer handbag before Covid, but I started buying bags and selling them during Covid.

"I'm now a preloved hub - pulling together the slow fashion community and uniting them under the movement where sustainability is a statement.

"I'm creating a movement where people can show their support for sustainability not just talk about it."

Fashion items from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and other designer brands are tagged with a charm to show they are preloved.

The aim of the eco-friendly community of sellers is not simply to encourage buyers to purchase preloved items but to be proud that they own them, making recycled fashion even more desirable than new.

A Reloved by: fashion roadshow will get underway on Saturday May 11 at David Lloyd Southampton in Frogmore Lane, working with Labels Boutique in Bishops Waltham.

Events in Farnham and Wimbledon will follow before a Kensington showcase during London Fashion Week. 

Ruth and various preloved fashion buyers and sellers who share her climate change ethos will join forces to promote their high end stock adding to them the ‘Reloved by’ signature symbol, a gold charm that signifies that everything sold, is purchased secondhand.

15 per cent of all profits made at the events will be donated to the charity Amber, which works with women in the sex industry offering a non-judgemental and confidential listening service, which Ruth also works for part time. 

Pictures are a never used but preloved Chloe Woody bag, preloved Prada shoes which sold in just ten minutes, and a new with tags Marc Jacobs Tote bag, an unwanted gift straight from the wardrobe in perfect condition.