Volunteering for Vintage with Love

and the Crazy Things we think we can do…

With Love!

I have been a Volunteer with Vintage with Love since the very beginning in Cape

Town 10 years ago, and honestly, it feels less like volunteering and more like a way

of life now. Somewhere between the mountains of donated clothes, endless

steaming sessions, pricing marathons, and last-minute event organizing, VWL

quietly stitched itself into my heart forever.

I’m a complete fashion lover, wildly passionate about sustainable fashion, but I’m

also someone who thrives on community, purpose, and getting things done -

preferably with laughter, snacks, and fabulous women by my side. Vintage with Love has ticked those boxes for me and more.

Thanks to the kindness of our donors and customers, we’ve been able to support

literacy projects across South Africa and help change the lives of many children.

That alone is something special.

But there is another element, the magic of VWL, isn’t only in the giving - it’s also in the women behind it all.

We are a wonderfully strong, highly energized, deeply caring group of women who somehow always make a plan. It’s often said that giving back rewards the giver more than the receiver, and I think what we do at VWL is exactly that. And if there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, it’s this: never underestimate a group of determined women on a mission.

One memory still makes me laugh every time I think about it.

Years ago, we had to move into new premises. Now, when I say “move,” I mean

what felt like an entire city’s worth of clothing, rails, mannequins, boxes, steamers,

hangers, and mystery bags that no one remembered packing.

As luck would have it, only Debbie - our fearless Cape Town founder - and I were

available that day.

Naturally, we thought: “No problem! We’ve got this!”

(Important side note: we absolutely did not “have this.”)

Our courageous truck driver looked more nervous that we did, he was itching to give advice but he soon realised there was no way we were not going to do this. He gracefully helped us over the line that day, like an absolute trooper!

We arrived at the new premises, only to be told that the lift was out of order.

There was a brief moment of silence. A tiny flicker of panic. One look at each other.

And then, without a word spoken, we got on with it. Up and down we marched carrying boxes, rails, mannequins, and anything else we could physically drag upstairs.

Every time we passed each other on the staircase there was that same exhausted

expression:

“Don’t stop. Don’t think about it. Just keep climbing.”

And somehow… we did it.

Hours later, surrounded by piles of boxes in our new space, we finally stopped,

looked at each other eye to eye, and burst into hysterical laughter.

What on earth were we thinking?

We celebrated our survival with something ice cold to drink, wiped away the sweat, and sat in that wonderful feeling of knowing we’d accomplished something completely ridiculous together all in the name of Love.

That’s the thing about Vintage with Love. Yes, we sell beautiful clothing. Yes, we

raise money for incredible causes. But somewhere in between all the hard work,

chaos, and carrying impossible boxes upstairs, friendships are built, confidence

grows, and a very special kind of Community is created.

And truly, when women come together With Love, determination, and maybe a little bit of madness… there is absolutely nothing we can’t do with love.

with love

Kathy