They say ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’… but in this case, it’s more like one woman’s discarded fashion piece is another woman’s beloved find!

Castaway Love is a boutique thrift and consignment store in Ballito Lifestyle Centre’s fashion node. It is owned by best friends Tanya Stanissis and Mandy Gray, who have sold high-quality, pre-loved clothing to North Coast fashionistas for over a decade.

They stock everything from jackets, jeans and dresses to shoes, accessories and even the odd authentic, designer handbag (think Louis Vuitton and Valentino)! Castaway Love is a place to ‘recycle’ your wardrobe and change things up, without breaking the bank and while simultaneously doing something positive for the environment.

With worldwide awareness of damaging carbon emissions and waste reduction continually rising, thrift shopping has become a global trend.

THE CASTAWAY LOVE STORY

For born and bred ‘Durban girls’, Tanya and Mandy, it all started with a fun fashion ‘swap party’ with their close friends. “Everyone loved it and went home with new items. Afterward, our friends told us to keep what wasn’t taken. So, we went into our wardrobes, took out more items, and put up a rail at the Litchi Orchard night market. It was an overnight success,” says Mandy. With a background in marketing, Tanya has three children – Maddox (15), Lynx (14) and Cyrus (9). She was a stay-at-home mom for ten years before starting Castaway Love. “It’s so funny because while we were mothering our small children, we were both looking for something else to do as well. We both prayed something would come up without even knowing the other one was doing the same thing,” says Tanya.

Mandy also has three children – Asher (18), Arabella (16) and Benjamin (12). She is married to Stephen and says she has always loved fashion and following the latest trends.

“We couldn’t believe how popular our market stall was. We always had people lining up to try things on in our little makeshift change room,” she laughs. When they were offered a small, permanent space at The Litchi Orchard, Castaway Love was officially born.

After taking a short break from business, while Tanya had her third baby, Castaway Love started back up at new premises opposite Umhlali Preparatory School where they operated for two years until being approached by Ballito Lifestyle Centre co-owner, Bruce Rencken.


CASTAWAY LOVE & BALLITO LIFESTYLE CENTRE
“It was a big decision for us, but Bruce made it so easy. The centre was looking for bespoke, boutique clothing stores and they wanted to support local businesses. We were nervous, but Bruce told us it would be an experiment for both the centre and ourselves. So we decided to go for it,” says Mandy. “He loaned us the money to do the shop fit. I’m proud to say that was the only loan we’ve ever taken in our 11 years in business.”
For the past six and a half years, Castaway Love has been situated in a large retail space in the fashion node of the centre. “We had the most incredible support over the years. Our demographic spans across ages, genders and cultures,” says Tanya, “from teens looking for a crop top, to mature ladies looking for a special occasion outfit.”

Castaway Love recently moved into a smaller space, just opposite their old store, allowing them to downsize slightly and focus on offering more bespoke, high-quality pieces. “We love helping our clients find the perfect item and always want shopping in our store to be an experience. The best part of this job is the positive feedback we get from our clients. They often pop in to show us what they are wearing or send us photos. We love seeing the joy that our pre-loved clothing brings.”

SUSTAINABLE FASHION

While it might be trendy to thrift shop and buy second-hand, it is also incredibly important. “The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, after oil. Thrifting aims to keep existing fashion ‘in the system’. It takes a huge amount of water, dye and textiles to make one new item. So why not buy something that is really good quality and has already been made, rather than supporting ‘fast fashion’ (cheap, trendy items that don’t last very long),” The Castaway Love ladies passionately explain.

While it might be a noble idea to rather only have a few, good quality items in your wardrobe, Mandy says the reality is that we get often bored of our clothes quickly. “Rather do a cleanout and bring your items to us. We’ll select what we want and give you an in-store credit, so you can have fun updating your wardrobe while doing your bit for the environment and looking good, too!”