With it being Second-Hand September, it only felt apt that we spotlight a creative within the resale landscape for this month’s Curated Chat, and we’ve decided to keep things close to home.
Melanie Milham founded Curate & Rotate from a spare room, with an Instagram account and determined aspirations. Over a few short years, what started as a hobby transformed into an ambitious business that, along the way, has adopted a diverse, thriving community of like-minded dressers, all seeking a new, considered approach to shopping.
Today we sit down with her, in the neutral comfort of our familiar studio, surrounded by coveted curations of pre-owned clothes and accessories. Our conversation drifts from the origins of Curate & Rotate, its mission and Melanie’s advice for anyone looking to transition from 9-5 employment to entrepreneurship.
Hi Mel, for those who haven’t yet had the chance to meet you - could you share a little about yourself with us?
Hey Alice, I’m Melanie, or you can call me Mel. I live in Brighton with my husband and daughter, and have done for nearly twenty years. I’m originally from Thanet in Kent, but came to Brighton to study at university and never left. People often presume I studied fashion, but far from it. I studied Travel & Tourism, because I left 6th form with no clue what I wanted to do next with my life.
Before I founded C&R I worked for ten years at a private equity firm in London as an Exec Assistant, but I quit my job soon after having my daughter to focus on C&R. It felt like such a huge risk to give up a secure job, one I had worked hard to get, but I wanted to give my dream of working and growing the business 100%.
Please tell us how Curate & Rotate got started and when did you know you wanted it to become your full-time job?
Ok, so it’s actually crazy to think that I didn’t purposely seek to start a business, it was a VERY happy accident. Whilst I was on maternity leave in 2019, when my daughter was a teeny tiny 3 months old I decided to set up a Instagram page to sell unloved pieces from my own wardrobe. I used my bedroom as a studio to take photos of the pieces on myself, working on this every time she napped and in the evenings. Over the months it slowly grew and grew, and I allowed myself to start dreaming about whether I could make a business out of it. I continued to work hard on it for a few years as a passion project before deciding to hand my notice in at work.
I knew I wanted it to be my full-time job as it gave me such joy, and for the first time in my life I felt like I was truly working on something I loved.
What’s your core mission with the business? What drives you on a deeper level?
I want C&R to redefine the way we shop, and to inspire people to choose secondhand. I want to help extend the life-cycle of clothing through working with individuals to re-circulate their wardrobes; and a space for brands to sell their archive and sample stock.
What drives me on a deeper level, hmmmmm - great question. To achieve in way I never thought I could, and to inspire! I want to show people like myself that you can achieve in life when it has felt at times like the odds are stacked against you. I am from a working class single parent household, due to my ‘dad’ leaving the home when I was only a few months old. I grew up with little money, and confidence in myself and my abilities. If you grow up without having close parents this can kinda makes you feel you are not good enough, as you don't have that person telling you CAN do things, which can be a struggle when you need that confidence to go out there into the world.
I knew from an early age if I wanted to do well and succeed it would all be down to myself to find out how I could do this, to believe in myself and to pay my own way (I waved hello to a 30k student loan which scared me so much ). I know there are so many people like myself who need to look to people with a similar backgrounds to them to feel that they themselves can build something of their own.
If Curate & Rotate is a success, then my story might inspire others and that makes me happy! But, the person I want to inspire most is my daughter who drives me each day to be better.
Share 3 pieces of advice you would give your past self starting this journey?
1. Believe in yourself and hard work can start to pay off (easy for me to say) I still struggle with believing in myself, I had a wobble today as imposter syndrome is getting to me.
2. Get an accountant and bookkeeper and you will save yourself a lot of stresses. Because I didn’t think it was important to do this in the earlier years I had the worst few days thinking I owed ALOT of VAT money - honestly I spent the whole weekend crying my eyes out in bed with what I felt like was the business crumbling around me!
3. Look after yourself. Take time to enjoy those little moments of joy and successes that you have within your business (again, easy for me to say and something I still struggle to do) but it is so great to celebrate those wins. Having your own businesses is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions.
What’s the most important thing anyone should know when looking to transform a hobby into a business?
It is not easy, and you have to make sacrifices, especially time and money. You really do have to love what you do, because although there are high moments there are also super low moments, and you need a huge amount of passion to keep going and pushing through.
You have to learn how to run all different aspects of the business knowing you can never be perfect at everything, and accept that. I get SO frustrated myself when I don’t know how to do something but you have a choice, you can try and learn or hire a talented freelancer, if the business can afford it.
It takes time and does not happen overnight. It has been nearly 5 years since I started C&R as a hobby and 3 years since I quit my EA job to go full time, and the business is still very much a start up, and we are bootstrapping it (which means paying myself very little in the process).
What does the future of Curate & Rotate look like? What are your biggest goals?
Ok, so I have a few and each time I achieve a goal I dream of another to achieve. I never ever thought I would have my own business, and I now do, so I like to think anything is possible so I am dreaming big.
I want to grow C&R into what I really believe it can be. I want the business to be a singular destination for all things pre-owned and past season, without losing our strong brand aesthetic
I would love to have a team. I want an amazing group of people to join C&R who believe in what we do. At the moment I work full time (and more) on the business and Elle, my studio assistant works only two days a week. We are always flat out working hard. Second-hand selling is not easy, IYKYK.
I would love for the business to be featured in more of my favourite magazines and publications so more people discover us (Hello Grazia ;) - however, I feel SO Lucky C&R has already featured in some organically (so bladdy grateful).
And finally, we know this will be tough, what’s your favourite item that has ever graced the C&R resale rails?
Super hard to answer. I scrolled back on our IG page to refresh my memory of the pieces we have rotated and I love them all. However I will be good and just choose two.
I am currently mopping my tears up over a vintage sheer and velvet maxi skirt that we recently sold. I sourced this piece myself and it was just so beautiful and unique. It was a dream paired with an oversized blazer. I can’t stop thinking about it - is it appropriate to try and buy it back haha?
AND, oh my gosh - my husband sourced the most incredible vintage wool mens coat for C&R on a trip to NY! The quality was sublime, I took the coat to our seamstress and we slightly modernised it for resale. I think about that piece often. But seriously, what an amazing husband I have who has learnt what the C&R style is.
It makes me super happy and proud that we are able to find our pieces new homes within our community. Beautiful clothes for beautiful people!
Words by Alice Hartwell for Curate & Rotate