As ideals of mindful consumption and vintage fashion have gained more traction over the years, Liza Lombard has immersed herself in the space. Not only is Lombard living out her dreams, as a stylist assistant and executive designer, she has also established herself in the fashion world through her online store – Grow Your Own Funk. She has created a platform that moves away from ideals of fast fashion and enforced beauty standards, and instead, encourages different means of representation and expression through vintage fashion.
Liza Lombard, the founder of Grow Your Own Funk, an online vintage store, explains that from an early age, she has always enjoyed the extravagance and flamboyance of vintage fashion. PHOTO: Sourced/Liza Lombard
From an early age, Liza Lombard was encouraged to embrace her authentic self. It was a culmination of her upbring and her love for flamboyant vintage fashion that led her to where she is today.
Lombard is the owner and founder of Grow Your Own Funk (GYOF) an online vintage fashion store aimed at creating an alternative shopping experience that embraces the values of conscious and mindful consumption.
The first few years of her life were spent growing up on a farm outside Upington in the Northern Cape, which allowed for a tranquil but adventurous upbringing, whereby Lombard was able to explore her love for art and fashion.
“My gran used to dress me up in vintage children’s clothing when I was a little girl,” says Lombard. This is when her journey with vintage fashion began, “I started to enjoy the extravagance and flamboyance of vintage fashion”.
Lombard has always been interested in vintage fashion specifically, and she began thrifting at the age of 14. “Thrifting has always been a big part of my life and that has trickled down into my art,” she says.
While completing her degree at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography, Lombard incorporated her interest in thrifting with her work. “I would scan in vintage fabrics and clothing, and use those textures and patterns to digitally paint with them,” she says.
Mindful consumption and self-expression
Lumé Venter, the founder of Bicycle Girl Vintage, defines Lombard as quirky, cool, and a “real trendsetter”.
“I have always enjoyed peculiar clothing, things that are one of a kind, that [stand out] and are not part of the mainstream trend cycle of fashion,” says Lombard.
According to Lombard, vintage is anything that is older than 20 years, and the reason why she is drawn to vintage fashion is because of the story behind each item she finds. “Each garment has a personality, it has lived many more years than I have,” she says.
“Buying second-hand means that you are extending the lifespan of clothing that is already in existence, which is very important in a world that champions disposability,” says Stella Hertantyo, a student in sustainable development and the co-creator of CNSCS_ a blog focused on inclusive approaches to life and style.
What started out as an Instagram page created in 2019, with the aims of showcasing Lombard’s own experience with thrifting, progressed into what is now known as, GYOF, explains Lombard.
“GYOF is an alternative shopping experience that is sustainable, transparent, and ethical,” says Lombard. The vision behind GYOF is to create a space that celebrates different means of representation and expression of fashion, says Lombard.
Through her Instagram page, Lombard started selling vintage clothing in a unique way. She recalls that initially, she started selling thrifting clothing via Instagram stories which later led to ‘online bidding’ on explicit vintage garments, such as cowboy boots and 70’s swimming clothing.
Lombard explains that GYOF moves away from ideals of fast fashion and enforced beauty standards, rather she supplies her customers with, “peculiar and interesting clothing pieces and then seeing how they grow their own funk with that”.
“I’ve followed GYOF for ages and I’m always in awe of the gems that Liza sources, as well as the way she presents and styles them,” says Hertantyo. “It helps me get inspiration for how to wear my clothes in creative combinations and make the most of my wardrobe, which is also a very important part of slow fashion”.
Liza Lombard, the founder of Grow Your Own Funk speaks about her most treasured items of vintage clothing. AUDIO: Maryam Adams
Grow Your Own Funk, a turning point
Both a highlight and a turning point for Lombard, was when she launched GYOF as a website in 2020. “It is a more formal way of shopping, it has become more credible and people trust you more,” she says.
Hertantyo recently purchased a pair of vintage sneakers via the GYOF website and she recalls that “the process of buying them was super smooth and efficient”. She also commended the perfect sizing as well as the packaging.
“[The sneakers] fit perfectly and the packaging wasn’t excessive or wasteful, so I was very happy with the process,” says Hertantyo.
As a means of supporting small businesses and allowing others to get involved with the practice of mindful consumption, Lombard has invited small businesses to become a vendor on the GYOF website.
“The thrifting community is a space to reinvent and relive. We’re all part of the community for a sole purpose and that’s so cool,” says Venter who currently uses the GYOF website as a vendor for her store.
“I also take luxury items on consignments, where people with luxury second-hand pieces that they do not wear anymore but they think other people would wear it more than they do … [have a] platform where they can sell it on consignment, make money, and extend the life cycle of that clothing piece,” says Lombard.
In addition to growing her store, Lombard would like to further build a vintage-loving, thrifters community on Instagram. Lombard explains that she has also recently moved into content creation via TikTok and Youtube and she hopes to post more consistently and build in that space.
What started out as a passion project has evolved and is continually expanding, and according to Lombard, she hopes that she has created a space where people are able to, “Grow your own funk not only through fashion but in other ways of life too”.