About Ria Bazaar

A Journey Through Vintage, Slow Fashion, and Resilience

Ria Bazaar is the third incarnation of my lifelong passion for vintage, secondhand, and slow fashion. But my journey began long before that back in 2019, when I launched The Green Hanger, my first online venture selling preloved and vintage clothing.

At first, I sold clothes in all sizes on a website and at local markets. It was fun, and I loved every minute of it, but it remained a side hustle, something I adored but couldn’t quite turn into a full-time career. I even put on my own market called the “ Wee Green Xmas Bazaar” that went better than I thought. Ended up on radio and tv.

The Turning Point: Motherhood and a Shift in Values

A few years earlier, I had sworn off buying new clothes unless absolutely necessary. After having my son at 35, my perspective shifted dramatically. I became hyper-aware of the choices we make daily and their impact on people, animals, and the planet. Around the same time, I went vegan (though I’d been vegetarian since I was 14). Motherhood opened my eyes to the bigger picture though, ironically, I later discovered I have aphantasia (the inability to visualize things in my mind).

My love for secondhand shopping led me down the vintage rabbit hole, and I never looked back. As a plus-size woman, I quickly realized how seemingly limited vintage options were for people like me. But I also discovered that amazing plus-size vintage did exist, it just required digging through private sellers. So, I decided to focus on sourcing plus-size vintage for fellow vintage lovers with bigger bodies, saving them the hassle of searching themselves. I started modelling the pieces myself which was hard but liberating as someone who always felt ugly and too weird.

The Green Hanger’s Rise and Challenges

During the COVID era, The Green Hanger took off. With everyone stuck at home, I pivoted from the website to selling exclusively on Instagram.

Even had a newspaper article written about me.

I’d been working as a wedding photographer with my husband since 2012. Juggling both businesses was chaotic but exhilarating, the vintage fashion side allowed me to be creative, set my own rules, and, of course, play dress-up (something I’ve always loved about vintage).

Financially, it wasn’t a goldmine, but it was a nice bonus. However, as lockdowns ended, orders slowed. Simultaneously, our wedding photography business took a hit, no weddings meant no word-of-mouth referrals and bookings dried up.

Threadly Treasures: A Bold Experiment

I decided to double down on The Green Hanger, trying to transition it into a full-time business. I taught myself to sew and started making clothes from vintage fabrics, selling them alongside my vintage finds. My hope? To boost earnings enough to support my wee family- my husband, son, and me.

I even rebranded the business as Threadly Treasures, a name I coined to describe the wonderful clothes I found.

It was a whirlwind: I made kaftans, dresses, and more, and some amazing customers still treasure those pieces. But sewing was all consuming. I had no energy left for anything else, and the faster I tried to work, the quicker I burned out.

My proudest moment of that era is when the wonderful actress Siobhán McSweeney requested one of my handmade kaftans for a magazine shoot.She also had previously worn some of my true vintage on Graham Norton and at a celeb awards bash. She was such an awesome customer and advocate to have.

My limits became impossible to ignore and my reach didn’t grow at all despite the wonderful customers and supporters I so thankfully did have. It just financially wasn’t working out.

The last collection I made I put so much work into. I solar dyed printed all the fabric with flowers and cuts outs. I made the pieces inspired by Celtic mythology. It was well liked but no-one bought them. I felt very lost.

A Detour into Charity Work

So I resigned myself to failing and I took a job managing a charity shop, secondhand heaven, right? I threw myself into it, transforming the shop with creative window displays, a vintage section, and a plus-size section. For a while, it went well. But the job really drained me. I’d come home unable to move, speak, or even play with my son and in brief I felt very misunderstood in a more corporate setting.

This experience led me into a severe burnout. It confirmed my midlife realisation that I was likely neurodivergent (likely autistic and ADHD), which explained so much. My shutdowns and RSD (rejection sensitivity dysphoria ) became overwhelming. 

After seven months, I went off sick and then handed in my notice, emotionally and physically exhausted and feeling like a failure once again.

Even now, ten months later, I’m still recovering from burnout. Everything, even small tasks, exhaust me and I need recovery days between the smallest activities.

Where I Am Now

At 45, the pressure to be self-sufficient is intense. We still rent, my husband (diagnosed with adhd) doesn’t work currently and we’ve officially ended our wedding photography business, it was too much for both of us to rebuild. I’ve always been the one fighting to keep us afloat and with our son to care for (who is also awaiting Audhd diagnosis )the stakes feel higher than ever.

But here’s the thing: I’m still here. I’m still passionate about vintage, slow fashion, and sustainability. And though my journey hasn’t been easy, it’s led me to where I am today, resilient, resourceful, and ready to write the next chapter.

Ria Bazaar: A Promise to Myself and My Family

Burnout taught me something crucial: I have to find a way to live better, for my body, my nervous system, and my soul, not just to meet societal expectations. Ideally, I’d retreat to a forest for a long rest, but reality doesn’t work that way. I have no choice but to keep pushing forward through burnout , to find a way to build a life that sustains all of us better-my husband, my son, and me.

This is what Ria Bazaar is now.

It’s me refusing to give up on creating a healthier, more sustainable way of living, for myself and my family. It’s me unmasking, embracing my passions, and weaving them all into one vibrant, personal space. Vintage and secondhand fashion, slow fashion, jewelry, art, female empowerment, individuality, fighting sizeism, and my love for animals, it’s all here.

It’s my personalized outlet for creative expression, because I’m an artist at heart. Always have been. I’m learning (the hard way) that creativity isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity for my nervous system. Without it, I wither. So, I’m making space to infuse more art and creativity into everything I do, not just as a business, but as a way to heal and regulate myself.

At its core, Ria Bazaar is a beacon of hope, the belief that I can build a life that’s customised for my family, one that gives all of us room to breathe. I don’t need to make a fortune. I just need a way to get by that doesn’t drain me completely.

I can’t give up. Not yet. So even when it’s hard, I have to keep trying, keep building something different. Maybe one day, when I’ve recovered, I’ll sew clothes again. But for now, I’m trying adapting. I’m working with ethical artisans in India to bring my designs to life, admitting that I can’t and don’t have to do everything myself. I need to let go of the pressure to be everything at once.

I don’t know how things will turn out. But I’m taking the risk that, in the end, this will pay off in ways that go beyond money. It’s about freedom, joy, and sustainability, for me, for my family, and hopefully, for you too.

Thank you for your support. I hope you find as much joy and freedom in your own life as you do in the treasures you discover or wear from Ria Bazaar.

Live Lightly!
Ria x