FROM THE CAMBERWELL QUARTERLY

There is a whirlwind of fashion at the Peckham car boot sale, as Cornelia Falknäs discovers with photos by Ben Rice

Every second Sunday a long line of flamboyantly dressed people stretches along the footpath outside Harris Academy. They’re waiting to enter the Peckham car boot sale, where people come to sell and buy intriguing pieces of pre-loved clothing.

The £1 entry fee buys you a ticket to a world so crammed full with stylish dressers that you won’t know where to look first. Buyers and sellers alike show up in creative, eye-catching outfits, sporting everything from fluffy fur jackets to pink from head to toe, or the boho hipster look.

“The young kids know how to dress really well compared to other parts of town I think. They know what they’re doing down here,” says Henry, a self-proclaimed market freak and Camberwell resident who is selling clothes with his friend Annabelle. They describe their personal styles respectively as “chaotic and kitsch” and “funny, a bit trashy”.

Jamie and Julienne have laid out their clothes on the school’s artificial turf. They are selling for the first time although Julienne frequently comes here to shop: “You get really unique bits, loads of the clothes that I have I’ve bought here, and people always compliment them.”

Thanks to the diverse crowd there is a wide range of styles to be found. Whether you’re looking to add a bright pop of colour or a classic staple piece to your wardrobe you’re sure to find it while browsing through the many racks, tables, and piles of clothing.

Marisa, who describes herself as “a rainbow on two legs” due to the colourful nature of her clothes has just bought a striking emerald green hat and a yellow umbrella. She only wears clothes that are pre-loved and vibrant and sums up her experience of the Peckham car boot sale in three words: “I’m in heaven!”