“It’s not that deep.”
It’s one of the first sunny days of Spring, so I park my car in the shade and walk up to the cafe that Lucia and I have decided to meet at. The early morning sun beaming it’s soft warm glow, I cross the street and meet Lucia, whom much like the early morning light, is radiating joy. Dressed head to toe in varying shades of pink, Lucia finishes her breakfast and we make small talk about our uneventful mornings.
Lucia (or Loosh) is the owner of Waxy Apples Vintage in Caufield. A small vintage shop that re-sells a variety of second hand clothing, as well as hosting creative events and workshops. At the ripe age of 21 years old, Loosh has got her shit together, although her naysayers may object.
For our date, we set off down Glen Huntly Road and walk to her work together, stopping in at the local Op Shop when Loosh buys a pink fluffy unicorn / cow stuffed toy and white belt that she immediately adds to her outfit. We stop at various locations along the way, chit chatting about her week, taking photos and eventually make our way into Waxy Apples Vintage.
Now, when I saw the main array of vintage clothing was Y2K, I, as a 33-year-old millennial, went into a slight spiral knowing that this could well have been my wardrobe when I was in my teens and as such am now aging into the category of being vintage myself, alas, there are some very cool pieces in her store. Every corner of the store feeling like a different scene, one corner Glastonbury, the other a graffitied 90’s wall, opposite that are a variety of sneakers and baby T’s, what may feel mismatched to some, it’s perfectly curated to others.
Much like her vintage store, Loosh felt it challenging at times to fit in. Born in Canada, she moved to Australia as an infant, moving through several towns and eventually settling in Hervey Bay, a small rural town in Queensland, Australia at the age of 5. Although she faced some challenges growing up, her family were always full of love, music and creative expression.
“All of my family were musical, like after dinner, it would be like ‘someone get the spoons!’ And so, we played the spoons, we would sing, someone would be on the Piano. It was just such a loud, beautiful household and I just feel like definitely my fashion has stemmed from that loudness and wanting to put that on my body.”
Her love of music and the arts followed her through school, where she learnt many instruments from Saxaphone, Violin and Ukelele, (just to name a few) using her music as a form of expression and escapism from the at times, suffocating small town environment.
With the desire to expand her knowledge and surroundings, Loosh decided to set off on an indefinite backpacking trip around Australia at the age of 18 years.
At this point of the interview, Loosh is laying back on her orange couch that sits front and centre of her shop, relaxed and calm within her store. People enquire if the stores open when she politely tells them to come back at 11am when she’s open. She is kind, professional and welcoming, all while dressed in an outfit that closely resembles lingerie in a location known for their conservative nature.
It’s human instinct to stereotype people, as a matter to categorise them and put them in safe or not safe areas in your mind. Interact or don’t interact, take Lollies from stranger, or don't. Loosh is a reminder as to why we shouldn’t judge someone on face value. You may project your opinions of her, much like that of her conservative Caufield counterparts, yet there is a lot more than meets the eye with Loosh.
As we relax into our conversation, I learnt more about her time travelling around Australia and how she built her business of re-selling clothes. When Loosh landed in Darwin amongst the chaos of the pandemic, she was introduced to the beauty of a Bush Doof, as well as the mandatory entry fee - a unique and creative outfit. Backpacking on a budget made it difficult to afford new looks, so she got creative. She sold off her winter outfits (who needs a coat when in 30+ Degrees in Darwin?) use the money to buy a rave worthy fit, then re-sell it on-line once she had used it. And Repeat.
Upon reflection, this would be the beginning of Waxy Apples Vintage, however she still had a while to go to get her to the brick and mortar store she runs now.
As she continued to sell clothes, busk on her Ukelele and move her way around Australia, there was a sense of freedom and joy, finding solitude from other travelers who helped her grow and support her through challenges she faced along her travels.
“Being surrounded by really cool people and like creating music and Just experiencing life was way more healing for me.”
As time went on, Loosh decided to board a flight to Melbourne after seeing a cheap flight mid pandemic and decided to put her roots down and sort her shit out.
When she talks about moving to Melbourne, it almost feels as though her life initially went from colour to black and white. Living this fun, creative and expansive life, to dreary, cold, concrete jungle Melbourne.
She explains how we felt as though she had to get a ‘real’ job, and decided to get into Real-estate, (pun not intended), got a car loan, an apartment – all the things an adult should do, however she quickly realised that she was trying to please everyone else and not herself.
“I feel like now I look back and I was doing so much to please other people. To prove that I was like a grown up and like that I had my shit together.”
It’s clear that her passion lays within the arts and being creative, so Loosh took stock and started selling her cloths at markets on the weekends while still working her 9-5, hustling away money where she could to save enough to open her store.
Finally, in August this year, Waxy Apples Vintage was opened and her world was now a highly saturated, vibrant RGB color once more.
“Yeah, people come in and they're like I said, do you like you like part time or casual? And I'm like - I own those shop.”
Lucia is an example of why we should
Travel
Not give a fuck
The insight and growth that Lucia experienced at such a young age, allowed her the space for discomfort in order to expand her horizons. If Loosh makes a misstep, she is the one who will catch herself, all the while knowing that mistakes do not define you, and at the end of the day, life isn’t that serious. So wear the damn pink fluffy dress, if people stare, let them! “It’s not that deep!”
