Caravans in Festival of Thrift are a ‘roaring success’

by Damien Sharkov
When Wayne Hemingway speaks about trends, and he does so often, there is a quality about him that captures the attention.
Perhaps there is something in his voice which betrays the fact his fashion label spent 21 consecutive seasons on the catwalks of London Fashion Week, or perhaps it is his appearance that conveys him as the champion of vintage style.
Either way he has been talking about caravans recently, in senses both literal and figurative and we cannot help but listen.
“Caravans, camper vans and thrift are natural bedfellows,” Wayne tells CaravanTimes, “and at the inaugural Festival of Thrift they consummated this relationship.”
As we reported the Festival of Thrift, Wayne’s attempt at organising a celebration of thrift parallel in magnitude iconic status to what festivals like are Glastonbury to music, featured a huge caravan element.
Dragon’s Den star Max McMurdo upcycled a caravan from scratch in two days, while famished festival-goers were treated to a smorgasboard of options from five classic campervans transformed into pop up boutique restaurants – known as Bistro du vans.
Both, Wayne tells us, were a “roaring success”.
“Vans and caravans were to be found all across the Festival of Thrift site – from proud owners of VW campers (including the Little Artivan showing off their handiwork in the vintage car area), to itinerant campervan caterers Lulabelles, to the five extraordinary renovated vans which became restaurants for the weekend,” festival director Stella Hall adds.
Wayne and company will be heading down to London next, as he has lined up a chain of vintage caravans to serve as stalls for all kinds of thrifty goodness on the banks of the Thames come 12 October.
Click below for a behind-the-scenes look at the Festival of Thrift: