Breathing new life into second-hand scarves

Most of us are familiar with thrift shops, rife with clothes that have outlasted the purpose for their first owners. Not happy with ‘just buying’ second-hand items, Ingrid Mulder and Nancy Buskoop decided to breathe new life into used luxury scarves by creating new ones out of them. It turned out to be a hit and under the monikor ‘Er Lolah’, the duo created a brand solely dedicated to their unique men’s scarves as ‘Heeren van Lolah’ (Lolah’s gents), and women’s scarves as ‘Madame Lolah’ (Lolah’s madams). Just seeing the expensive prices of good scarves is what pushed the two to the idea of combining second-hand luxury scarves to make new ones.

Mulder: “It’s an adventure; travelling all over the world in search of suitable scarves.” Buskoop explains the process: “We’re not looking for specific scarves, instead, we put them next to each other and re-design the beautiful scarves. Once picked, we have them thoroughly cleaned, stitch them together, have them cleaned again and do a quality check. The scarf is then ready for a new adventure: online, in shops or during a luxury event.” With Er Lolah, the two are not only capable of creating new scarves, they are just as versed in adjusting existing ones.

Mulder: “We have seen our share of scarves that belonged to somebody close, like a grandmother. We can put those together with our vintage scarves for a fantastic new design.” Buskoop: “Custom made, on request and our collection: we can do it all and our scarves are classy and timeless, meaning we make them for no specific age group, but for those who want a nifty accessory for their whole outfit. Generations may pass but the love for vintage will stay.”

TEXT: BAS VAN DUREN | PHOTOS: ER LOLAH