Revolution Vintage Clothing was originally opened by a Welshman and a Dutch woman in France a long time ago. They named their vintage shop Revolution ‘because the clothes revolve, they go around…’ At least that’s what the Welshman, Jimmy, told me when I asked him where the name came from. Then he added that Revolution was also the name of the nightclub in his town in the UK and he and his friends would say, ‘Let’s go down to Rev.’ I loved that. Someday I’m going to convert a campervan into a traveling vintage shop and it’s going to be called The Rev.

I’m Jessica and I’m the fortunate soul who bought the business from the Welsh/Dutch duo who moved Revolution Vintage Clothing from France to Barcelona circa 2012. I bought Revolution from them in 2023 because Jimmy was ready to retire and I wanted my job to mean something. I was working as a translator from Catalan to English and that was groovy kind of but I wanted to contribute something positive to our vast and wondrous Earth. And I’d always loved to thrift.

So Jimmy and Sandra (the Dutchwoman) showed me where and how they liked to source vintage clothes, how to preserve them, and advised me to keep their one employee on once I took over. They said she was hardworking, trustworthy, and Catalan. Their guidance was invaluable and they were right about Mariona.

Being able to source clothing for other people so that they buy vintage and impeccable modern second-hand clothing instead of fast fashion has been a dream come true. Running a vintage shop in Gràcia, the best neighborhood in Barcelona, and working every day among and for my neighbors means more to me than I could have ever dreamed.

I couldn’t complete my mission (of saving the Earth) alone. Three years later, Mariona is still my right-hand woman and the longest-standing member of an amazing team of Catalan-Spanish-English speaking women who are expert ironers, excellent mannequin-dressers, and the ultimate makers of epic playlists. But don’t take my word for it. Come in and check out what we’ve worked so hard to source for you, take a whiff of our laundry detergent (Marseilles ;)), bob your head a little to our music, and know that we’re not just doing it for a paycheck, or for you, but for the planet we all get to call home for a little while, and remember that we can’t do it alone. We need you too.