'Remarkable' Shrewsbury woman survives years of domestic abuse to open shop

Described as a 'remarkable woman', Lizzie Sutton will be opening her brand-new vintage fashion store Shelovedpreloved at The Darwin Shopping Centre in Shrewsbury on Saturday.

It is at The Collective independent traders’ gallery on the bottom floor of the centre.

Lizzie created the brand and is focused on changing people’s perceptions of buying secondhand clothes.

A spokesman for Shropshire Council said: "Lizzie suffered years of domestic abuse and financial manipulation and never had any money to buy new clothes for herself or her three children – becoming totally reliant on shopping in charity shops.

"Following the brave decision to leave her abusive partner in 2019, she realised she had to start again and make a living. She wanted to have her own business and worked within several charity shops initially, gathering knowledge of the retail industry and how to run a shop."

Then in 2021 she felt ready to launch her fashion brand online, selling both modern high street and designer clothes alongside vintage and retro pieces.

The business quickly became successful, and she then felt ready to set up a bricks and mortar store.

She wanted to operate from an established retail destination that would be able to offer her support and felt The Darwin was the best possible location to bring her business to her local community.

The store will sell high street fashion brands for men and women initially, with the long-term goal to offer children’s fashion too.

Items are sourced from across the UK, then cleaned and repaired so they look virtually brand new.

The spokesman added: "As a domestic abuse survivor, Lizzie is also dedicated to helping other victims and survivors and raising awareness of the support facilities available in Shropshire.

"She has created a giving element to her store called Shop Purple Collection,where the public are encouraged to donate second-hand purple clothing. Lizzie then cleans and repairs items to sell within the store – all funds raised are then passed to Domestic Abuse Support Services."

Lizzie said: “I am hugely passionate about the secondhand fashion market and want to change the often negative connotations people have of buying used clothes.

"Once cleaned and repaired my items look virtually brand new and for a fraction of the cost. It is also a socially responsible way to shop by helping to support the environment and reduce landfill.

“Shop Purple is a very important strand to the store, and I really hope the Shropshire community supports this initiative so we can raise much-needed funds for domestic abuse charities within the town – some of which helped me to rebuild my life.”

Kevin Lockwood, centre manager of The Darwin, said: “Lizzie is a remarkable woman who has turned her challenging life experiences into a positive outlet.

"The store looks incredible, and I am pleased that our independent fashion offer continues to grow within the centre. We are very fortunate to be virtually 100 per cent let, which is unheard of within the industry and our footfall continues to exceed expectations given our vast and varied offer.”