A FORMER hospital worker has established a new sustainable clothing rental service in Oswestry.

Michelle Braden left her job as a theatre support worker at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital after an accident in 2019 and decided that she wanted to open a shop to represent her passion for fashion.

She first opened the doors to Forever After Boutique in the Oswestry’s Powis Indoor Market in 2021, where she sold occasion dresses and accessories for events.

Michelle then realised, after talking to her customers, that many of them were buying the clothes, wearing them once and then never again.

She said: “We had been offered many dresses to sell on behalf of customers, and this gave me an idea.

“In an age where we should seek to be more sustainable with our clothes, and when money is tighter for a lot of people, the best way was to start a rental service.

“They get something that they need for the special day and they can return it, without spending lots of money and clogging up their wardrobe.”

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Michelle thought about doing this from the beginning but didn’t know how well it would go.

“I did think about it before, but I didn’t go with it at the time,” she said. “Then the demand sort of grew, and I did a lot of research.”

“I found so many places in big cities in the UK and America doing this, so I thought our town might need something similar.”

Michelle explained that she is also suffering with the Cost of Living crisis but she wants to help as much as she can.

She added: “So many customers come in and say they don’t want to give their clothes to charity because they know how much they spend on them and want a little bit back.

“Which I understand, I am a sole trader and I am suffering myself.

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“Going from a fixed salary at the Orthopaedic, to only relying on the business, it has been hard at times.”

The new rental service will work alongside Forever After Boutique, as Michelle is looking to expand her shop.

Currently, you can find Michelle and the boutique in the Oswestry indoor market, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am until 3.30pm, and Saturdays from 9am until 4pm.