Customer Profile: Sonali Fernando

This month's customer profile features the amazing Sonali Fernando. Sonali wears many hats - commercial manager at engineering consulting firm WSP, visual artist, fashion content creator, and queen of thrifted style. Her style is distinctively vibrant and eclectic, replete with layers, textures, and strategically clashed prints. Sonali is a stand-out example of the fun and brightness that op-shopping can bring to your wardrobe and your life. We are especially inspired by how she carries her individuality and preloved pieces into her outfits for the corporate office, and not just on casual Friday!

Read on to see what Sonali shared with us about the influence of her South Asian heritage on her approach to sustainable shopping, the everyday style potential of thrifted swimwear and sleepwear, and op-shopping tips for every kind of shopper...

Tell us a little bit about yourself…

Sonali Fernando, 26, living in Sydney but originally hailing from Perth. I work as a Commercial Manager by day, and am an artist (mostly oil painting and a little bit of sculpture), fashion enthusiast, and thrifted fashion/styling content creator by night!  

I’m sure it goes without saying, but I also love all things secondhand (think op shops, FB marketplace, markets etc.) and of course, upcycling. 

How and when did you first get into op-shopping? 

I first got into op shopping because of my beautiful and stylish mum. She’ll probably hate me telling this story, but I think it is important to celebrate and appreciate South Asian sustainability (even if neither my family nor I knew that’s what it was at the time).  

Like many other South Asians in Australia, my mum immigrated from Sri Lanka to Australia in the early 90s and op-shopped to make ends meet for our family, to ensure the modest wealth my family was accumulating thrived, and to express her impeccable style. When she was pregnant with me, in my early childhood, and as I got older I would always go with her, and I just continued to go myself after that. 

We would look for all kinds of things, but I especially loved when we searched for clothes because we would look for unique pieces, flattering cuts, colours and materials. Looking back, I think I picked up a lot of my style from my mum and learnt very early on that “you can easily buy your way into being fashionable… but style….is in your DNA!”  

What do you enjoy or appreciate about buying second-hand? 

I think I love the hunt mostly, and the fact that you really have to work to find or re-imagine that item or piece that you can see working with your style! It can be slow and sometimes you find nothing, but I think it encourages imagination and experimentation and helps create a sense of personal style. I really love knowing that what I’ve found is unique and no one else is likely to have it!

Aside from the above, waste and consumerism is obviously a massive problem for the society we live in today so I think it’s great that buying second-hand can help to reduce that and contribute to achieving a completely circular economy. You can of course still over-consume second-hand items too, but buying second-hand just by virtue of the way it works encourages slow consumption and a real appreciation for what you are buying because often you’ve spent a lot of time and gone to great lengths to get it. 

What do you shop for the most in op-shops? What is your go-to section of a Salvos store?

I can’t lie, it’s clothes and shoes for me! When I say clothes though, I mean everything you can think of as clothes, including swimwear and sleepwear. In fact, some of my best purchases have been swimwear and sleepwear that I just wear as everyday clothing. More recently since I started content creating, I’ve been really inspired by all the other fashion accounts and op-shoppers I follow and have also been shopping for accessories too. My current obsession is necklace belts! 

As to my go-to section, I honestly do not have one! I look through the entire store (even the kids and men’s section) and find that this is the best way to come across unique items and challenge my style! If I absolutely had to choose though, I've found the front counter and the handbag section to be super fruitful.  

Can you tell us about the best purchase you have made in a Salvos store?

I know it says one, but I just could not toss up between the two purchases below and wanted everyone to see them both. Hopefully once you see them, you’ll agree and forgive my extra-ness.

This first purchase is my 'matrix but make it red' jacket I found. I was immediately drawn to this jacket when I saw it in Salvos because of its silhouette, colour and tailoring. By some miracle, it fits me perfectly and has become a go-to item in my wardrobe because of its versatility. 

As for the second, I found this dress in 2016 for a university ball with the theme ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The dress is velvet with hand stitched sequin flowers. This was op-shoppers luck because I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, and that it fit the theme so well! In classic op-shopper style, I later passed this dress on to its new delighted owner – I hope it’s still out there being seen by others!  

If you could manifest an item to find on your next Salvos visit, what would it be? 

I’m always on the hunt for a perfectly fitting Australian-made vintage set – one can dream! These sets exist but the sizes are always tiny and not really curve friendly. 

What is your best op-shopping tip?

For this one, I thought about how I op-shop and find items and so I’ve broken it down into tips for when you have time, when you don’t, and just generally. 

If you have time:

Look through everything and try to imagine/think about each item you’re flicking through for a few seconds to see if it’s you or you could make it work. This applies even if it’s conventionally ugly! 

Also, if you have time try to go op-shopping during the week instead of on weekends. Weekends are when most of the population has time off and op-shops are raided. I’m not sure if there’s any truth to this, but I’ve noticed that op-shops are also more topped up during the week so you’re more likely to find cool items. 

If you don’t have time (or are lazy – no judgement, this is me on both fronts):

Before you go op-shopping, think about the colours which complement you/you like and what kind of items/clothes you’re looking for. This sets your brain up to hone in on these things so you don’t get overwhelmed when you’re there and can use your time effectively! 

Also, know your measurements! Op-shops are still filled with heaps of vintage pieces and this way you’ll know if something will fit you or not so you can either skip the fitting room or have assurance it’s worth trying on. 

Just generally:
When you’re going through the op-shop racks look for well made fabrics (you can tell by touching it or even just from afar), cool prints, and unusual design elements on clothing. I’ve found this has often helped me find the most unique pieces.  

What would you say to someone to encourage them to get into op-shopping?

You can find the most personal, unique, and stylish items for a fraction of the retail cost by op-shopping, all while being sustainable and having fun! 

Seriously speaking, a lot of people around me don’t op-shop for various reasons and I think it’s important not to exclude or shame these people and rather, understand why and provide alternate options/encouragement. Going to physical stores isn’t always workable for everyone and many of us are time poor. This is where the online world come in. In recent times, Salvos and a lot of other op-shops have opened up online stores, started listing on Depop etc. - making op-shopping a lot more accessible and curated.

You can find Sonali on Instagram @gnarlynandos and check out her art @sognarlyart