Fashion entrepreneur brothers wear it well as Messina Hembry hits £10m turnover
Josh and Zac Hembry started Messina Hembry as a side hustle at university, buying and reselling designer pieces found in second-hand shops. Now the business has a warehouse in the town spanning more than 50,000 sq ft, housing over 500,000 items of vintage clothing and doubling as creative studios. And it employs 100 members of staff to keep the vintage fashion powerhouse running.
The company sells its handpicked vintage clothes on its website as well as through major online retailers such as eBay and Vinted It sells over 10,000 items each week and reaches more than one million customers worldwide.
Zac Hembry, the CEO, said: “This all started really simply, just trying to earn a bit of extra money while at university. Josh and I would spend weekends trawling charity shops for designer pieces, buying what we thought was interesting or well-made, and then listing them online.
“At first, it was more of a hobby than a business. We just enjoyed finding cool, unique items and making a little cash along the way. After a while, we started noticing that people were genuinely interested in the pieces we were selling. That’s when it clicked that there was a real opportunity here.
“Vintage just felt like the right space. It was a market with low barriers to entry, but more importantly, it gave us the chance to tackle the environmental impact of the fashion industry, which is something we were really passionate about.”
Messina Hembry says it specialises in second-hand clothes that are well-made, timeless, and hold their value. Each item must meet strict criteria, covering brand, product type, construction quality, and material, before earning a place in the collection, the brothers add.
It says that by keeping quality clothing in circulation, the company is helping to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry, cutting CO₂ emissions, water consumption, and waste associated with fast fashion.
Josh Hembry, who is COO of the company commented: “Sustainability isn’t just a trend for us - it’s the foundation of the business. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world, and we wanted to prove that there’s a better way.
“Every piece we resell means one less new garment being made, and while that might not sound like much on its own, when you’re talking thousands of items, it really adds up.
“What keeps us motivated is knowing that what we’re doing actually makes a difference. It feels good to be building a business that has a positive impact as well as providing people with cool, vintage clothes they love.”
