Off-Road: The story of The Fashion Truck
In Off-Road, we interview people who use cars, vans and trucks to run mobile businesses. Beyond food trucks, we meet people with great ideas: from laundries that make a difference to vintage clothing stores and more.The Fashion Truck is a mobile business in Western Australia that stocks local labels like Akubra, Lulu Manna, Ringers and Salt Gypsy. This inventive retail model is the invention of Amy Dwyer. Studying fashion instilled in her a passion for Australian-made designs and a belief in the country’s rag trade. “I also love driving and living in the country, so I put them all together!” she tells us.
The business launched last October, and it didn’t take long for people to pick up on it. “[Mobile businesses] are big in America, where everyone’s doing something a little different,” Amy says. When she’s not popping up at music festivals or paying visits to ladies’ lunches, Amy settles the Fashion Truck on the side of the road and brings boutique finds to locals.
With the help of a loan and a super-handy dad (who also advised her to keep the name simple and pick a vehicle without a motor), Amy bought the caravan from a seller in Bunbury and did a complete makeover. It’s now kitted out with a fibreglass lining and insulation, and it runs on solar power. The Fashion Truck was on the road in March 2017, just six months after Amy started working on it, and there was no looking back.
With low overhead costs and flexibility that suits busy schedules, mobile boutiques have been increasing in popularity over the last few years. Just like food trucks and other mobile businesses, they let sellers go where their customers are, not vice versa.
Amy dreams of having trucks in every state – as well as a brick-and-mortar location to turn into her headquarters. (Turns out, storing all these outfits and accessories in a compact caravan is a tricky task!) Last month, she came close: the Fashion Truck popped up in a historic hall in Arthur River throughout the month of December.
Until the Fashion Truck becomes a permanent fixture of the national fashion scene, Amy will continue sharing her passion for Australian design with her community of fashion-forward Western Australians – from her miniature boutique on wheels.
To find out more, go to thefashiontruckonline.com.au
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