Vintage shoppers came to bag a bargain at Wollongong's debut kilo sale

The Illawarra's inaugural Vintage Kilo Sale was bound to draw a crowd, and more than 1000 people had already flocked in during the first two hours.

Friends Ayla Vaessen and Mia Paton each had a bag of clothes and were impressed with their savvy shopping at the UOW's University Hall on Saturday, April 27.

"I got 0.8kg of stuff and spent $43 which is pretty good for the amount of items I've got," Ms Vaessen said.

"I got lots and lots of t-shirts because they can be expensive in stores."

UOW student Ms Paton was on a mission to get denim jackets and she found a few in the sale.

The idea behind Illawarra's first Vintage Kilo Sale is simple - shoppers choose pre-loved items of clothing from the racks and then it's weighed up at the end - with no minimum spend.

At $50 a kilo it means shoppers pay between $6-$9 for a t-shirt and up to $80 for a 1.6kg jacket.

Second year UOW student Ms Vaessen is a keen vintage shopper and said it's good for the environment and also helps her save money.

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"I went a whole year last year only buying stuff from op shops," she said.

Sisters Bonnie and Bridie Beniuk were also at the sale, and while Bonnie snapped up some jackets, Bridie found a unique Brisbane Broncos jumper.

"I got a bedazzled Broncos top to annoy my dad because he's a Dragons fan," Bridie laughed.

"They're playing tonight and I'm going to wear it."

Around 9000 kilograms of clothing, some from the United States, Japan and Europe, had been hauled into UOW for the event.

"This morning was really busy, but it's definitely calmed down," event organiser Maite Marchiorim said.

"There's a line but everyone's happy and everyone's super keen."

The French Fripe is behind the sale and after sweeping success in Europe they set up a base in Sydney, with their first sale in Marrickville attracting 5000 fashionistas. Wollongong was the first stop on their national tour, followed by Newcastle.