In the heart of leafy Cobham, a boutique is quietly challenging fashion's status quo — Joanne Antoniades meets the founder of Phoenix Style
Earlier this year, Phoenix Style in Cobham made the TV headlines with the story of two young criminals who shoplifted designer handbags worth over £15,000.
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The most striking element was that this was a second-hand clothes store - selling pre-loved luxury fashion.
The store has been a feature of Cobham’s high street for decades. Founded in the 1970s as a dress agency, it's now owned by fashion PR Paige Mengers, who has carved a niche by making sustainability chic.
Paige, who took over the store in 2017, describes the mission simply: “To make sustainable luxury part of your wardrobe.” And with her background in fast fashion and early advocacy for pre-loved German brands, she knows both sides of the industry — the disposable and the durable.
Phoenix Style
With a robust online presence and a second boutique in Wimbledon Village, the brand is building its eco-conscious empire on the belief that recycling high-end fashion is not only a style choice but a moral one.
“Luxury is made to last,” she says, pointing to a growing roster of celebrity devotees like Zendaya, Kate Moss, and Olivia Rodrigo. Vintage, once seen as a compromise, has become aspirational.
Her customers - many high-net-worth locals - agree. They buy and sell through the boutique – the store collects, cleans, markets, and sells items for a 50% commission. With a sell-through rate of up to 90%, the model works. It’s sustainable, both ecologically and economically.
Phoenix Style
Especially popular are its designer handbags: “The best Chanel and Birkin bags are in and out very quickly,” says Paige.
But such desirable – and easily sellable – items can attract unwanted attention, too
Earlier this year, Phoenix Style fell victim to two brazen robberies during opening hours. Thieves armed with bolt cutters made off with thousands in designer handbags. The fear left behind — and the community’s outrage — was palpable.
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Though police response was initially slow, Paige, ever the PR professional, turned the tide through media attention. Both Surrey and the Metropolitan Police later stepped in, holding meetings and promising more responsive protocols for retail crimes. The handbags, however, were never recovered.
The incident hasn’t shaken her vision. If anything, it’s refocused it. Paige now plans to expand into more locations across Surrey — doubling down on the idea that sustainable luxury isn’t a passing trend, but the new foundation of the fashion industry.
phoenixstyle.co.uk. Locations open 7 days a week: Phoenix Style Cobham, 25 Oakdene Parade, Cobham KT11 2LR. Phoenix Style Wimbledon, 22 High Street, Wimbledon SW19 5DX.
