New Sudbury dress shop Vi Vi Vi aims to serve as social hub for LGBTQ+ community

Hayley Brett is launching her new business this week – a potential first for Sudbury.

Situated opposite Weston’s Bakery in Gaol Lane, Vi Vi Vi will be a dress shop with its roots firmly in promoting diversity.

It will stock handbags and jewellery, lingerie in larger sizes – up to a size 32 – shoes in bigger sizes for the trans community, as well as vintage dresses and clothing.

When restrictions are eventually relaxed to allow social gatherings to take place again, Hayley hopes it will become a social hub for the LGBTQ+ community, working with groups like Suffolk Artslink, an arts charity, to put on tailor-made events every four to six weeks

“We have lots of contacts in the trans community and can source lots of things, such as shoes in bigger sizes,” said Hayley.

“We want customers to come to us for quality items. I hope we can offer the LGBTQ+ community something here.”

Hayley also runs a dance school called Viva L’Amour School of Burlesque, empowering women to love themselves through dance.

Before lockdown, she taught dancing to 150 women, running 11 classes a week, including in Great Cornard and Sudbury.

She said: “I go by the name of Viva L’Amour and my partner, Vincent, cross dresses and is called Vicky, so that’s how we came up with the name Vi Vi Vi for the shop.”

Originally based in Stonham Barns, Hayley was forced to consider her options when the first lockdown hit in March. With her burlesque classes also affected, she decided to move her business to Sudbury.

She is keen to encourage mums to come in and feel at ease shopping there, as young children will always be welcome.

Throughout December, she is asking people to nominate someone who has had “a horrid year and for whom Christmas is going to be super hard”. She will then arrange for a package of goodies to be sent to them.

You can find details of Hayley’s new shop on Facebook under Vi Vi Vi Clothing and Accessories.