Out with the old. In with the new.
New things entice us, but they don't have to be covered in packaging and smell of plastic to be novel and appealing.
Preloved, second-hand, 'hand me downs,' and clothes from online preloved retailers such as MadamVirtue.com.au have boomed in recent years, with shoppers realising the environmental and style benefits of giving accessories and designer clothes a second life.
Take away the guilt
Guilt-free shopping is somewhat of a Holy Grail. What if you could buy clothes accessories with minimal environmental costs, and for somewhat a lesser price than purchasing that item new?
By buying fashion that is already manufactured, your purchase doesn't contribute to the significant environmental costs of production. In fact, you are helping by keeping them out of landfill.
Fast 'throwaway' fashion has its perils. You don't need an environmentalist to tell you that clothes bought and worn once, or perhaps never, and then thrown in the trash is the height of unsustainability.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
If we continually consume new products, we must be aware of what it takes to produce them and what happens to them after we deem them no longer useful.
Clothes made from materials such as cotton have big environmental impacts. Just the land and water needed to create them is huge. Then, when you factor in pollution caused by transportation, and burying in the ground after they are finished with, you can begin to see the costs.
It’s your money so keep it
Preloved fashion stores such as theUpstyler and Madam Virtue often have a huge range of products, from vintage pieces to those from the high street stores. The products in shops selling preloved fashion often span years, fashions and sometimes generations. It won't always be to your taste, but will most likely offer you choices that the mainstream stores can’t.
Preloved fashion is usually sold at very competitive prices. You can buy knowing that you are putting money back into your hip pocket with prices you can afford, financially and ethically, to change your wardrobe much more comfortably.
Madam Virtue & Co. - For preloved accessories and timeless fashion.