I recently had the opportunity to meet and talk to one of the participants of the Clothing for Good exhibition in Adelaide, Taylor Parham. We were able to discuss what the event was about and the work the exhibition participants did in partnership with Thread Together. The exhibition ran from the 8th of October to the 23rd of October at the Kerry Packer Civil Gallery at the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and was put together by a group of University of South Australia Students. Proceeds from the event went to Thread Together which is an organisation that give clothes to those in need and the students also went around and helped Thread Together out with some of their work helping those in need. I was able to attend the opening night fundraiser and then visited the exhibition the following day where I talked to Taylor. The video below has Taylor talking about the event and photos from the fundraiser and exhibition both times I was there. So take a moment to check out the video and leave a comment below!
Author: sarahbuchecker
Why You Should Buy Eco-Friendly Clothes!
Now a days, more than ever, people are trying to reduce their environmental footprint in every way they can. A step in the right direction to do this is to buy and sell pre-loved clothes or buy clothes that are ‘slow-fashion’ and avoid those that are ‘fast-fashion’. When it comes to helping the environment it seem buying slow fashion is always overlooked; but the clothing habits of people worldwide are having a negative effect on the environment more and more with every day. According to the Money Smart website set up by the Australian government, in 2016 Australian’s spend $20.4 billion a year on their fashion needs and wants (to check out more spending facts visit their website https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/managing-your-money/budgeting/australian-spending-habits).
It is this spending caused by fast fashion that is changing the way we shop for the worse. Fast Fashion is defined in 2018 by blogger Solene Rauturier in her blog post ‘What is Fast Fashion?’ as “cheap, trendy clothing, that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed.”
Fast fashion has a major impact on the environment due to the cheap and nasty chemicals used in the production of these clothes. As a result of this the fashion industry is the second largest polluter of clean water worldwide (Rauturier, 2018). Fast fashion is also having a negative effect on the environment due to the amount of waste being generated daily. As more designs get passed and released the older ones get thrown away, not just by the companies but by buyers who are now always searching for something new. As a result of this mass waste production companies such as Thread Together (talked about in a previous post: link) collect these clothes no longer wanted by these companies and give them away to those in need for free.
By buying clothes that are eco-friendly you will be doing your part to help the environment. Check out this link below to see a list of slow fashion brands to shop at today: https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fair-trade-clothing
For more information on this topic check out this blog post by Jasmine Dowling titled ‘Slowing Down with Fast Fashion’ posted on March 24th, 2019. https://www.jasminedowling.com/blog/2019/1/21/slowing-down-on-fast-fashion
Top places to buy or sell second hand clothes online
If you want to buy or sell second hand clothes without leaving your house here are some perfect websites for you.
Facebook’s Marketplace Widget: Facebook’s marketplace is perfect for finding clothes (or anything) near you from people around you. Facebook also remembers items you’ve looked at and shows you items ‘similar to your recent views’ so you never know what you’ll discover. Selling on marketplace is easy and is a perfect way to get your items out there for people to see. The Facebook messenger feature makes communicating between seller and buyer easy and really takes the stress out of selling or buying. https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo
Depop: Depop’s website and ap is designed for finding and selling clothes.. Depop allows you to create a profile and post items you wish to sell. The app does require you get your self out there a bit and gain a following before people start rushing to your posts, but if you are good at photographing your clothes you could gain a following quick. Only big downside to Depop is if you’re looking to sell to make money 10% of your revenue goes to Depop themselves. https://www.depop.com/
Instagram stores: A lot of sellers are moving to Instagram to sell their clothes. Certain accounts are completely dedicated to posting photos of the clothes they want to sell and even make a name for themselves and their style. This is a good way to go if you have heaps of time and know how to get followers quick. https://www.instagram.com/
Gumtree: Gumtree is an ever-growing free site that allows you to sell just about anything. You must make an account and then create ads for what you want to sell. The only problem with this site is that there are so many users and therefore your ad might get lost within everything else. This might just be a good idea for rural areas and probably not the best for selling to younger people. https://www.gumtree.com.au/
Carousel: Carousel is a new platform that is similar to Depop. It’s free and payment and delivery is up to you. https://au.carousell.com/
Zouma: Zouma is a new platform where you can your sell second hand and new clothing. All you have to do is sign up and then start posting. The platform is quick and easy to use. https://www.zouma.com.au/
ThredUP: is the “world’s largest online thrift store where you can buy and sell high-quality secondhand clothes”. The site is similar to other online websites where you post your pre-loved clothes but has a more professional set up and look that makes it feel like you’re not buying second hand. https://www.thredup.com/
For tips on how to sell your clothes on these sites check out this Volusion blog post –> https://www.volusion.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-selling-clothes-other-apparel-online/
Are you considering selling your pre-loved clothes?
A lot of people donate their clothes to charity stores once they decide they no longer want them. But, a lot of charity stores have too much stock and are actually now declining to take clothes. This means lot of people end up throwing their clothes away. But, there is something else you can do before you reach for the trash bags. Selling your clothes, whether it be online or at a market, can be incredibly fun and rewarding.
As I stated in the about me section, I am a shopaholic and when I no longer wear an item I attempt to sell it and if it doesn’t sell I give it my Nan for her op shop.
My friend and I have had our own market stall in the past and have our own Facebook page where we also post clothes we want to sell. We obviously don’t make millions through doing this but it is a handy way to pick up a little cash when you’re low.
Tips For Selling Your Clothes
- If you are posting photos of your clothes online, for example on Facebook Marketplace, make sure your photos look appealing. Find good lighting and a good background. If you have a lot of clothes to sell maybe do a small photo shoot with a friend, take as many photos as you can!
- If you have a market stall or garage sale, ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE!! The more you push your event the more people will see it and consider it. But again make it look appealing, make it attract their attention.
- Don’t be too snobby with your prices. People are not going to pay full price for a basic item that you’ve worn several times. Be reasonable. Also be prepared to markdown items if they aren’t selling.
- Reply to messages ASAP. People don’t like to be kept waiting.
- If you have a market stall consider purchasing a card payment system. The one my friend and I used was the SquareReader. https://squareup.com/shop/hardware/au/en/products/chip-credit-card-reader-with-nfc-au There are other cheaper options out there as well. Shop around.
- Be open to delivering your clothes. If I deliver clothes to a buyer I usually charge $5 extra depending on their location.
- Don’t sell something that is significantly damaged or stained unless you are willing to write out and photograph the problems with the item. Make sure you don’t lie about the quality of an item.
- Have fun with it, they’re your clothes.
For any inspiration check out mine and my friends Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sarahsecondhand
For more tips and tricks feel free to head over to Alize Mendez’s blog post ’20 tips for selling clothes online’ here –> https://blog.size.ly/blog/20-tips-for-selling-clothes-online
Adelaide Vintage
At the start of the month I sat down with Lynda, the owner of Adelaide Vintage. Adelaide Vintage is located on Level 2 of Rundle Mall’s Myer Centre and sells vintage clothing for both male and females of any age.
Lynda and I discussed her store and Vintage fashion in general, below is the audio from our discussion.
Special thanks to Lynda for allowing me to talk to her.
Styled Market: New Adelaide Vintage + Designer Fashion Market
Interested in markets AND second hand clothes? Look no further than Adelaide’s Styled Market. Hosted by Styled Market, Roxie’s and Chateau Apollo, the market is held every two to three months and located at Roxie’s – a local beer garden.
Roxie’s is located at 188 Grenfell street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000
The next Styled Market to occur is scheduled for Sunday the 20th of October (11am-4pm) and will be the fourth market to date.
On the official Facebook event for the market (https://www.facebook.com/events/401382557258522/) Styled Market says “you will find 30+ stalls within the beautiful Garden Bar setting of Roxie’s & the Rustic Chic Chateau Apollo!” All 30 of the stalls are from varying people with varying fashion tastes so there is definitely something for everybody.
If you are not looking to buy and maybe interested in selling instead, a stall costs $49 and you must get in quick as there are only 30 slots available each month.
This isn’t the only place you can go though; other markets where you can find vintage or second-hand clothes include:
- Round She Goes: an inside market at Woodville town hall that specialises in store that sell pre-loved women’s clothing. Entry is $2 and the next market is on the 30th of November at 10am.
- Giles at the Ground Market: This is a market at the Wayville Show Grounds that sells much more than just clothes but does have a large collection of pre-loved and vintage clothes up for grabs. The next market will be on Sunday the 17th of November at 10am.
Head over to the Londoner In Sydney’s blog for some tips on having your own market stall if that is something that interests you! Link here –> https://londonerinsydney.com/make-1000-selling-old-clothes-sydney-market/
Welcome
Welcome to my first post on Adelaide Pre-Loved Clothes.
Thank you, for checking out my blog and giving this a read. I will be posting as much as I can, hopefully once every week or two. My posts will range from tips and tricks, information about events and shops, clothes I have brought second hand and so much more.
If you are wanting to know more about me head over to the ‘About Me’ tab near the top where I introduce myself and explain what I want to achieve from this blog.
Thrift on, Sarah.
Adelaide Pre-Loved Fashion 