The Village Reloved Clothing

After quite a lot of thought, we decided to launch our own antidote to fastfashion with our own selection of preloved clothing for children and adults. We aren't currently receiving public donations, but please do come and take a look. 

 

 

Sustainability factors - how does this help reduce our impact?

In an age of throwaway fashion, the fickle & disposable price for wanting to look good comes at a huge detriment to our planet.

When producing and purchasing clothing, we must ask ourselves what has gone into this process? For example, acrylic is made from petroleum (oil) which is a finite fossil fuel, and processed into a form of plastic. This process uses an incredible amount of energy in the forms of electricity and burning fossil fuels, in addition to the vast amounts of water required to create the finished garment.

Once complete, it is likely to be wrapped in, or hung on, more plastic and transported to its destination using further fossil fuels. All of this contributes to a pretty hefty carbon footprint.

Of course, there are more sustainable fabrics such as bamboo, Lyocell and hemp. However, these are not without their limitations. Bamboo, for example, is grown mainly in China. Keeping control of damaging pesticide use in production isn't easy, plus the further carbon footprint implications with transporting these garments around the world aren't to be ignored.

Ethics are also a further, and serious, consideration. It is common for even the most well-known fashion houses to have a reliance on cheap (or even child) labour, usually based in Asian countries. Many are still operating ‘Sweat Shop’ factories that were exposed in the early Noughties, or not fully in control of their extended supply chain for fabrics or trims, particularly when certain elements are outsourced.

There can be implications on the education, living & working conditions of the workers and their families, with the extended impact on health and well-being that this entails too. Chances are if a new item is too reasonably priced, it’s probably due to an exploitation cost further down the line.

Quite simply, the best thing you can do is buy secondhand or preloved. The item already exists and is ready to be enjoyed again. Once, and only when, it has truly reached the end of its life cycle, it can then be recycled into something else. The more creative the better!

We've created a handy summary of reasons to buy preloved. Here goes: -

• It's much more cost-effective, we will always offer good value (most items are under £10).
• It’s so much better for the environment. These items already exist rather than using precious resources to create new ones.
• It’s a really fun way to shop; you never know what items you’ll find, and it actually allows you & your little one to discover your true style, rather than being governed by trends.