That’s the challenge I set myself, and this is my journey.
As the bushfires ravaged our beautiful country in Jan 2020, I wasn’t the only one looking to channel my despair into some kind of meaningful change.
I understood the need to do things differently, and even if I started small, I had to start with something. For me, that something was taking a hard look at my fashion consumption habits, and challenging myself to cut back.
So, much to my husband’s disbelief, I declared 2020 the year I would buy no new fashion items.
I had already broken up with fast fashion, so my wardrobe was full of good quality designer brands I didn’t wear enough, and I had every staple I needed, plus some special pieces - plenty to sustain me for 12 months…
For the first six months it was fine, mainly because I couldn’t go anywhere (thankyou covid), but then as we came out of the first lockdown, social events resumed and we had a trip to Byron booked. Usually this would not instill any type of fashion crisis, however due to my 'no new fashion' commitment, coupled with not leaving the house in six months, my yearn and desire for something fresh, something new to pack, was almost impossible to ignore.
So I thought about how I could satisfy my desire in a more sustainable way - and started to explore buying pre-loved locally (buying locally for a lower carbon footprint).
Facebook marketplace was my first destination, however I quickly found with no curation and each item presented in a less than appealing way, along with having to agree on the price and postage/pick up, it took a real time investment. The advantage to this was it slowed down my consumption and I had to really decide if what I wanted was worth the time and effort.
My endeavours did result in finding a timeless long black Bassike dress I still wear today, a beautiful yellow linen Watson x Watson dress I always get compliments on, and a couple of Anine Bing sweaters and a pair of jeans - all pieces I really love.
And so my love of pre-loved was cemented but I realised from my journey, that what I really wanted was an e-comm destination of curated designer pieces, where I could be confident of the condition and authenticity, and the work of finding great pieces from the best brands had already been done.
I really desired great photography, sizing/fit information, and quick delivery to make it easy for me to buy instantly and feel good about my purchase.
I knew if something like that existed, more people would buy pre-loved, and we’d be able to grow the fashion circular economy, which has so many positive benefits for the planet and our human race.
My journey is now reaching new heights, with the launch of Cirkular.
We hope you join us in discovering how fabulous buying pre-loved can be, so together we can make an impact.
X Liv
