BTS WITH RESKINNED: HOW WE’RE CREATING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE

The future of fashion is sustainable and we love being part of the movement. With more of us turning to alternative options like rental, preloved, small businesses and opting for reimagined pieces created through upcycling, it can feel like there is a lot going on in this growing industry.

So what is the better option: resale / rental / repurposed?

To put it bluntly, all of them! Above all else, the sustainable fashion space is not a competition. It’s a community with a vision for a more sustainable fashion future.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, there are four key types of circular fashion business models in operation today; ‘Rental, Resale, Repair, and Remaking’. We have an attitude of ‘if you can, you should’, so we have created a business model that pulls together three of the four. This ability to manage three different avenues of sustainable action doesn’t mean we are lacking in attention to detail. Our technology is considered, advanced, and powered by twenty years of experience in the recycling industry.

How are Reskinned building a more circular economy?

Resale: We offer high quality items that have the seal of approval from the brands that made them

So many high quality clothes that still have life in them pass through the doors of our recycling business every day. That’s why it was a no-brainer for us to launch our own resale platform. Each item has been collected exclusively through take back schemes run via the brands and have a guaranteed authenticity. Our partners and brands spend time in our warehouse in East London and are involved in the process of selecting which items are in good enough condition for resale. Those that don’t make the cut are responsibly recycled and repurposed. We also make sure that every brand we work with has shared values and a genuine ambition to improve sustainability within the fashion industry.

Repair: We sort by hand and do our own repairs

It's a simple action but it sets us apart. We offer a unique model where we run our own take back systems, sort everything by hand and can then resell or recycle the items ourselves. Sorting items by hand takes a lot of time and, to be honest, costs more, but we know it’s worth it so we can be sure that no items are recycled that have life in them. If an item can be repaired, it will. Repairs are made by Claire and her team at our warehouse in East London. You can check the item description to find out if it has been repaired or not when shopping on our resale platform.

Repurposing: We repurpose before we recycle if it can’t be repaired

We love upcycling and are already working with designers like E.L.V. Denim and Ahluwalia to turn the good bits of old clothes into something new. We have plans to expand this and would love to be able to offer feed stock for emerging designers who are passionate about sustainability.

The reality is not all clothing that comes to Reskinned is able to be re-routed into one of these circular avenues. When clothes are really past it (and we mean really past it), we responsibly recycle them.

Recycling: We recycle clothes ourselves and invest in innovative technology

As we said, if you can, you should!

A traditional resale platform focuses on selling preloved clothes. A textile recycling business focuses on downcycling old clothes into fibres that can be reused or using old fibres to create new ones. A take-back businesses run the operations and logistics of take back schemes offered by other brands. We do all three.

We’ve been running our recycling business for over 20 years (and have another 40 years of family experience in the industry). That means we have lots of solutions to get the most out of clothes that can’t be worn again. We’re working closely with brands to find ways we can repurpose end of life clothes into new products. For example, we might turn clothes from one brand into stuffing for dog beds that they can then sell in their stores.

Our biggest goal is to create more options for circularity closer to home. Reskinned are exploring ways to turn old fabrics into new ones through tech investment. We’ve partnered with the people who can do this already, and we support development with the smaller plants who have not quite got there yet.

The final word…

Ultimately, we want there to be more options for people to buy good-quality, preloved items than there are for them to buy new. We’re excited to be part of such a growing industry and to also be able to share the expertise and knowledge we’ve built over the years. Reskinned is a resale platform you can trust.