The Re: Club is reinventing the way we shop for clothes so we can re-wear and re-share on repeat. Sheona, founder of The Re: Club, was shocked to learn that only 15% of op shop donated clothing sells.
Sheona was on a mission to keep clothes away from landfill and to reduce clothing waste. The Re: Club – an online shop and clothes swap scheme – started in January 2020 to recognise better solutions to mitigate the unsustainability of mass consumerism.
Preloved Clothing Online
Sheona’s vision for The Re: Club is to become the new & sustainable way to shop for fashion in the 21st century.
The Re: Club is reinventing the traditional concept of a “clothing swap” into something more mainstream, attractive & accessible by offering a clothes swap membership & the chance to buy second hand clothes online.
The Re: Club aims to shift our mindset away from the default shopping of buying new – to buy preloved clothing – whilst still shopping for our favourite brands and styles. All ready-to-wear clothing is accepted to include every brand, size, colour and style.
Sheona passionately believes that every created and manufactured piece of clothing deserves to be loved again & worn until it’s no longer wearable.
Once a piece comes to its end-of-wearable-life, it’s stored in the ‘rag’ pile, ready for another chance in a different life-form, keeping clothing out of landfill for even longer. This rag pile is in the development phase of a “re-new” product range.
Local Community Wardrobe
![The Re: Club is a community wardrobe & is reinventing the way we shop for clothes](https://renewyliving.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Re-Club-A-Community-Wardrobe-800x800.jpeg)
Community is always at the heart of The Re: Club – beginning with the idea of creating a giant “community wardrobe“.
Although The Re: Club is primarily an online business – started weeks before COVID-19 hit – you can regularly find them at local markets in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and the Central Coast. The markets are a great place to meet the local community who are interested in The Re: Club’s mission.
Since launching at the start of 2020, The Re: Club has celebrated every milestone with the community to thank you for supporting the fashion circular economy. As of March 2021, The Re: Club has saved and rehomed an astonishing 2000 items of clothing from landfill!
A passion for the environment & sustainability remains their core principle as The Re: Club expands beyond Newcastle to Australia wide. Sheona hopes to create a wave of change in shopping habits across Australia.
We Can Make a Difference
Since starting The Re: Club, Sheona’s learned that both businesses and individuals can make a difference in their impact on the environment.
Sheona encourages new businesses to offer an eco friendly alternative to our current mass consumerism style of shopping habits.
A lot of people want to feel like they’re “doing their bit” for people and the environment. They just don’t know how. The Re: Club helps by offering a better & more eco friendly alternative of clothes we no longer want or need.
Sheona agrees that shifting to more eco friendly habits can certainly be daunting, as she felt this way before starting The Re: Club.
Her top tip is not to jump in too deep too soon. Start with little changes, such as joining The Re: Club clothes swap membership, gently moving from the default of buying new to buying preloved.
The Re: Club Legacy
![The Re: Club is a community wardrobe & is reinventing the way we shop for clothes](https://renewyliving.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Re-Club-Logo.jpg)
The Re: Club would like to leave a legacy of a positive mindset shift to value second hand shopping. As more people support the concept of a preloved clothes swap membership, Sheona is excited to see that a business initiative like The Re: Club can help people make this change.
To sign up for The Re: Club membership and for more details, head to The Re:Club here.
Find Out More…
Related stories from French for Tuesday:
- Find out other eco friendly Newcastle based businesses who are doing good for people and planet
- Read how creating a wonderfully strong sense of community can make a world of difference
- Discover how a sense of belonging to others can make us feel more connected
- Ways we can shop and support local
If you’d like to read more of these stories, you can show your support by shouting me a “cuppa”. Your love and support enables me to create more stories that teach us so much about eco living.
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Consignment shops like yours and The Re:Club are a wonderful way to help us become more mindful about our consumption, as well as having the chance to keep our quality clothes in circulation.
Love the Re:Club! We also have started a similar online consignment and thrift store in Sydney called SwapUp. It’s a great option for those looking to also use their earnings to cash out or donate to non-profits 🙂