Circular Fashion hits Belgrave Words by Lisa Ford
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ecycled fashion has long been a hallmark of the Hills. Op shops staffed by friendly volunteers grace our foothills townships, miraculously absorbing unwanted goods while offering preloved treasures at bargain prices. When my kids were young and growing fast, the local op shops were a real godsend. Now that my boys are almost grown up, I still browse opportunity shops in the hope of that special find: a jaunty woollen hat, sleek black kid leather gloves or even, God bless, brand new snakeskin shoes in my size 8 (I have found them all!). But great fashion finds are more likely a nice surprise, rather than the rule. Enter Coffee and Clothes. When I first heard that Coffee and Clothes had opened up in the former Belgrave health food shop, my first thought was that it was just another recycled fashion shop. But when my friend Rachel organised the August special of a free styling consultation for us, I realised that Coffee and Clothes offers something more. As part of her consultation, business owner and fashion consultant Clare Hamilton emailed us her e-book beforehand to do some research on our body types. Rachel-rectangle, me-apple. Done! Or so we thought. On the wintry Monday afternoon of our appointment, I arrived wearing basic black as instructed. I waited for Rachel at a table in the Parisian-style café nestled within the shop, savouring a smooth almond latte by the cosy fire. There I met Clare, who explained that the café gives her women customers a place to relax and indulge, surrounded by racks of beautiful and exotic clothes and accessories. She talked about her passion for clothes but especially for affordable slow or circular fashion. Slow fashion is the industry’s response to the major environmental problem posed by
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cheap fast fashion, which sees 70% of all clothing consigned to rubbish tips in their first year of use. And that’s without considering other significant problems associated with fast fashion, such as the use of slave labour to produce such cheap clothing and the use of toxic pollutants. Selling second-hand fashion is part of the broader concept of a circular economy, where clothing is well-made and circulated back into the community or repurposed for a second or even third life. It extends the lifespan of clothes already in circulation, dampens demand for new clothes and fewer clothes are consigned to the rubbish tip. Clare stocks preloved fashion which still has plenty of life. Some of her stock had also been re-furbished, such as designer jeans renovated with brocade or bling. Clare goes one step further, offering styling consultations so that her customers develop a better understanding of what looks good on them and make purchases they are happier with. Good purchasing decisions mean fewer mistakes, less consumption and more sustainable fashion. There is an added social benefit, in that some of Clare’s new customers feel down about their appearance: learning