Inspiring women
These enterprising women are giving clothes a second lease of life
Any child of the 70s will remember the embarrassment of wearing hand-medowns. It’s probably why many of us still hanker after the thrill of twirling in a brand-new outfit. Let’s face it – fashion is ultimately an expression of our identity. But with the climate crisis and the spiralling cost of living at the front of everyone’s minds, it’s time to embrace second-hand clothing too.
‘I COULDN’T NOT HAVE IT!’
Sarah Able, 56, a PR and marketing manager, and Helen Brooke, 52, a criminal defence solicitor, from West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, run pre-loved clothing agency Re.Dress. Helen: I still remember my first pre-loved purchase. I was 16 and it was the 80s era of the Nick Kamen Levi’s ad. I was desperate for a pair of 501s, but they were well out of my budget. There was this funky arcade in Leicester, with loads of vintage shops, and I bought a pair there, plus a trench coat, and wore both to death through my student years.
I met Sarah on a school trip with our sons, and we had lots in common. She liked the khaki jumpsuit I was wearing so much, she went and bought one! We went to a pre-loved clothes sale together and realised that we could do something similar locally. We held our first Re.Dress event in summer 2019. There were about 20 sellers who booked to sell their own clothes. We collected donations to sell for charity and gave all our ticket sales to a women’s refuge. We still make nothing ourselves – all our proceeds go to charity.
We had an event booked for the end of March 2020, but we all know what happened next. The pandemic left us with a rail of clothes with nowhere to go. Not knowing how long we’d be out of action, we came up with the idea of selling them through Instagram. We’re still doing it now, even though I was back at work full time by October 2020.
We’ve now raised nearly £25,000. Every time I look at that figure, I think, ‘Gosh, that’s just from selling clothes.’ It does give me a buzz. Also, we’re helping make pre-loved clothing desirable and stopping it from going into landfill.
I’ve even found an item I love just as much as that first pair of 501s. We had a donation of a David Bowie sweatshirt and put it up for sale at our very first event. Nobody else bought it. I couldn’t not have it.
Sarah: In lockdown, I was furloughed and so was Helen. We’re both busy people, but suddenly found ourselves with nothing to do. That time gave us a chance to use our brains to be creative. Re.Dress has evolved into a passion over the past three years.
I often work with influencers because I work in marketing, s
