Arts
Giving second life to designer goods
Thrift shopping, extremely popular in Western countries like the US and Canada, is still a fairly new concept in Sri Lanka. A handful of online shops are now taking up space on social media platforms such as Instagram offering people opportunities to choose clothes, shoes and other items on a budget, instead of spending a lot of money on expensive new items at retail or designer stores.
Up and coming platforms:Thingamajigs and Thrift Colombo
There are now a few up-and-coming platforms, such as Thrift Colombo and Ape, which sell preloved designer and luxury items at reasonable prices, while other online stores such as Thingamajigs, Fleasy and Fashion Circle sell all kinds of secondhand clothing and other items.
Thrift Colombo (thrift_colombo) launched on Instagram during the COVID lockdown at the beginning of the year is a part-time venture, which focuses on re-selling preloved branded or designer items, which usually have to be bought online or abroad.
“Thrift Colombo began, because I realised I had many branded items I could give away. So when the pandemic occurred, I thought of posting photos online, just to see if people were interested in buying anything. Later on, other people reached out to me and asked if I could post photos of their branded items as well. That’s how this page has functioned over the past few months,” Thrift Colombo’s owner, a single mum who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Sunday Times Magazine.
She said this venture helps her declutter her wardrobe and her home, and live a somewhat minimalistic lifestyle.
“I stick to reselling fashion items – clothes, shoes, belts, hats and wallets usually. I usually advertise popular brands which many people are familiar with so people know the high quality of these products,” she said.
“I have regular customers for handbags and shoes, and I provide photos and video clips of the products so my customers have a good idea of what they are buying,” she added.
Another thrift and consignment store that popped up on Instagram this year is Thingamajigs (thing_a_majigs). The brainchild of Jezla Mohamed and Shakeel Lathiff, Thingamajigs had been selling a variety of items such as books, games, clothes and other items since August.
“What we sell depends on the demand and the responses for what we’ve already advertised on our page. The idea behind calling it “thingamajigs” is that we’re open to all kinds of products – no matter how peculiar,” Jezla told the Sunday Times Magazine.
So far, books and video games have been popular, and they have had a couple of regular customers. Thingamajigs offers the option of renting out certain items such as books, collectibles or games for a reasonable amount that the owner of the item is comfortable with.
“Because of the culture clash of ‘consumerism vs sustainability’, this seemed to be a good idea to invest in. It is an original idea, because both parties – those selling secondhand products and those buying – have something to gain.”
“We advertise the products and if we do find buyers, then we handle the delivery process and keep a 30% commission from the sale. The seller gets the rest of it. We feel this incentivises people to give away many things they aren’t using, because they are able to get quick cash from this process. At the same time people are encouraged to buy secondhand products,” she added.
Another online thrift store or “flea market” that is taking off on Instagram is Fleasy which has been in operation since September. They have a wide array of secondhand products, mainly clothes, shoes and accessories and what makes them stand out among other thrift stores is their clever methods of repurposing certain secondhand items.
“Fleasy began as an outlet for creativity and sustainability, all important ideas in today’s world. We wanted to create a brand that sells items that would otherwise be discarded or wasted, and gives them a second life. We loved the idea of reimagining and restoring preloved items – not just re-selling them,” one of Fleasy’s co-owners told the Sunday Times.
“Fleasy works on partial-blind bids. Rather than encouraging ‘bidding wars’ or competition, we let people decide what something’s worth to them, and if they bid the highest, they win,” they added.
The owners of Fleasy are hoping to create a network of creators and collaborators so their business becomes a showcase platform for part-time artists to test the retail value and demand for their work. They mainly operate on Instagram (@flea.sy) and have a Facebook page (Fleasy – online flea market) as well.
| Gift your pre-loved items to help our four-legged friends Roshan Chitty is the face behind Wishing Well, an online charity organisation that raises funds for animal welfare in Sri Lanka. Wishing Well operates through a Facebook page and focuses on helping street cats and dogs. Roshan has been running this charity since 2014 accepting and selling donations of pre-loved items such as clothes, books, magazines, DVDS and CDs, crockery and ornaments. The funds raised have been going towards paying the medical bills for sick or injured street animals and animals that have been ‘dumped’ or abandoned by their owners. She fosters these street cats and dogs and tries to find homes for them, and also conducts sterilisation programmes. “In January I started Spay it Forward Sri Lanka – a spay and neuter programme to reduce the stray dog and cat populations in Sri Lanka,” Roshan told the Sunday Times Magazine. “I started this organisation because I believe the key to reducing the abuse and suffering of stray dogs and cats is by population control which can be achieved by active spay programmes,” she added. Before the pandemic situation Roshan regularly held clearance sales to raise funds for animal welfare. Books and magazines were the most popular items bought by her customers. Donations can be dropped off at Roshan’s residence at Cambridge Place in Colombo 07. For more information please call 0716889576. | |