From take back schemes to luxury handbag rentals, there’s never been so many ways to shop the circular economy rather than buying new. Put these websites on your radar …
British brand Toast (loved for its quality pieces that stand out from the trend sphere) is perennially ahead of the game when it comes to circular fashion. In October, it launches Toast Reworn, a pre-loved site where you can repurchase Toast pieces from contemporary collections to early loungewear designs that date back to when the brand started in 1997. Additionally, Toast launched a take back scheme earlier this year which enables customers to send Toast clothing, accessories and textiles they no longer need back to the brand, regardless of quality and condition. It’s an initiative that encourages people to dispose of clothing responsibly, rather than via unverified channels or sending pieces to landfill. Items will be used in the brand’s circular initiatives, resold on the Reworn site or donated to TRAID, a UK charity that raises funds to support garment workers and their families. Irish customers can shop Reworn pieces which launch in October at eu.toa.st.
Our attention was piqued recently when we discovered Irish company Luxe Library on Instagram, a rental service dedicated solely to designer handbags. Our current favourite on the site is a chilli red Chloé cross-body with delectable gold hardware, that retails in the region of €920, but costs €75 for a weekly rental – perfect if you have a week chock full of events that you’d like something special for, of if you’d simply like to take a designer bag for a test drive before investing a large amount of money in one (makes perfect sense to us). You can also rent bags on a monthly basis, too. www.luxelibrary.ie.
Image: Sellier
Buying a pre-loved handbag can also be an investment. Discerning shoppers will love the collaboration between Matches Fashion and Sellier, a resale store with locations in Knightsbridge and Monaco, that’s now accessible to a wider audience. Its curation of vintage luxury bags is a collector’s dream. Think: vintage Hermès Kelly bags in the brand’s distinctive Vert Vertigo shade of green, a Chanel Cruise 2022 Vanity Case that borders on pure novelty but is undeniably fabulous and Chanel 2.55 quilted handbags in novel colours. www.matchesfashion.com.
Minimalists will flock to Retold, a site with an excellent curation of pre-loved and vintage pieces, with brands that run the gamut from Joseph to YSL. Starting prices are mid-range – think £165 for a vintage Burberry blazer – and the aesthetic value is high. www.retoldvintage.com.
Brides-to-be may be familiar with Rebride, an Irish site that sells fantastically curated pre-loved wedding dresses. It has just launched a peer-to-peer arm to the business too, which connects brides looking for a specific dress with potential sellers, using social media as a sourcing tool. It’s particuarly useful for those looking for a sell-out item, a piece from a collection that is a couple of season’s old, or an item that’s not available in Ireland. www.rebride.ie
