Think about the massive amounts of donated items that haven’t been used - at all. Some things are considered secondhand, but may have been hanging in someone’s closet, unworn.

Secondhand shopping helps support a circular economy.

Reselling items that have already been produced or manufactured helps save additional unnecessary carbon emissions and reduces dependency on using new natural resources and manmade materials.

Buying secondhand helps divert apparel waste from landfills and helps us change the damaging ways we are currently consuming fashion.

Shopping secondhand is like finding a treasure. There is always something unique to find - it just has to be found!

You know that saying, “They don’t make ‘em like they used to…”

There’s a lot of truth to that.

Quality is generally lacking in much of what is manufactured today. Fast fashion lacks quality because it was specifically designed “cheaply.”

The Philly Closet celebrates amazing quality and craftsmanship, rescuing well-made secondhand pieces that have years of life left to cherish.

Merriam Webster defines fast fashion as “an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers.”

Fast fashion demand drives human and environmental exploitation.

If a company is able to create something “quickly and cheaply” - then ultimately, something is being exploited.

Up to 95% of the materials that go to landfills each year could be recycled.

Nearly 20% of global wastewater is produced by the fashion industry.

According to the United Nations, the fashion industry consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industry combined.

20% of global production waste comes from the textile and apparel sectors

551,155 tons of plastic microfibers are estimated to pollute the ocean each year from washing clothes -- equivalent to the plastic pollution of more than 50 billion bottles.

Manufacturing materials such as nylon and polyester releases a large amount of nitrous oxide, a gas 300 times worse than carbon dioxide for global warming.

$26 a month is how much the average Ethiopian garment worker makes.

No major clothing brand pays its garment makers in Asia, Africa, Central America or Eastern Europe enough to climb out of poverty. Many retail workers toil for poverty pay.

1,132 garment workers died and 2,500 more were injured when a multi-factory building collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2013.

70% of global clothing donations are estimated to end up in Africa, which can damage its local economies.

wearable / usable / impeccable secondhand.

the Philly Closet boutique is a place to search, laugh, and shop for one-of-a-kind vintage and quality items.

the Philly Closet consulting helps individuals and small businesses with thrifting techniques, reselling and operations strategies, as well as e-commerce and marketing.

the Philly Closet aims to drive a positive conversation around secondhand goods and encourages a change in our fast-trash-fashion habits. We need more online boutique owners that take time to curate quality and eccentric eco-friendly shopping.

While consulting, I realized that reselling websites such as eBay, The RealReal, Poshmark, and Mercari are currently oversaturated with merchandise. I’ve been selling consistently on eBay for over 18 years. I admit, it can take hours to shop to find unique pieces that aren’t “too used.” These challenges make it difficult to shop and sell on these websites, often times deterring consumers from shopping secondhand.

It’s time we change how we think about and consume fashion. Thank you for supporting my journey.

This project also donates 1% of all sales for next-gen carbon removal.