With all of us shopping online from the comfort of our own homes this year, and the increased focus on e-commerce, it's easier than ever to take advantage of a sale... but that's not always a good thing.
Fast fashion brands often overproduce their collections and are left with staggering amounts of unsold inventory at the end of the season, which are either marked down or discarded as waste.
The fast fashion industry is intentionally designed this way, with margins built into the business that allow for slashing prices or getting rid of styles that aren't selling—but this way of doing business is just about the farthest thing from sustainable.
But in the slow fashion industry, profit margins are typically much smaller due to the higher costs of fair pay and quality goods, and collections are often made in small batches to reduce waste and better reflect consumer demand.
For many brands, offering massive discounts just isn't financially viable. Further, discounts tend to encourage overconsumption, which is antithetical to just about everything the slow fashion industry stands for—so even if brands can afford it, many just don't want to participate.
I know this issue isn't black and white. Many people argue that slow fashion isn't accessible to all types of consumers due to the higher price point, and some customers save all year so they can invest in a few key pieces when they finally go on sale.
I completely understand this perspective, and I'll be the first to admit that I have to plan ahead and think consciously and carefully about my purchase decisions before I make them.
But ultimately, I think it's time to reframe what we think of as an appropriate price point for what we wear or what we bring into our homes.
Instead of accepting $5 or $10 shirts as the industry standard, we should be asking how the brand can afford to sell them that cheaply and what corners had to be cut in the process.
Instead of buying a whole new wardrobe every season, we should be thoughtfully planning for a few new pieces that we want to invest in and that will last us for years to come.
Instead of continuing to support multinational companies that generate millions of tons of textile and inventory waste, we should be supporting small businesses that are taking imperfect action to do things right.
Now I'm not saying you should never buy anything for the rest of your life. Nor am I saying that LIYA will never run a sale or strive to make our pieces more financially accessible to anyone who may want sustainably made goods.
All I'm saying is before you go on a major shopping spree, think about whether you actually would have bought those items otherwise, and how these discounts might affect the business model of the brand you're buying from.
Your wallet (and the planet) will thank you.
Keep scrolling for our list of 5 easy ways to wear a silk scarf on your purse or bag!
This is one of the simplest ways to rock your scarf: roll it up and tie it in a single knot around one of your bag straps, letting the ends hang free.
Arguably one of the cutest ways to dress up your bag: with a bow! Just tie it around one of your bag's handles or straps, and don't be afraid to play around with it until it looks just right.
Don't be deterred—this style is much easier to master than it looks. To tie your silk scarf into the perfect rosette, roll your scarf, secure one end of it on the handle or strap, and twist it into your desired shape. Then, tuck the loose end into the flower, and you're good to go!
For this look, it's best to use a bag with stiff, upright handles: just roll your scarf, tie one end, and tightly wrap it around the handle before securing the loose end on the other side!
This style is easiest to achieve with a mini or clutch. Wrap your silk scarf a few times around the body of the bag, and tie it in the back!
If you don't have a silk scarf of your own, be sure to check out the Classic Silk Scarf in black, ivory, and champagne.
Let us know which style is your favorite in the comments below!
]]>This is one of the simplest ways to wear a scarf. Roll it up and knot it around your ponytail for an instantly chic look!
Bows aren't just for kids anymore! Put your hair into a high pony or a half-up, half-down look before securing the silk scarf to the elastic, then tie it in a bow!
@deannarcook wearing the Classic Silk Scarf in black
If you have an old hairband lying around the house, this is the perfect way to give it new life: roll your silk scarf into a thin strip, then wrap it carefully around the hairband from one end to the other to transform your look!
@laviedivoire wearing the Classic Silk Scarf in champagne
A silk scarf gives your classic up-do a certain je-ne-sais-quoi. To achieve this look, first style your hair into a messy bun, then tie the silk scarf around it to finish it off!
This is one of the most common ways we see silk scarves styled: roll it up into a band and tie it at the back of the head to keep your hair in place!
Protect your precious locks with a silk head wrap: just fold the scarf in half and knot it to cover your hair!
@salty.brat wearing the Classic Silk Scarf in ivory
A creative way to mix up your braid—replace one of the sections with a silk scarf! Try both French and Dutch braids for different twists on this trend, and don't be afraid to use bobby pins to hold the scarf in place if it starts to slip!
Channel your inner Audrey Hepburn with this vintage look: just fold your scarf into a triangle and tie the ends under your chin to travel back in time!
The bandana has made a huge comeback in recent years and we are HERE for it. Fold your square scarf into a triangle and knot it under your hair to top off your outfit!
While this last style isn't technically in your hair, it's still a fun silk scarf look (plus, it's a great way to cover up a bad hair day!). Simply roll up your scarf and tie it as a band around your favorite hat.
So there you have it... 10 ways to wear a silk scarf, in your hair or on your head. If you don't have a silk scarf of your own, be sure to check out the Classic Silk Scarf in black, ivory, and champagne. And let us know which style is your favorite in the comments below—we'd love to hear!
]]>How much do you know about silk? Unless you work in fashion or sericulture, my guess is that you’re not an expert. But silk is an incredible natural textile that has been around for thousands of years, and it has so many benefits for both people and the planet. Read on for 5 amazing things you (probably) didn’t know about silk!
]]>How much do you know about silk? I’ll be honest, when I first moved to Thailand in January 2019, I didn’t know much at all—and unless you work in fashion or sericulture, my guess is that you’re not a silk expert either.
But silk is an incredible natural textile that has been around for thousands of years, and it has so many benefits for both people and the planet. So today, I want to share with you 5 fast facts that I’ve learned about this ancient material!
Read on for 5 amazing things you (probably) didn’t know about silk…
1. Silk is a natural protein fiber typically made from the cocoons of silkworms.
Most of the world’s silk is made by the Bombyx mori, a domestic silkworm who feeds almost exclusively on mulberry leaves. Once the silkworm has matured, it produces a fine fiber that is wound into a tight cocoon. The fiber consists of two main proteins: fibroin, which makes up the core filament, and sericin, a gummy-like substance that holds it all together. In order to make silk yarn, the individual filaments are slowly and carefully unwound from the cocoon and reeled together to make one long, continuous strand. So undyed and untreated silk is a completely natural textile!
2. Silk was originally developed in ancient China before spreading across the globe.
According to legend, silk was originally discovered by an empress in ancient China, and was a heavily guarded state secret for thousands of years. However, as trade routes opened up, silk expanded to international markets via what was later known as the Silk Road. Eventually, other countries started learning the art of sericulture (or silk production) as well.
In Thailand, where LIYA’s scarves are produced, sericulture has become an important piece of national heritage, especially for farmers, weavers, and artisans. Silk represents both the cultural history and modern livelihoods for many people across the country, largely in rural areas. Today, silk is known as a strong, soft, lustrous fabric used in many luxury goods and materials around the world.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Silk is naturally hypoallergenic and antimicrobial.
Because of the unique characteristics of its proteins, and in particular, sericin, silk fabric boasts some pretty enviable properties. For people with sensitive skin or allergies, silk is naturally hypoallergenic and unlikely to cause irritation. It’s also antimicrobial, meaning it hinders the growth of microorganisms like mold, fungus, and bacteria. Overall, it's a great choice to have in your home!
4. Silk is said to be the strongest natural textile in the world!
The proteins in silk also give it unparalleled strength—it's actually finer and stronger than Kevlar. It’s been used throughout history as a lightweight “soft armor” and was even used to make the world’s first bulletproof vest. Today, silk is still used in various applications like sutures and other medical devices. It’s still being tested in the lab, but so far, its uses seem almost limitless.
5. Silk is also naturally temperature-regulating.
Silkworm cocoons have thermal insulation properties in order to protect against significant temperature changes occurring outside the cocoon. Some of these effects are carried over into silk textiles. This means that silk can feel cool in the summer and warm in the winter, making it the perfect temperature-regulating fabric year-round!
If you have any more questions about silk, leave a comment below. I'd be happy to share more about what I've learned, and maybe even pick up some new information in the process!
And if you’re interested in grabbing a silk piece of your own, check out our silk scarf collection here.
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Sources:
What is Silk Fabric: Properties, How its Made and Where – Sewport
Silk Road – HISTORY
A study on the functional properties of silk and polyester/lyocell mixed fabric – SciELO Brasil
The Future of Silk – Scientific American
Silkworm cocoon as natural material and structure for thermal insulation – ScienceDirect
]]>On April 15, 2020, our first collection of classic silk scarves became available for pre-order.
If you're not familiar with pre-orders or a pre-sale, that means that you were able to order products starting in April, but we didn't go into production until May, and your order won't arrive for another few months after that.
So, why are we doing pre-sales?
There are a couple of reasons why I chose to launch this way.
All in all, going ahead with the launch during a global pandemic was a tough decision, but I knew it was the right one, even if it looked a lot different than what I had initially planned for.
And although I'm sensitive to the fact that many of our potential customers might have lost work, and that as a luxury fashion accessory, LIYA products are far from essential, our production partners have lost work during this season too, and every order helps keep small businesses and jobs alive.
Ultimately, I'm glad we decided to launch with a pre-sale during COVID-19, and I'm grateful for everyone in our audience who has supported us through this process.
If you have any questions about the pre-sale, or just want to get in touch, I'd be happy to hear from you! And if you want to order your own scarf, you can do that here.
Thanks for being a dedicated fan of LIYA Collective.
]]>If I asked you to picture a business owner or CEO, who would you see: a man or a woman?
Fifty years ago, the answer to that question was probably pretty clear. But today, the conversation is a lot more nuanced—and fortunately features a lot more women.
According to The 2018 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report commissioned by American Express, the number of women-owned businesses in the United States has grown dramatically over the past few decades, from 402,000 (representing 4.6% of all businesses) in 1972 to 12.3 million (representing 40% of all businesses) in 2018.
The report also stated that between 2007 and 2018 alone, the number of women-owned businesses grew by 58%. The number of businesses owned by women of color increased at three times that rate during the same time period, by a staggering 163%.
It’s important to note here that the rapid rise of women-owned businesses isn’t always a matter of choice though—long-term unemployment, gender pay inequity, and the demands of the corporate world are all contributing factors in pushing more women towards entrepreneurship.
If not out of necessity, women often start their businesses to follow their passion, solve an existing problem, or build more freedom into their lives. But women entrepreneurs still face gender discrimination and challenges above and beyond those facing their male counterparts.
For example, Business Insider reported that “startups founded by women are given less investment but generate more revenue.” More specifically, a study by Boston Consulting Group found that the average investment in a women-owned company was less than half of the investment in companies owned by men, at $935,000 and $2.1 million respectively. In contrast, the same study found that women-owned companies generated 78 cents in returns for every dollar invested, whereas companies owned by men generated only 31 cents.
So it may be easier than ever for women to start a business, but there are still significant obstacles to true equality and growth. If we want women-owned businesses—from small side hustles to multi-million-dollar corporations—to really succeed, we need to create conditions that actually support them.
Financially, this means everything from closing the gender gap in venture capital to consciously buying from women-owned businesses in your community. But even if you’re not in a position to offer financial support, there are plenty of other ways you can help.
If you have firsthand experience with the business, one of the best ways to support them can be to write them a review or testimonial. Sharing about your experience honestly and authentically lets other potential customers imagine what their own experience might be like.
Many businesses (especially small businesses and startups) rely heavily on referrals and word-of-mouth. If you know someone who might be interested in a particular business’ goods or services, pass the name along. Personal recommendations can be incredibly powerful!
If you spend any time on social media, you’ve probably heard talk about the infamous algorithm. While there’s no exact formula to make a business’ posts go viral, the more you like, comment, and share their posts, the more likely their content is to be seen by others.
Even if you’re not ready or able to buy from a business right now, subscribing to their email list is a great way to stay updated on what they have going on behind-the-scenes. And remember, not all newsletters are salesy—a lot of businesses put out valuable, free content exclusively for their email subscribers!
Being an entrepreneur is tough. Sometimes the best way you can support your favorite woman-owned business is to just reach out and ask how they’re doing or ask if they need anything. Never underestimate the power of community and personal connection.
At the end of the day, when women empower each other, we all win. So let’s get started… which women-owned businesses are you going to support today?
]]>One of the first stages of product development is fabric sourcing (which can often be a long and difficult process). In this piece, I recapped the main steps I took to find my fabric, and thus my suppliers, for LIYA's first collection.
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One of the first stages of product development is fabric sourcing.
Although I'm originally from Canada, I've spent the past several years living and working abroad, and I wanted LIYA's products to reflect that.
So when I moved to Thailand in January 2019, I made it my mission to learn allll about traditional Thai crafts, especially silk. I went in knowing basically nothing about this ancient industry, so I definitely got a major crash course during the 6 months I lived there.
I met with countless weavers, factory managers, shop owners, and production heads to try and find the perfect (sustainable) fabric.
If you’ve been following along with the brand, you’ll know it took MONTHS to get to this point. Below I've recapped the steps I took to find my fabric, and thus my suppliers, for LIYA's first collection.
One of the first silk suppliers I visited in Thailand was a company making spun silk yarn. What I didn't know at the time was that there's a huge difference between spun silk and reeled silk.
Reeling is the traditional method of producing silk that uses long, unbroken filaments from the cocoon to make yarn, whereas spun silk uses short, broken pieces of fibre that are then twisted together in order to stay in place.
Reeled silk is much higher quality than spun silk, and creates a stronger, more lustrous fabric. So after consulting a number of local silk experts, I decided that if I wanted to use Thai silk in my products, I had to find a good quality, sustainable, reeled silk, and not a spun silk.
Thus, the search went on...
A little while later, I visited the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok. Jim Thompson was an American businessman who settled in Thailand shortly after WWII. He built relationships with silk weavers in and around the capital, and in 1948, co-founded the Thai Silk Company.
Jim spent the next two decades growing the company and introducing Thai silk to the Western world. In 1967, he was on vacation in Malaysia when he decided to go for a walk... and never returned. Despite multiple searches and investigations, he was never found, and his disappearance is now almost as legendary as his work in silk.
I learned so much about the history of the silk industry in Thailand through this visit, and although I came no closer to finding LIYA's partners, it was an integral part of my research.
In June, I went to the mid-year OTOP Fair just outside of Bangkok.
OTOP is a nationwide sustainable development initiative started by the Department of Community Development, and stands for One Tambon One Product (similar to Japan's One Village One Product initiative).
And while I didn't find my dream supplier at the OTOP fair, it was amazing to see producers and makers from all over Thailand come together to showcase their signature products—my favourite obviously being the traditional Thai silk!
The Silk Zone is without a doubt the largest concentration of independent silk shops and makers in Bangkok.
If you go to a market in Thailand and see a vendor selling "silk" scarves for ฿100 (approximately US$3), you can bet it's not actually real silk—most likely it's a cheap polyester. But at The Silk Zone, you're going to be getting the real deal.
So of course, this was my next stop on my fabric sourcing journey. I first sought out a shop that was recommended to me by someone else in the industry.
I had a few meetings with the owner, but soon realized that they don't really make what I was looking for (her network of artisans weave 2-ply and 4-ply silk on handlooms, which is beautiful, but would be much too heavy and stiff for a small scarf). Plus, they didn't seem keen on taking time away from their domestic orders to expand to international markets.
We also had a language barrier, and as much as I'm used to living in places where I'm not a native speaker, trying to do business when you can't properly express yourself is a whole other thing.
Fortunately, there was one girl who worked at a nearby shop in The Silk Zone who spoke English, and graciously acted as my translator at all of these meetings. After striking up a friendship with her, and learning more about her work, I eventually realized that this might be the company I had been looking for all along...
After connecting with Sine, the English-speaking employee at a small shop in The Silk Zone, I started to learn more about the company she worked for.
Best known for their silk neckties, the small, family-owned business has been operating in Bangkok and the surrounding area since 1960. They source high-quality Thai silk yarn to mill the fabric and make products for both their own brand and other designers, and sell their finished goods both domestically and internationally.
Next, I went to their head office to meet with Pracha, the son of the company's founders, to see if they could make the kind of minimalist silk scarves I was looking for. The first meeting went well, and we agreed to start working on some samples.
But I still wanted to see where the silk yarn they used was made, so I had to head north to rural Thailand...
In July, I traveled to Phetchabun to see where the silk yarn was reeled.
Having already found LIYA’s main production partner (the family-owned mill and sew shop that would be making the scarves), I wanted to go one step further in the supply chain to ensure I knew where the silk came from.
In Phetchabun, I visited the family-owned factory that turns silkworm cocoons into silk yarn and thread. I spent my day with Saikwan, the granddaughter of the factory founder, and toured their facilities so I could see the entire process from start to finish.
I saw their organic mulberry fields, the silkworms, and the cocoons purchased from a network of 4000 small-scale farmers from across the country.
I saw the workers checking each cocoon by hand and the machines that unwind the fibres to be spun into yarn. I was treated to mulberry ice cream from the farm and saw all the other types of products that are sold in the community as an extension of the business.
It was an amazing visit, and really helped me understand the full picture from farm to factory to finished product.
Sourcing is a long, difficult process, especially for someone who’s new to the industry. But the lessons I learned throughout this journey and the experience of meeting the partners and workers firsthand have made it all worth it... and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity.
]]>This article was originally published as a guest post on ADIMAY.
1. Sell it.
There are plenty of websites and marketplaces for you to sell pre-loved clothing, like Poshmark and Facebook Marketplace—the obvious benefit being that you can profit while giving your clothing a new home!
2. Give it to family or friends.
If you can’t or don’t want to take the time to sell your clothes, you can always give them away for free to family or friends. Just because you’ve outgrown something or it doesn’t fit your lifestyle anymore, doesn’t mean someone in your own circle won’t appreciate having it in their closet.
3. Join or host a clothing swap.
Clothing swaps are an awesome way to trade your old clothes in for something new. Find a swap going on in your area, or invite a group of your most fashionable friends over and host one of your own. If you prefer, you can even participate in a virtual clothing swap on sites like Rehash or Swap Society.
4. Upcycle it.
Turn your ratty old jeans into a cute new pair of cut-offs, or vegetable-dye a shirt that’s gotten stained. There are so many DIY tutorials and blogs that’ll walk you through the process of upcycling your wardrobe, as long as you’re willing to get creative!
5. Downcycle it.
If some of your clothes are in really bad shape, you can always downcycle them to use around the house. Try making kitchen rags with holey socks, or cutting clothes into strips to use as pillow stuffing. The important thing is just to keep those items out of the garbage.
6. Find a textile recycler.
Companies like TerraCycle take old clothing and fabrics and recycle or repurpose them into something new. Textile recyclers might turn fabric scraps into items like insulation or car upholstery, or break down the component parts to create new fibres for future use.
7. Send it back to the brand.
A number of brands are starting to offer buy-back programs to help move toward a more circular economy. Programs like these are being instituted at both large-scale multinationals like Patagonia’s Worn Wear, reselling used clothing to other consumers, and smaller brands like Novel Supply Co.’s Afresh, transforming old clothes into new pieces like accessories and baby clothing. Many companies even offer discounts or store credit when you send things back!
Hopefully, this list will help you minimize your life and declutter your closet in an ethical, responsible, and sustainable way. But remember, clearing your space of old items doesn’t mean you have to rush right out to replace it with something new… you might even find that you live more by having less.
This is the second of a two-part series on clothing donations. Read the first part, "Thinking of Donating Your Old Clothes? Read This First," here.
]]>This article was originally published as a guest post on ADIMAY.
After decades of the rampant consumerism that seems to go hand-in-hand with the fast fashion industry, buyers have recently been turning to a new trend: minimalism. Celebrity organizers like Marie Kondo and grassroots groups like The Minimalists have helped catapult this movement into the spotlight by highlighting the benefits of living with less—and honestly, downsizing and decluttering your life can be great in many ways. But the one thing these movements seem to miss? Educating their audiences on the right way to dispose of all those unwanted items (hint: it doesn’t involve the donation bin).
For many of us, the well-intentioned thing we might have done in the past was to box everything up and drop it off at the local Goodwill. But less than a quarter of clothes donated to local charities and organizations actually get resold in the community.
The rest is then reprocessed, turned into rags, sent to landfill, or exported to be resold abroad, a practice which is problematic enough in and of itself.
Even worse though, a recent report found that 73% of post-use disposed clothing is eventually incinerated or sent to landfill. At their assumed rate of 48 million tons of clothing disposed of every year, that’s a terrifying amount, especially compounded over time.
While there are some instances when donating might be okay—for example, if your local shelter is asking for specific clothing items they desperately need, like gently-worn sweaters or jackets—most of the time, if you don’t know the final destination of your donation, it’s best to steer clear. And in reality, we can rarely track where any individual piece of clothing actually ends up; the transparency and accountability just aren’t there yet.
I witnessed many of these negative side effects firsthand when I lived in a small coastal town in rural Tanzania. Although second-hand clothing was readily available at the local market, the steady stream of clothes being imported from abroad made it almost impossible for East African businesses to compete in the local textile and manufacturing industry. This made retailers and sellers heavily reliant on foreign imports, a concerning fact considering the region has talked extensively in recent years of banning used clothing imports altogether.
Further, each article of clothing still runs the risk of ending up in a landfill, but now it’s in a country with much less advanced waste management infrastructure. Ultimately, by donating our old clothes, we’re just passing along the responsibility of properly disposing of the things we buy and consume, under the guise of “helping” someone who might not even need our help in the first place.
The fashion industry has historically been based on a linear business model: clothes are designed, manufactured, used, and disposed of, and then it starts all over again. In order to live more sustainably in the generations to come, everything about this industry will have to change. Fortunately though, we can play a major role as consumers in supporting this transition; by taking care of the clothes we own, mending and repairing them instead of buying new, and properly disposing of them at the end of their life cycle, we can help shift the industry toward a closed-loop system. In the words of the 2018 Global Fashion Agenda and Boston Consulting Group Pulse of the Fashion Industry report, “initiatives such as these are crucial not only to increase awareness and lower the environmental footprint, but also to involve the customer actively in the transformation of the fashion industry toward a circular model.”
We can, and must, do better.
This is the first of a two-part series on clothing donations. Read the second part, "7 Ways to Declutter Your Closet (Without Donating Your Clothes)," here.
]]>In October 2018, before LIYA was even really fully-formed as an idea, I travelled from my home in Bagamoyo, Tanzania to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW).
This was the fourth annual version of ASFW, a four-day tradeshow and conference bringing together hundreds of exhibitors in textiles, trims, apparel, and technology from more than 25 countries.
The theme of the 2018 conference was “Sustainability in Production,” and many of the talks and sessions focused on this theme. I was originally interested in going to the event to explore ways the nonprofit I worked with in Tanzania could use social business to create earned revenue, but I also learned a lot about building a global fashion or accessory brand in the process.
My three biggest takeaways from Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week were:
Overall, it was an incredibly educational and informative couple of days, and I’m so glad I went. Below check out some of my favourite looks from the show courtesy of HAFW, and let me know what you think in the comments!
Designers: AYNI'S by Aynalem Ayele, KOMETARE by Dawit Ketema, YEFIKIR by Fikirte Addis, SAMRA LEATHER by Samrawit Mersiehazen, MERON ADDIS ABABA by Meron Seid.
]]>This article was originally published as a guest post on Forage & Sustain.
Traditional dhows on the beach in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
For most of us that grew up in the age of fast fashion, getting rid of last season’s styles in order to buy new, trendier ones was just a way of life. You may have even been told that your old Forever21 or Target top would help support the local Goodwill, or clothe a child in need in some far-off African nation. But few of us actually stopped to ask where our clothes went when we dropped them in the donation bin… and the answer might surprise you.
As a Canadian who spent two years living in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, a small coastal town in East Africa, I can definitely confirm that much of our used clothing really does make it overseas. I saw a teenager wearing a GoodLife shirt, kids with Hockey Canada trackpants, and a boy with an Oregon Ducks jersey. My friend even had a reusable bag from the LCBO. But the path these items took to get to Bagamoyo was far from straightforward.
See, the major fast fashion brands of the world taught us that consumption was good, and donating our clothes (in order to buy new ones) was the responsible and conscious thing to do. But in reality, the donation process is a whole lot more complicated than that. In Bagamoyo, like in many other towns and cities across the region, there was a weekly travelling market called “TopTop” that sold all sorts of products, from kitchen utensils to handmade soap to secondhand clothes. But how do the clothes actually get from your closet to a market on the other side of the world?
It works a little bit like this: we donate our clothes, the clothes are packaged up then sold in bulk to a middleman. The middleman exports the clothes (usually to a developing country) and resells them at a profit to someone on the ground. There’s no quality or consistency across orders, and no way for the purchaser to know what they’ll get in each shipment; one could be full of old baby clothes and vintage skirts, and the next full of outerwear and ratty cotton t-shirts. The purchaser then takes their collection of items to the market, and sells each piece to local consumers for as little as a dollar or two. Usually, these imported, secondhand goods are cheaper than buying new, locally-made clothing, so there’s a steady demand for more shipments.
In theory, consumers in these countries now have access to affordable, secondhand clothes. But like everything in life, it’s not that simple. Here are just a few of the problems inherent to the system:
1. Clothes often don’t make it to your intended destination.
It’s almost impossible to trace a particular item and verify where it actually ended up. Statistics Canada data provided by Global Affairs Canada for CBC News reports that used clothing exported from Canada in 2017 alone was worth over CAD $173 million (original source here). The importing countries are spread across the globe, but with a heavy concentration in India, Pakistan and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Countries that received more than $100,000 worth of worn clothing from Canadian exports in 2017 (Statistics Canada & Global Affairs Canada). Source: CBC News.
2. Middlemen are likely the ones profiting from your donation.
Even if you donate your items to a local charity or non-profit, they probably receive a lot more clothing than they can actually process or use. According to the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), less than a quarter of clothes donated to local charities actually get resold locally. The excess is then bought by a middleman, or a for-profit broker, who prepares the clothing for export. Most of the time, it’s the middlemen, not the charity or the end consumer, who profit the most from your donation.
3. It undermines the local clothing and textile industry.
Africa produces close to 10% of the world’s cotton, and in the 1980s, many African countries had growing textile industries. Between the rise of Asian manufacturing and Western second-hand clothing imports over the past few decades though, many of the African clothing and textile businesses just couldn’t keep up. While you’ll still find people wearing traditional fabrics, like the kanga and kitenge, as well as seamstresses and tailors in every community, it’s hard to compete with the rock-bottom prices of a second-hand shirt. Most people only wear locally-made traditional designs or textiles for special occasions, and wear cheap used clothing for everything else.
4. Countries become reliant on imports.
Because local textile and manufacturing industries have been so drastically impacted by globalization and trade, many countries have become reliant on imports in order to satisfy domestic demand. In response to this, the East African Community (which includes Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan) has been discussing banning used clothing imports entirely since about 2015. The original goal was to block all secondhand clothing from entering the region by 2019, which obviously hasn’t happened, as most experts say that an outright clothing ban isn’t the right strategy to boost local industry while meeting the needs of the population. That being said, East African governments recognize that the reliance on foreign imports is a major problem, and something that policy and economic interventions need to address moving forward.
5. Many articles still end up in landfills anyway.
In countries like the U.S., Canada, or the U.K., there are lots of great textile recycling programs to collect all the clothing that isn’t resold or exported. These companies take old clothing and fabrics and repurpose them into things like insulation or car upholstery. In places like Bagamoyo, though, finding an accessible, large-scale textile recycler would be nearly impossible—there isn’t even a municipal waste management or recycling system in place. More often than not, I saw fabric scraps and textiles in the garbage, burned, or washed out with the tide, all places that we definitely don’t want our clothing to be.
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So, with all this in mind, what can you do with your used clothes? First of all, you can re-wear the pieces that are already in your closet, or upcycle them into something different. If the clothing is still in good condition, you can sell it or swap it with a friend. If it’s a little more run-down, DON’T put it in the trash—try and find a responsible textile recycler in your community and support the circular economy. There are lots of ways to get creative with your old clothing as long as you’re willing to put in the effort. But hopefully, you’ll at least think twice now before dropping them off for donation.
I've always been torn between the business and nonprofit sectors—I went to a Canadian university to get a business degree, but ended taking half of my classes in international development and foreign languages.
During school, I also had the opportunity to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain, which was when I first realized: I had to explore more of the world.
So a few months after graduation, I packed up my bags and moved to Kaohsiung, a massive port city in southern Taiwan, to teach English for a few years.
As much as I loved Asia and was passionate about education, I felt pulled to shift my focus toward the social sector—which was how I ended up next spending two years working on marketing and fundraising with a school and nonprofit in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
My time in Tanzania was incredibly transformative, but like everything, it came to an end, and I moved on to Bangkok, Thailand, where I completed a 6-month contract with an international development organization working in education and employability.
That brought me to Costa Rica, where I worked from my laptop to help nonprofits, social enterprises, and sustainable businesses with strategies to amplify their impact, as well as focused on building a brand of my own.
I recognize the extreme amount of privilege that's enabled me to make these choices and to lead this kind of life, and I'm so grateful for all the experiences that have shaped who I am today.
Throughout my travels, I've also learned a lot about our impact on each other and on the world, and over the past few years have slowly been trying to shift to a more conscious lifestyle.
From the skincare products I use to the food I eat, I've been trying to find better, more ethical alternatives to just about everything—including what I wear.
But besides the fact that fast fashion is destroying the planet, the other major problem I have with the fashion industry is that trends tend to come and go faster than you can get out of last year's leopard print.
And while I never thought that I would do anything in fashion, I used to follow a lot more trends and try to "fit in" with the way I dressed.
Now though? I mostly stick to simple outfits and neutral palettes, and when I do buy something, I look for pieces that will last me for years to come, and not just the following season.
So with LIYA, I wanted to build a brand that creates minimalist, timeless accessories that are sustainably made in some of the international communities in which I've worked.
Each collection is being developed in partnership with small, often family-owned businesses in a way that honours the traditional goods and skillsets of the region and supports the local economy.
I constantly struggle with the fact that we don't need any more "stuff"—but I do think there's a massive opportunity here to drive systemic change, both in the fashion industry and beyond.
I definitely don't have all the answers, but I at least want to be part of the conversation... and LIYA is my small step toward that.
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