PARTNERSHIP WITH PURPOSE
Consignment shop, YWCA join forces
A local consignment store focused on reducing the impact of fast fashion on the environment has partnered with the YWCA for a clothing donation program to help people in need.
Described by owner Jeremy Chai as a social enterprise, he says Loom & Magpie is “a business with a purpose.”
“It’s really good for the environment, really good for the society,” said Chai, who approached the YWCA with the idea this summer.
Every two weeks, Loom & Magpie donates to the YWCA a number of consignment items it has been unable to sell, for use in the YWCA’S Encore Market.
The Encore Market is a secondhand store for low-cost toys, clothing, books and household goods used by women who live in YWCA shelters, but it is also open to the general public.
A donation bin also lives in the store for those wishing to donate directly to the YWCA instead of consigning their items.
“Receiving a regular, scheduled donation from a retail shop like Loom & Magpie means that we know we will not be short on inventory at any point,” said Alexis Losie, senior director of operations for the YWCA in Regina.
What’s unique about what they receive from Loom & Magpie compared to other donated clothing is the beauty and quality of the items.
“They ’re really, really wonderful donations,” said Losie. “It allows us to prep women for interviews and just provide a beautiful selec- tion to the people using the store.”
“Emotionally and mentally, on some days just being able to treat yourself with something you may not otherwise have, it’s a boost in spirit and emotions,” she said.
It’s the third community organization the store has partnered with as away to make sure its excess items don’t goto waste.
Loom & Magpie also donates to Regina Transition House and Regina Immigrant Women Centre. As much as the partnerships help people in need, Chai says it’s also a way to help the environment.
“A lot of people don’t know that fast fashion is actually the second most polluting industry in the whole world after the oil and gas industry,’ said Chai.
Defined by some as “cheap, trendy clothing that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed,” fast fashion is criticized for how the pressure to reduce cost and the time it takes to get a product from design to retail stores results in environmental corners being cut.
The idea is that the cheaper a product is, the more a person will buy, repeating a toxic cycle that has a big impact on the environment, said Chai.
He said his business tries to slow down that cycle of fast fashion.
“That’s why we focus on accepting quality brands ... something that’s designed to last longer than the fast fashion and then people can use it longer,” he said.
Last year, Loom & Magpie donated almost 10,000 litres of clothing, and hopes to do more now that it has begun its partnership with the YWCA.
“It means to us that ultimately people genuinely care about the needs of others and that they understand that the donation, regardless of size will still be helpful,” said Losie about the partnership.