Retykle’s latest pop-up store offers shoppers in Hong Kong the opportunity to buy pre-loved childrenswear and do their part for the environment
The global fashion industry has long had a sustainability problem. With the fast fashion boom over the last two decades, the industry is now the world’s second largest source of pollution—only the oil industry is more harmful to the planet.
With over a decade of experience working with luxury fashion companies, Sarah Garner, a Gen.T honouree and sustainable fashion advocate, saw firsthand the consequences of textile waste in the fashion supply chain. In 2016 she launched Retykle, a resale e-commerce platform that allows users to both buy and sell designer childrenswear.
The platform utilises a circular retail model, where a garment is resold rather than discarded after use, significantly extending its lifetime. Garner says that “in terms of consignment”, Retykle has grown into Asia’s largest platform for the resale of new or gently used high-end children’s clothes, shoes and accessories.
See also: The Other Hidden Cost To Fast Fashion—And How We Can Fix It
Like most retail businesses, Retykle has faced additional challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. Regardless, the startup successfully closed a seed fundraising round in February 2021, which it will use to fuel its international expansion.
The pop-up, in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay area, will be open from 3-16 July. Garner says she is excited to get back to in-person shopping and meeting her customers firsthand. “It’s one of the ways we can acquire new customers... and develop that trust and relationship [with them],” she says.
The platform carries over 2,000 designer brands from across the world, including Bonpoint, Petit Bateau, Moncler, Vilebrequin and Jacadi. Items offered at the pop-up store will be significantly marked down—with between 50 and 90 percent off of the original retail price. There will also be additional discounts for parents who bring in second-hand clothes for resale.