reDress|re-wear to revere

Created by
Simarna Paintal

r
This fundraiser will benefit
reDress
from Welham Girl's School

Story

Our mission at redress is to help Indians shop sustainably. We want to raise awareness on the adverse effects of fast fashion and help get rid of the stigma around second-hand clothing in India. reDress will be a website where anybody can sell their old clothes. Buying second-hand clothes increases the article's life span by an average of 2.5 years and helps reduce the carbon footprint of the fashion industry. We are not just a company, we are a movement trying to pave the path for a greener future.
The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. India itself, produces an average of 1 million tonnes of textile waste in a year. It takes 2700 litres of water (enough to fill 30 bathtubs) to make a simple cotton t-shirt. 85% of the 150 billion articles of clothing that are consumed each year end up in the landfills. Fast fashion companies pay their workers a minimum living wage and make them work under poor conditions in ‘sweatshops’. 3.430 Trillion pounds of carbon dioxide is released every year by the clothing industry. All this damage for what? Most people walk into a store, find an inexpensive piece of clothing that they like and purchase it without giving it a second thought. After wearing the article 3-4 times, it either sits at the back of their closet or is discarded mindlessly. With that, they go and find the replacement for the wardrobe shelf, blind to the damage its production caused. We want to challenge that way of thinking. We want to create awareness and help people become responsible consumers as well as provide them with a platform to shop sustainably.
A large consumer base has shifted online due to the COVID crisis, even older generations have now become comfortable with the concept of online shopping. There has been no better time than now for online businesses to flourish. The rise of thrifting has been noticeably large in the west and though there is still a slight stigma in Indian society around second-hand clothing, the younger generation has realised its vast benefits. Many people are now selling 'vintage' and second-hand clothing through Instagram, many of these pages have large followings as well, telling us that there is a customer base. Our most recent survey told us that out of our 215 respondents, 75% were aware of what thrift shopping is, 47% were comfortable wearing second-hand clothing and 88% were ready to sell clothes that lie at the back of their closet. When asked if they would feel a sense of pride in wearing clothes that were helping the environment, 89% said yes.
Our company, reDress is in the midst of setting up a multi-vendor platform for the resale of old clothes as well as upcycled clothes. We also hope to set up a renting system where people can rent out clothing. We are also working on a social media campaign to help create awareness about fast fashion and its adverse effects.
We are seeking funding to purchase the required tools to help make our website fully functional as well as more accessible, easy to use and reliable.
Our team consists of 14 like-minded young women who are strong advocates for the environment and believe in the power of fashion. They are change-makers and visionaries who are ready to put in work to see their vision come to life.
Any small amount of support is appreciated and can help us go a long way!

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