Full Transcript for TEXTILES

collection 00:04:13.969 --> 00:04:16.490 across the country. So that's not, you know, 00:04:16.490 --> 00:04:18.449 I think when people think of like, you know, 00:04:18.750 --> 00:04:21.689 donating clothing. They generally think of, you 00:04:21.689 --> 00:04:23.069 know, like a Goodwill or something like that, 00:04:23.170 --> 00:04:25.810 a large non -profit, but, you know, there are 00:04:25.810 --> 00:04:27.410 for -profit companies who do collections, whether 00:04:27.410 --> 00:04:30.970 it's through bins that you see. or through actually 00:04:30.970 --> 00:04:34.769 coming by and picking up from households or organizations, 00:04:34.949 --> 00:04:38.029 picking up bags of clothing, of used clothing. 00:04:39.170 --> 00:04:41.769 The bin side of things, that was always a really 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:46.230 hot topic within Smart because there are companies 00:04:46.230 --> 00:04:48.110 who do it the right way, who service those bins 00:04:48.110 --> 00:04:50.689 all the time and have proper signage on the bins 00:04:50.689 --> 00:04:55.319 and the bins are in... approved areas, you know, 00:04:55.319 --> 00:04:57.759 approved by whether it's a business letting someone 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:00.980 keep a bin on their lot or, you know, the city, 00:05:00.980 --> 00:05:03.439 you know, signing off on a bin being kept somewhere. 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:05.720 But then you have a lot of bad actors when it 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:08.720 comes to bins. And these bins could be dropped 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:10.660 anywhere and not serviced. You know, everyone, 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:14.399 most people have probably seen it at some point 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:16.540 in their life, you know, an overflowing bin that 00:05:16.540 --> 00:05:18.459 has been rained on and beaten up and whatever 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:21.680 else. So anyway, that's one side of things, the 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:24.540 collecting of used clothing. The second division 00:05:24.540 --> 00:05:27.160 was the rag and wiper side. Essentially, stuff 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:29.540 gets collected by the collectors and then it 00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:32.680 gets sorted and graded. So anything that can 00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:37.779 be resold as a shirt should end up in a thrift 00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:41.750 shop of some kind being sold as a shirt. potentially 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:44.350 sent overseas which that's also something that's 00:05:44.350 --> 00:05:45.829 gotten some bad press over the years there's 00:05:45.829 --> 00:05:48.250 been some sticky stuff there where stuff actually 00:05:48.250 --> 00:05:50.790 goes when it goes overseas but you know when 00:05:50.790 --> 00:05:52.750 the good guys do it and it's done right it goes 00:05:52.750 --> 00:05:55.310 overseas and it gets worn by somebody in another 00:05:55.310 --> 00:06:02.110 country if it's not fit to be you know clothing 00:06:02.110 --> 00:06:04.629 again it's got holes in or wherever else it could 00:06:04.629 --> 00:06:06.230 potentially be a rag or wiping cloth so then 00:06:06.230 --> 00:06:10.889 you have companies in that area who cut up the 00:06:10.889 --> 00:06:12.850 product and make it into rags. And typically 00:06:12.850 --> 00:06:15.449 rags made from used clothing. And by the way, 00:06:15.550 --> 00:06:17.750 that side, fast fashion has hurt that side of 00:06:17.750 --> 00:06:20.670 things as well because so many of the fast fashion 00:06:20.670 --> 00:06:23.129 type of clothes are made from really cheap materials 00:06:23.129 --> 00:06:25.610 that might not absorb. But if you have something 00:06:25.610 --> 00:06:29.490 that's a high percentage of cotton, you know, 00:06:29.490 --> 00:06:31.250 it can absorb and can be made into a wiping rag. 00:06:32.290 --> 00:06:35.370 So stuff gets collected, then it gets sorted. 00:06:35.829 --> 00:06:39.730 It typically then gets bailed up and sent to 00:06:39.730 --> 00:06:41.389 someone who's going to cut it. And a lot of times 00:06:41.389 --> 00:06:44.550 this stuff is moving around. The sorting, a lot 00:06:44.550 --> 00:06:46.209 of it happens in Pakistan and India. So you do 00:06:46.209 --> 00:06:48.910 have a carbon footprint there. There is some 00:06:48.910 --> 00:06:51.430 of that's still done in the US. It's hard. And 00:06:51.430 --> 00:06:53.189 the companies who do that, I've visited them, 00:06:53.209 --> 00:06:56.209 and they're amazing. But a lot of it happens 00:06:56.209 --> 00:07:00.389 overseas. So product then would go, if it's not 00:07:00.389 --> 00:07:03.019 suitable to be resold, it's clothing. It could 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:04.500 then be cut up into a rag. There are companies 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:07.579 who cut it up into rags, box it in a 10 -pound 00:07:07.579 --> 00:07:12.019 box or 25 -pound box, or shrink -wrapped in kind 00:07:12.019 --> 00:07:15.300 of a pack. You can see that even in a Home Depot 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:18.000 or a Lowe's. They'll sell bagged rags or boxed 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:20.839 rags. And then the third division was the fiber 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:23.699 division. Basically, these companies... would 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:26.240 get the stuff that is not even fit to be a rag. 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:28.360 So, you know, it can't even be made into a rag 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:30.939 or a wiping cloth. It's just got to be the only 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:32.779 thing that can be done with it is to reprocess 00:07:32.779 --> 00:07:36.060 it into fiber. So the company's receiving that 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:39.160 stuff. They're getting it in bales. They're doing 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:41.480 the best they can to check the composition so 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:42.920 they know what their end product is going to 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:44.959 look like. Then they put it through this huge 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:46.819 machinery that, you know, rips it up, breaks 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:49.839 it down, essentially shreds it into

fibers. And 00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:52.019 then they sell a finished product made from those 00:07:52.019 --> 00:07:54.430 fibers. So either they're potentially selling 00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:56.829 a recycled fiber like a recycled polyester fiber 00:07:56.829 --> 00:07:59.350 or they're they're selling something usually 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:03.329 something called shoddy and shoddy is like It 00:08:03.329 --> 00:08:05.910 kind of looks like insulation material and in 00:08:05.910 --> 00:08:09.370 fact that is where shoddy typically ends up is 00:08:09.370 --> 00:08:13.189 in various insulation applications, so I mean 00:08:13.189 --> 00:08:14.930 you know when I was involved with smart we had 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:19.959 Some really amazing success stories about denim 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:23.319 being reprocessed into fiber and then made into 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.819 insulation or automotive insulation being made 00:08:26.819 --> 00:08:29.699 from various plans of polyester and polypropylene 00:08:29.699 --> 00:08:32.720 fibers. But for every success story, there's 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:37.940 also a lot of stuff that either it can't be reprocessed 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:42.179 for whatever reason or... if it were to be reprocessed, 00:08:42.299 --> 00:08:44.100 there just isn't an end market or a home for 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:47.360 it. Since I've been out of that world for a little 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:51.460 while, I'm not totally up on where things stand, 00:08:51.539 --> 00:08:54.159 but I know that the fiber division and the companies 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:58.019 that process fiber, they were inundated and overwhelmed 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:02.370 material or they were... It couldn't make the 00:09:02.370 --> 00:09:04.509 numbers, the financial side of things work. And 00:09:04.509 --> 00:09:06.350 we're going out of business. It's expensive to 00:09:06.350 --> 00:09:07.830 run that equipment. You've got to have good markets 00:09:07.830 --> 00:09:11.389 for your end product. So there are complicated 00:09:11.389 --> 00:09:13.730 systems out there. We would have professors come 00:09:13.730 --> 00:09:15.889 speak or scientists come speak. And a lot of 00:09:15.889 --> 00:09:18.649 things that they presented on, they had developed 00:09:18.649 --> 00:09:22.740 new technologies. They'd done R &D. created, 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:26.179 whether it was enzymatic breakdown, using actual 00:09:26.179 --> 00:09:29.899 enzymes to break down textiles, or some other 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:32.639 new technology for sorting and pulling off buttons 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:37.519 and checking for metal contamination. But oftentimes, 00:09:39.620 --> 00:09:41.700 those technologies were developed or discovered, 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:45.399 but nobody had any idea how to bring them to 00:09:45.399 --> 00:09:50.490 scale. So they weren't necessarily viable as 00:09:50.490 --> 00:09:52.730 a for -profit business. That's not to say that, 00:09:52.730 --> 00:09:55.230 you know, we couldn't find ways for government 00:09:55.230 --> 00:09:57.610 to invest in those kind of technologies and, 00:09:57.610 --> 00:09:59.909 you know, help us out with all that stuff to 00:09:59.909 --> 00:10:08.570 save the planet. That was Dave Blufman giving 00:10:08.570 --> 00:10:10.529 us the rundown on what happens to clothing once 00:10:10.529 --> 00:10:13.629 it's donated. So let's dig into what happens 00:10:13.629 --> 00:10:17.259 to clothes that can be resold. Thrifting is one 00:10:17.259 --> 00:10:19.919 way to get secondhand clothes and so is consignment, 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:22.200 where people can sell their clothes through a 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:24.320 retail store like Another Chance in Fishtown 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:26.519 and then they make a few bucks on them. I like 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:28.539 consignment for those pieces in my wardrobe that 00:10:28.539 --> 00:10:31.120 are a little higher quality or unique and someone 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:33.700 might be willing to pay a little more for them. 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.899 So my name is Holly Heenan and we are at Another 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:43.399 Chance. It is a consignment and local creators 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:46.740 boutique shop that I opened. almost a year ago. 00:10:48.659 --> 00:10:52.320 Basically, I sell pre -loved fashion. Most of 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:55.539 my consignors are local in Fishtown, Port Richmond, 00:10:56.120 --> 00:11:00.620 Northern Liberty's. So I take anything that is 00:11:00.620 --> 00:11:06.539 not stained, that's in good condition. Yeah, 00:11:06.700 --> 00:11:10.259 and I accept all fashion. So I have mostly women. 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:13.240 a small men's section, which I always call a 00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:15.940 small but mighty men's section, and kids' section. 00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:21.179 I try to take anything. There's always that one 00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:25.139 person that style fits, so I will try anything. 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:33.000 Thrifting has been a part of me since I could 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:36.179 go to shops. I will spend hours at a thrift store 00:11:36.179 --> 00:11:39.639 versus in a mall. That started, I guess, in my 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:42.100 high school days. My friends call me Granola. 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.779 That was my nickname growing up from them. And 00:11:45.779 --> 00:11:50.000 so I actually worked at the first Buffalo Exchange 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.809 in Philadelphia. I'm an accountant by trade, 00:11:55.789 --> 00:11:57.789 and I've been a controller, corporate controller, 00:11:58.090 --> 00:12:01.690 for various companies, mid to large size companies. 00:12:03.690 --> 00:12:07.710 And I went through breast cancer last year. I 00:12:07.710 --> 00:12:10.690 chose that to go and follow my passion, which 00:12:10.690 --> 00:12:14.429 is a consignment shop. It was my turning point, 00:12:14.570 --> 00:12:18.250 yes. It was my

dream, hence another chance. The 00:12:18.250 --> 00:12:21.919 clothes. get another chance, I had another chance, 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.179 and I don't know if many people know this, but 00:12:26.179 --> 00:12:28.299 my daughter was adopted, so she had another chance. 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:31.320 So we kind of have this theme. Surrounded me, 00:12:31.379 --> 00:12:36.700 my aura. Probably one of the best parts about 00:12:36.700 --> 00:12:40.500 this shop is meeting people that are coming in. 00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:43.259 Like that is my favorite part, literally. As 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:46.340 an accountant, I was stuck behind a desk, working 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:50.629 on a computer, and I'm Definitely a people person 00:12:50.629 --> 00:12:53.409 and like just meeting everybody that comes through 00:12:53.409 --> 00:12:55.669 the door. We have a lot of fun here. A lot of 00:12:55.669 --> 00:13:00.549 fun. I try everything. I have sold a wedding 00:13:00.549 --> 00:13:03.789 dress, which I do not do wedding dresses, but 00:13:03.789 --> 00:13:07.289 I was determined. I have sold vintage nightgowns. 00:13:07.350 --> 00:13:10.490 A neighbor of mine had these beautiful vintage 00:13:10.490 --> 00:13:13.330 nightgowns and I said, I'll give it a try. And 00:13:13.330 --> 00:13:16.440 what do you know? Somebody was visiting from 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:19.460 New York on a weekend to visit Fishtown, and 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:21.740 they bought this vintage nightgown that was, 00:13:21.740 --> 00:13:25.659 I think, $70. But it's that one particular person 00:13:25.659 --> 00:13:29.639 that fits that style. And it's fun. It's so much 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:39.399 fun. It is overwhelming how much clothing we 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:48.629 discard. There's landfills of clothing that are 00:13:48.629 --> 00:13:52.769 getting discarded. So anything that we can do 00:13:52.769 --> 00:13:57.610 to kind of repeat the cycle of life or something 00:13:57.610 --> 00:14:01.990 instead of throwing it in the trash is part of 00:14:01.990 --> 00:14:10.929 the circular, right? Circular Philadelphia. to 00:14:10.929 --> 00:14:14.570 me like I even if I get things in here that may 00:14:14.570 --> 00:14:17.549 have like a stain on it that I missed I have 00:14:17.549 --> 00:14:20.149 a five dollar bin because somebody out there 00:14:20.149 --> 00:14:23.250 can use it or it can get the stain out but or 00:14:23.250 --> 00:14:26.549 I donated to Circle Thrift or also now I'm going 00:14:26.549 --> 00:14:29.730 to work with a family member of mine who collects 00:14:29.730 --> 00:14:34.750 clothing for the homeless so for me it's I still 00:14:34.750 --> 00:14:38.460 even if it has like a a tiny hole in it. I try 00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:41.460 not to, there's no need to throw it out. There's 00:14:41.460 --> 00:14:44.639 somebody else that can use it in some sort of 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:48.659 way. I have a customer that came in I guess a 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:51.179 few weeks ago who is local that I'm going to 00:14:51.179 --> 00:14:56.220 partner with and he was looking for old silk 00:14:56.220 --> 00:15:03.940 napkins or vintage fabrics that he's making into 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:06.789 t -shirts to tank tops. which is very cool. Yeah, 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:09.950 yeah. So anything can be turned into something. 00:15:10.830 --> 00:15:13.429 And the more that we can keep it out of the landfills, 00:15:13.490 --> 00:15:17.110 the better. And that's, I think, the beauty of 00:15:17.110 --> 00:15:21.830 the consignment industry, right? Is that if you're 00:15:21.830 --> 00:15:25.149 if you're buying it from here, you can wear it 00:15:25.149 --> 00:15:28.929 a few times. And then once you are, you know, 00:15:28.929 --> 00:15:33.549 it's time to give it to somebody else, come back 00:15:33.549 --> 00:15:37.450 and Consign it again as long as it's in pre -love 00:15:37.450 --> 00:15:40.250 condition I think there's now a lot of like the 00:15:40.250 --> 00:15:42.970 online places that you can rent you can rent 00:15:42.970 --> 00:15:46.389 clothes, which is beautiful You also have the 00:15:46.389 --> 00:15:48.870 option to buy it but then you can but just giving 00:15:48.870 --> 00:15:53.710 the rent That option is then I believe keeping 00:15:53.710 --> 00:15:56.370 it out of the landfill. So if we can do more 00:15:56.370 --> 00:15:58.809 of that, that's beautiful I mean fast fashion 00:15:58.809 --> 00:16:02.799 isn't new when I was Working at the British Heart 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:06.860 Foundation in England and that was about I guess 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:10.580 20 years ago Top shop like all of those like 00:16:10.580 --> 00:16:14.080 that was all fast fashion I think what is happening 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:17.059 now is that now you have your sheens and they're 00:16:17.059 --> 00:16:19.980 like they're so cheap which you know back in 00:16:19.980 --> 00:16:22.200 the day wasn't that cheap but now they're very 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:25.779 cheap that I think it just is increasing how 00:16:25.779 --> 00:16:29.519 much is getting you know getting bought and kind 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:34.320 of heading to the landfill. I'm not one that, 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:39.179 I'm not buying off a sheen, but if I saw a sheen 00:16:39.179 --> 00:16:42.620 piece in the thrift store and I like the style 00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:46.340 and it fit well, yeah, I'll pick it up. I know 00:16:46.340 --> 00:16:48.620 it's not gonna last forever, but the way I think 00:16:48.620 --> 00:16:51.740 of it too is that I'm keeping it out of the landfill 00:16:51.740 --> 00:16:59.220 also. everybody buys from Amazon and they say 00:16:59.220 --> 00:17:02.159 don't return it it's cheaper for them just to 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:04.519 give you the credit for it so I I assume that 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:06.559 is definitely happening with fast fashion yeah 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:11.400 I've seen on the local Facebook

places that hey 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:14.079 are buy nothing pages right they're like they 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:15.900 told us told me I didn't have to return this 00:17:15.900 --> 00:17:18.779 but they gave me credit so putting it out there 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:20.759 if anybody wants this because I didn't have to 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:23.559 pay for it. I mean, I have a lot of consignors, 00:17:23.640 --> 00:17:26.500 a lot of consignors that they miss the window 00:17:26.500 --> 00:17:29.759 of returning. So I get a lot of things new with 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:36.619 tags just because of that. Yeah. A thrift store 00:17:36.619 --> 00:17:41.440 is where you donate clothing. Usually they are, 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:45.220 some are nonprofit and some are for profit. Circle 00:17:45.220 --> 00:17:48.990 Thrift, which is local, is nonprofit. and their 00:17:48.990 --> 00:17:53.970 proceeds then go to a non -profit organization 00:17:53.970 --> 00:17:59.329 to help those in need. For myself, I'm a for 00:17:59.329 --> 00:18:02.470 -profit, which is a consignment shop, and we 00:18:02.470 --> 00:18:06.890 benefit, obviously, the owner. I make money from 00:18:06.890 --> 00:18:10.009 the consignment, and so does the consigner. So 00:18:10.009 --> 00:18:14.009 they either get credit to use in the shop or 00:18:14.009 --> 00:18:17.579 cash to take home in their pocket. The consignment 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:22.400 is 50 -50 cash for the consignors or 60 -40 credit. 00:18:23.299 --> 00:18:26.099 When they bring it in, everything gets steamed 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:28.940 before it goes on the floor. I Google image everything. 00:18:29.380 --> 00:18:31.660 And when you Google image, it will tell you, 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:33.779 even if it's new, it tags. It will tell you if 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:37.619 it's on sale on the website. So a rule of thumb 00:18:37.619 --> 00:18:41.059 is usually it's a third of the retail price that 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:45.220 it can sell for. Sometimes new items, if they're 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:48.730 more of a current style, can go 50 % with newer 00:18:48.730 --> 00:18:54.250 tags. Or if it's an older style, we might go 00:18:54.250 --> 00:18:58.410 a little bit less than third. In addition, sizing, 00:18:58.690 --> 00:19:01.250 right? Sizing is important too. So, you know, 00:19:01.369 --> 00:19:03.490 we probably live in a society where people are 00:19:03.490 --> 00:19:05.750 more medium and large. That's more common. So 00:19:05.750 --> 00:19:09.250 the extra smalls probably get discounted a little 00:19:09.250 --> 00:19:12.950 bit heavily just because there's not as much 00:19:12.950 --> 00:19:22.890 demand for extra small. My goal is not to have 00:19:22.890 --> 00:19:25.609 to return the stuff to the consigner so hence 00:19:25.609 --> 00:19:28.230 when I have trouble if it's not selling here 00:19:28.230 --> 00:19:31.869 in the shop that's why they have the online places 00:19:31.869 --> 00:19:35.009 that I can try and that's usually where they 00:19:35.009 --> 00:19:38.930 they sell. It's so hard to predict especially 00:19:38.930 --> 00:19:43.490 I think in a consignment Situation of course 00:19:43.490 --> 00:19:47.589 dresses shirts are the easiest to go jeans are 00:19:47.589 --> 00:19:51.650 not as fast just because everybody has that Jeans 00:19:51.650 --> 00:19:54.329 come in so many different sizes and a two and 00:19:54.329 --> 00:19:57.930 a gap is a different size a two in a different 00:19:57.930 --> 00:20:01.009 designer So they're they're like probably slower 00:20:01.009 --> 00:20:06.000 to go shoes are usually slower to go sweater. 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:08.579 We're coming up to our sweater season. I would 00:20:08.579 --> 00:20:13.099 say dresses are probably the fastest to flip 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:17.420 here at the consignment shop. Yes. Just recently, 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:20.859 I had, we all know, Freehand Art Supply, a great 00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:24.599 addition to Gerard Avenue. Ron, Kim's husband, 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:28.759 brought in these Roosevelt shirts that are a 00:20:28.759 --> 00:20:31.819 big thing that, again, this is the fun of having 00:20:31.819 --> 00:20:34.539 this shop because I'm introduced to new brands 00:20:34.539 --> 00:20:39.099 all the time. But they are these fun prints and 00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:44.630 the... the name of the brand is Roosevelt and 00:20:44.630 --> 00:20:48.150 they were hoodies and it was a collaboration 00:20:48.150 --> 00:20:52.630 between Roosevelt and Pixar and I basically put 00:20:52.630 --> 00:20:57.589 them on eBay and they sold within like an hour. 00:20:59.369 --> 00:21:02.230 It's amazing like these are the things that you 00:21:02.230 --> 00:21:04.970 just never know like I was I was new to this 00:21:04.970 --> 00:21:09.069 put it on he told me like a going price and they 00:21:09.069 --> 00:21:13.839 sold just like that. I have definitely repeat 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:17.759 consignors, repeat customers. My consignors, 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:21.859 I'm like saying like, hold up, hold off. I have 00:21:21.859 --> 00:21:25.240 like too much because unfortunately my shop is 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:28.000 on the smaller side. So I only have so much room. 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:32.740 So they're constantly right now. I'm on pause 00:21:32.740 --> 00:21:36.619 right now, but I have a line, a lineup for when 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:40.960 I open. The consignment again it's for my consignors 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:45.900 to come back. I will not have a shortage of consignment 00:21:45.900 --> 00:21:49.059 that's for sure. And then for myself too like 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:51.339 the whole one of the purpose of this too was 00:21:51.339 --> 00:21:54.619 I love sourcing myself but I don't even get a 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:57.119 chance to source really anymore and I don't need 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:59.420 to source which you know again for people that

00:21:59.420 --> 00:22:02.519 love to thrift like that's like we love doing 00:22:02.519 --> 00:22:10.279 that piece. Because it's you have to find that 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:13.279 one piece like if you go into a mall you're gonna 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:16.799 find the same style and different colors different 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:19.299 sizes that everybody is wearing on the street 00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:22.359 when you're going to a thrift store yeah you 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:25.140 might find popular styles that are out there 00:22:25.140 --> 00:22:28.359 but also you find vintage items like something 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:32.079 that somebody is never going to wear and i can 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:33.759 probably tell you that they're probably going 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:36.480 to be the one piece of clothing that you're going 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:41.319 to get the most compliments on. What stands out 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:46.920 for me is there will be this beautiful piece. 00:22:49.480 --> 00:22:52.960 The piece like this right here that's hanging 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:57.500 up. It is for that particular person and I will 00:22:57.500 --> 00:23:01.779 watch various people come in. try it on because 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:04.839 they love it and it doesn't fit them and then 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:08.839 it'll be two months three months later that person 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:13.480 comes in and it's theirs and it that just makes 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:17.180 me so excited like that that piece of clothing 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:20.559 found their particular person like I literally 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:25.460 I think I scream every time. Really like I get 00:23:25.460 --> 00:23:27.619 so excited. I'm like because it was meant to 00:23:27.619 --> 00:23:30.180 be for that person That's that's the that's the 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:32.859 fun like I don't mind something because I get 00:23:32.859 --> 00:23:37.200 new customers I get like as I say tourists but 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:39.660 like people from New York people coming in from 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:42.599 Ohio like that come in here on the weekends that 00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:45.779 have not been in the shop and they find that 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:49.559 item that has been here forever and It just fits 00:23:49.559 --> 00:23:56.609 them perfectly So the biggest challenge for me 00:23:56.609 --> 00:23:59.970 first was when I opened was in the fall and then 00:23:59.970 --> 00:24:02.529 we went into winter and it's a lot of foot traffic, 00:24:02.589 --> 00:24:05.430 right? That's where you're gonna get a lot of 00:24:05.430 --> 00:24:07.450 your sales from people just walking by. So if 00:24:07.450 --> 00:24:10.869 the weather is not good, if there is an Eagles 00:24:10.869 --> 00:24:14.859 game on a Sunday. during the day, I know that 00:24:14.859 --> 00:24:17.240 we're gonna be a bit slower that day unless there's 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:19.619 that particular person that doesn't watch football. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:24.000 So that, it's like these ups and downs. I have, 00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:26.380 I'm an accountant, so I have software that can 00:24:26.380 --> 00:24:31.779 track and there's no, there's not, you can't. 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:36.220 predict a pattern. You can say, okay, the weather's 00:24:36.220 --> 00:24:38.000 gonna be good, okay, I think then we're gonna 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:40.700 be good, but then the weather can be great and 00:24:40.700 --> 00:24:43.519 then there's no sales. It's all about really 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:53.000 foot traffic. Competition facilitates sales. 00:24:54.259 --> 00:24:56.859 I have right down the street from me is Trash 00:24:56.859 --> 00:25:02.099 Vintage. They are more on the vintage side. Y2K, 00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:05.819 sports, and I have a small section for sports, 00:25:06.359 --> 00:25:12.480 but I don't see, I think we just facilitate because 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:14.119 if people want to come there, then they'll stop 00:25:14.119 --> 00:25:16.099 here. People come here, they'll want to stop 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:18.619 down there because that's what they're looking 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:20.559 for, right? They're going out shopping for a 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:25.559 day and they're looking for special finds and... 00:25:25.690 --> 00:25:28.630 pre -loved clothing and thrifting. They're gonna 00:25:28.630 --> 00:25:31.509 shop at all of our places and where they find 00:25:31.509 --> 00:25:34.009 their things, it's great if they find something 00:25:34.009 --> 00:25:36.289 here and not here. I love that. It just brings 00:25:36.289 --> 00:25:41.170 traffic to the area. In the beginning, I guess 00:25:41.170 --> 00:25:43.809 when I first opened, there wasn't really as many 00:25:43.809 --> 00:25:46.460 shops on Gerrata Avenue. I'm from Port Richmond 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:49.720 and I've seen when the local shops closed up 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:53.779 and everybody moved to the Burbs or to the Northeast 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:59.200 or to Jersey that tried up and it's sad. To me 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:01.680 the biggest thing about local is I'm a small 00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:04.839 business so I want to help other small businesses. 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:08.640 So the front of the stores are local creators. 00:26:09.069 --> 00:26:12.690 We have everything from Kid Nichols who lives 00:26:12.690 --> 00:26:16.109 right on Columbia Street who has all these fun 00:26:16.109 --> 00:26:20.690 pins and posters that people can relate to. We 00:26:20.690 --> 00:26:25.690 have the 3D little figurines which is actually 00:26:25.690 --> 00:26:27.710 Lorinda used to be the crossing guard right here 00:26:27.710 --> 00:26:30.029 on the corner that retired and this is her nephew 00:26:30.029 --> 00:26:34.509 and then his mom makes the unique custom jewelry 00:26:34.509 --> 00:26:37.849 and uses some of the plastic left over that he 00:26:37.849 -->

00:26:41.089 can't use from the 3D figurines into the earrings. 00:26:41.150 --> 00:26:46.089 So again it's just this recycling kind of try 00:26:46.089 --> 00:26:49.009 to keep as much out of the landfill as possible. 00:26:50.709 --> 00:26:55.029 Super local. That was my goal. My goal was to 00:26:55.029 --> 00:26:58.829 help small businesses, you know, make something 00:26:58.829 --> 00:27:02.289 of their dreams. We have Mr. Softy shirts over 00:27:02.289 --> 00:27:06.910 here and we have Fishtown Stitch and then Turnstyle 00:27:06.910 --> 00:27:11.529 Arts and then the Tarot cards. So yeah, everybody 00:27:11.529 --> 00:27:14.589 is within boundaries of the local neighborhoods 00:27:14.589 --> 00:27:18.900 around here. This past year it's it's huge. I 00:27:18.900 --> 00:27:22.799 have a lot of Parents coming in here. I had one 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:25.079 parent come in and was like it is so beautiful 00:27:25.079 --> 00:27:27.210 that I don't have to get him They have a birthday 00:27:27.210 --> 00:27:29.269 party to go to. I don't have to get in my car 00:27:29.269 --> 00:27:31.529 to go to Target. I can come to Girard Avenue. 00:27:31.930 --> 00:27:35.269 I can get little figurines for the birthday and 00:27:35.269 --> 00:27:38.089 affordable. And I can hit the plant store. I 00:27:38.089 --> 00:27:40.309 can hit the bookstore. I can hit the coffee shop. 00:27:40.490 --> 00:27:45.849 I can hit modest transitions for knitting. And 00:27:45.849 --> 00:27:51.029 then you also have... the Pokemon trading card 00:27:51.029 --> 00:27:54.049 store that just opened like it is. Yeah, we're 00:27:54.049 --> 00:27:56.930 getting we're getting the retail side now, which 00:27:56.930 --> 00:28:05.750 is very very exciting. Unfortunately, there is 00:28:05.750 --> 00:28:08.690 so much convenience that we're looking for, because 00:28:08.690 --> 00:28:10.869 we're looking for that work -life balance, right? 00:28:10.910 --> 00:28:14.569 We're looking to maybe not be in the shops all 00:28:14.569 --> 00:28:16.769 the time, so it's easy to get on your phone and 00:28:16.769 --> 00:28:23.190 just order something to your door. I mean, we 00:28:23.190 --> 00:28:25.910 see it every day, right? Just walking down Girard 00:28:25.910 --> 00:28:29.269 Avenue, you see all the discarded packages, Amazon 00:28:29.269 --> 00:28:32.680 packages, like that. That's how much we are buying 00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:35.140 and I'm not saying that I'm a saint because I 00:28:35.140 --> 00:28:39.940 am not a saint. I'm a single mom and unfortunately 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:43.819 I will buy online because it is convenient. We 00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:48.299 all know like the landfills are just getting 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:53.099 higher and deeper which is then contributing 00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:58.019 to global warming. Like just take care of your 00:28:58.019 --> 00:29:01.819 things. If you're not going to wear it again, 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:04.500 donate it. Go through your closet every season 00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:09.619 and donate it either to a non -profit organization 00:29:09.619 --> 00:29:15.119 or if it's stuff that has more value, consign 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:18.630 it. or even looking at other ways. I'm constantly 00:29:18.630 --> 00:29:21.130 looking at, as I said, I'm not a big t -shirt 00:29:21.130 --> 00:29:24.609 fan, but I'll think of ways to cut a t -shirt 00:29:24.609 --> 00:29:27.650 so I can wear it to yoga instead of buying a 00:29:27.650 --> 00:29:31.490 yoga shirt. You know, helping out a family in 00:29:31.490 --> 00:29:34.670 need in your neighborhood. My daughter goes to 00:29:34.670 --> 00:29:38.339 a dare, and I have to tell ya. We do the uniform 00:29:38.339 --> 00:29:41.759 swap and I have not had to buy a uniform because 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:45.599 of that. It's amazing and they're all in great 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:49.400 condition. So yeah, anything that you can do 00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:52.079 to just not put it in that trash bag I think 00:29:52.079 --> 00:30:07.259 is great. That was Holly Heenan from Another 00:30:07.259 --> 00:30:09.799 Chance. Thrift stores and consignment shops are 00:30:09.799 --> 00:30:11.640 such an important part of the circular economy 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:14.480 for textiles. But what about the textiles that 00:30:14.480 --> 00:30:17.519 aren't really wearable anymore? Things with holes 00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:21.079 or stains or funny smells? That's where businesses 00:30:21.079 --> 00:30:23.480 like Stitch and Destroy come in. They make clothes 00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:26.220 out of textiles or old clothes that can't have 00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:27.940 a second life in the condition they're currently 00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:37.289 in. My name is Haven DeAngelis and I'm the owner 00:30:37.289 --> 00:30:40.349 of Stitch and Destroy. So Stitch and Destroy 00:30:40.349 --> 00:30:43.950 is a upcycled alternative fashion brand. We make 00:30:43.950 --> 00:30:46.470 clothing and accessories out of textile waste. 00:30:47.410 --> 00:30:50.869 We are really committed to only using discarded 00:30:50.869 --> 00:30:54.250 clothes, dead stock fabrics, pretty much anything 00:30:54.250 --> 00:30:57.269 you might throw away or discard and then create 00:30:57.269 --> 00:31:01.490 new clothes and accessories from them. but we 00:31:01.490 --> 00:31:05.269 are also a storefront and sell other clothes, 00:31:06.130 --> 00:31:10.490 accessories, collage kits, jewelry from other 00:31:10.490 --> 00:31:15.150 makers in the area. We carry over 25 other artists 00:31:15.150 --> 00:31:17.730 and designers that are local that repurpose an 00:31:17.730 --> 00:31:21.440 upside down. I first learned to sew actually 00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:23.880 in home ec class all the way back in middle school. 00:31:24.680 --> 00:31:27.380 I think a lot of us learn to sew that way or 00:31:27.380 --> 00:31:30.640 a parent teaches us but I really just fell in 00:31:30.640 -->

00:31:33.039 love with it and in high school I would take 00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:35.400 some sewing classes, some fashion design classes 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:38.480 and eventually I went to art school and studied 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:40.940 fiber arts at the Maryland Institute College 00:31:40.940 --> 00:31:46.319 of Art and yeah there I learned to really hone 00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:50.789 in on my skills of sewing, making upcycled clothing. 00:31:51.349 --> 00:31:53.829 I also learned the whole gamut of just fiber 00:31:53.829 --> 00:31:57.650 art. So I know how to weave, dye cloth, use a 00:31:57.650 --> 00:32:00.569 knitting machine. I know start from finish of 00:32:00.569 --> 00:32:04.670 how clothing and cloth is made. And I think that 00:32:04.670 --> 00:32:07.690 really inspired me to want to save material, 00:32:07.910 --> 00:32:10.829 keep things out of the landfill. I've also always 00:32:10.829 --> 00:32:15.049 been interested in sustainability and environmentalism 00:32:15.049 --> 00:32:20.609 and just eco practices in general. So the textile 00:32:20.609 --> 00:32:23.049 industry is definitely one of the most polluting 00:32:23.049 --> 00:32:26.849 industries in our world, often cited as the second 00:32:26.849 --> 00:32:29.309 most polluting. I like to say the most polluting 00:32:29.309 --> 00:32:31.470 because there isn't always so many statistics 00:32:31.470 --> 00:32:34.569 around the extreme waste it produces and also 00:32:34.569 --> 00:32:38.950 just the pollution in general. So when textiles 00:32:38.950 --> 00:32:41.569 and garments are made there's so much manufacturing 00:32:41.569 --> 00:32:44.829 that goes into it from the cotton that is grown 00:32:44.829 --> 00:32:48.809 to the any kind of synthetic fibers that are 00:32:48.809 --> 00:32:51.549 produced they come from oils or oil industries 00:32:51.549 --> 00:32:55.430 wrapped up into it and then the whole processing 00:32:55.430 --> 00:32:58.990 and making of the cloth there's a lot of um people 00:32:58.990 --> 00:33:02.930 power that goes into it um dyeing fabric is also 00:33:02.930 --> 00:33:07.549 very intensive on our water supply um so there 00:33:07.549 --> 00:33:11.769 it's a huge industry um and The pollution that 00:33:11.769 --> 00:33:15.990 comes from it is also just the waste, excessive 00:33:15.990 --> 00:33:19.970 waste that comes off of the sewing and cutting 00:33:19.970 --> 00:33:25.130 production rooms. So it's producing hundreds 00:33:25.130 --> 00:33:28.890 and hundreds, thousands, millions of pounds of 00:33:28.890 --> 00:33:33.970 just waste every year. So not only are we producing 00:33:33.970 --> 00:33:37.349 tons of clothes, we are also discarding them 00:33:37.349 --> 00:33:41.039 at an enormous amount. In 2019, while I was still 00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:44.559 in college, I started Stitch and Destroy, took 00:33:44.559 --> 00:33:49.480 a few entrepreneur classes in school, did a upstart 00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:52.779 venture competition where it was a entrepreneurship 00:33:52.779 --> 00:33:55.940 kind of competition school and won some funding. 00:33:56.359 --> 00:33:59.420 And then I moved to Philly in 2020 and really 00:33:59.420 --> 00:34:10.380 started my business. destroy. It's a little bit 00:34:10.380 --> 00:34:14.360 of a play on search and destroy. We're also a 00:34:14.360 --> 00:34:18.940 very much like a punk rock metal themed store, 00:34:19.420 --> 00:34:24.639 very alternative music style. But there's there's 00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:27.139 an Iggy Pop song called search and destroy that 00:34:27.139 --> 00:34:31.750 kind of inspired me. But yeah, I thought of stitching, 00:34:31.849 --> 00:34:34.170 you're stitching up clothes that might be either 00:34:34.170 --> 00:34:37.389 destroyed or you're destroying textile waste. 00:34:38.110 --> 00:34:40.750 I could take on a lot of things, but yeah, it's 00:34:40.750 --> 00:34:44.670 fun. And at the beginning, I was doing markets, 00:34:45.010 --> 00:34:48.429 vending at local pop -ups and fairs, upcycle 00:34:48.429 --> 00:34:53.769 clothing, so tops, pants. I do a lot of patch 00:34:53.769 --> 00:34:57.250 working, so I'll cut up old clothes. One thing 00:34:57.250 --> 00:35:00.329 I love to do is take clothes that couldn't be 00:35:00.329 --> 00:35:02.949 given to a thrift store or sold again because 00:35:02.949 --> 00:35:05.889 there's stains or holes or rips. I'm able to 00:35:05.889 --> 00:35:08.289 cut those up, patchwork them into a new cloth 00:35:08.289 --> 00:35:12.429 and then sew them into a garment. So for about 00:35:12.429 --> 00:35:15.170 five years I was doing those vending and market 00:35:15.170 --> 00:35:18.670 pop -ups and they got super popular during kind 00:35:18.670 --> 00:35:21.489 of the pandemic time when businesses had to close 00:35:21.489 --> 00:35:24.820 but you still could be selling outdoors. and 00:35:24.820 --> 00:35:27.980 then it felt like a good transition to open a 00:35:27.980 --> 00:35:31.679 store just so that we could not only move our 00:35:31.679 --> 00:35:34.800 studio out of our apartment and to a storefront 00:35:34.800 --> 00:35:38.559 and have more space, but we also really wanted 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:41.239 to get more involved in our community and teach 00:35:41.239 --> 00:35:44.159 people about textile waste in circular fashion. 00:35:44.860 --> 00:35:47.579 So I was really just working out of my apartment 00:35:47.579 --> 00:35:52.159 and sewing and then last year in May of 2024 00:35:52.159 --> 00:35:56.940 we Me and my partner opened the storefront. Every 00:35:56.940 --> 00:36:00.360 single piece is one of a kind. We do use dead 00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:03.219 stock fabric. So that's fabric that's coming 00:36:03.219 --> 00:36:07.340 from the fashion industry that didn't get used 00:36:07.340 --> 00:36:09.920 up when producing clothes. So sometimes they'll 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:13.400 be like... five yards left of a certain fabric 00:36:13.400 -->

00:36:16.219 or sometimes there will be even bolts, full bolts, 00:36:16.599 --> 00:36:19.599 like hundreds of yards left, which is crazy that 00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:21.920 that would end up in the landfill or get burned 00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:24.760 because it's still very usable. So there are 00:36:24.760 --> 00:36:28.099 a few pieces on Amble to make maybe like two 00:36:28.099 --> 00:36:30.800 of, but everything is pretty much one of a kind, 00:36:31.059 --> 00:36:34.539 except especially the patchwork items. Tell me 00:36:34.539 --> 00:36:38.280 about a typical garment. It's most likely new. 00:36:39.070 --> 00:36:44.130 It came from a factory that produced it and people 00:36:44.130 --> 00:36:45.989 produced it. There's definitely a misconception 00:36:45.989 --> 00:36:49.469 that our clothes are made by robots or machines. 00:36:49.610 --> 00:36:51.510 It is still definitely a person sitting behind 00:36:51.510 --> 00:36:54.769 that machine and often a garment goes through 00:36:54.769 --> 00:36:58.429 multiple people. There's like factory production 00:36:58.429 --> 00:37:01.349 so a lot of people are touching that garment. 00:37:03.500 --> 00:37:06.039 That garment is sewn together. That cloth was 00:37:06.039 --> 00:37:09.760 already made. So there was already cotton grown 00:37:09.760 --> 00:37:12.420 for the t -shirt. There was water used. There 00:37:12.420 --> 00:37:16.579 was dyes that were mixed and then made that color 00:37:16.579 --> 00:37:19.619 of the t -shirt. And then it was sewn together. 00:37:20.199 --> 00:37:23.000 It was shipped to you from overseas most likely. 00:37:23.500 --> 00:37:25.659 So there's that pollution involved too. It's 00:37:25.659 --> 00:37:27.960 just the shipping process and the packaging of 00:37:27.960 --> 00:37:31.960 it. And then you might wear that t -shirt. for 00:37:31.960 --> 00:37:36.880 a year or two, maybe more. I try to keep my garments 00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:41.519 as long as I can. Of course, I'm unique in that 00:37:41.519 --> 00:37:46.239 I know how to make them new, but say you keep 00:37:46.239 --> 00:37:49.739 that shirt for 10 years and maybe you get some 00:37:49.739 --> 00:37:53.079 stains and holes on it. You might want to donate 00:37:53.079 --> 00:37:55.420 it to a thrift store, but because it's ripped 00:37:55.420 --> 00:37:58.139 up, stained, you can't. So you're most likely 00:37:58.139 --> 00:38:01.010 going to throw it away. and then that t -shirt 00:38:01.010 --> 00:38:04.030 is going to end up in the landfill or a lot of 00:38:04.030 --> 00:38:08.369 our waste system is also incinerated so it might 00:38:08.369 --> 00:38:12.550 be burned either way. If you did throw give it 00:38:12.550 --> 00:38:15.130 to a thrift store and it was stained, had holes, 00:38:15.429 --> 00:38:17.230 it's probably not going to sell at that thrift 00:38:17.230 --> 00:38:20.130 store so they're going to ship it to the Global 00:38:20.130 --> 00:38:22.449 South where it's going to sit in their waterways 00:38:22.449 --> 00:38:25.150 or in a landfill or they're also just going to 00:38:25.150 --> 00:38:27.849 trash it. So it's going to end up in some kind 00:38:27.849 --> 00:38:32.389 of landfill. and then the cycle pretty much ends 00:38:32.389 --> 00:38:35.690 with that shirt's polluting whatever land or 00:38:35.690 --> 00:38:39.690 the um it's just sitting there and it no longer 00:38:39.690 --> 00:38:43.130 has a use um but with if that t -shirt came to 00:38:43.130 --> 00:38:46.630 us we would be able to cut it up patchwork it 00:38:46.630 --> 00:38:50.429 together make a new shirt we would um those areas 00:38:50.429 --> 00:38:52.809 with the holes or stains we might avoid those 00:38:52.809 --> 00:38:54.690 areas but we're still going to keep those scraps 00:38:55.179 --> 00:38:58.340 After we create our product that gets sold and 00:38:58.340 --> 00:39:02.900 worn by a new person so that t -shirt that was 00:39:02.900 --> 00:39:05.800 already worn for 10 years is now living hopefully 00:39:05.800 --> 00:39:09.900 for another 10 years if not more. I keep every 00:39:09.900 --> 00:39:13.380 scrap that I come across and We're trying to 00:39:13.380 --> 00:39:15.599 work with a fabric shredder right now to see 00:39:15.599 --> 00:39:18.659 if we could produce our own shoddy which is a 00:39:18.659 --> 00:39:21.900 fiber fill that you can use to stuff kind of 00:39:21.900 --> 00:39:25.920 like a stuffing for cushions, couches, but yeah 00:39:25.920 --> 00:39:28.940 we we save every scrap that we can and we don't 00:39:28.940 --> 00:39:30.940 want to see anything end up in the landfill. 00:39:34.010 --> 00:39:37.369 Before we moved into the store and studio, our 00:39:37.369 --> 00:39:41.389 apartment was just bins and bins of fabric just 00:39:41.389 --> 00:39:43.869 piled on top of each other. And people want to 00:39:43.869 --> 00:39:47.429 give you their old clothes. There is no shortage 00:39:47.429 --> 00:39:50.650 in the amount of material that we can get. We 00:39:50.650 --> 00:39:53.070 still are struggling a little bit with just keeping 00:39:53.070 --> 00:39:55.289 up the space in here, even though we have so 00:39:55.289 --> 00:40:00.510 much more room. We're still kind of overflowing 00:40:00.510 --> 00:40:03.469 in the amount of fabric. In the store we also 00:40:03.469 --> 00:40:06.849 carry about 25 other local artists and designers 00:40:06.849 --> 00:40:09.690 that upcycle in some way. We have about, I would 00:40:09.690 --> 00:40:14.170 say, 10 or so clothing designers who either screen 00:40:14.170 --> 00:40:17.750 print on old clothes, they might also do a similar 00:40:17.750 --> 00:40:19.929 thing where they're constructing full pieces. 00:40:20.990 --> 00:40:24.449 Some of our designers will also take an old clothing 00:40:24.449 --> 00:40:27.809 item and put a little patchwork design on it. 00:40:27.929 --> 00:40:30.369 So not necessarily creating a very brand new 00:40:30.369 --> 00:40:34.210 garment,

but still using textile waste. And then 00:40:34.210 --> 00:40:37.210 we also have a few artists in store. We sell 00:40:37.210 --> 00:40:40.329 collage packs from the Teal Appeal. They're local 00:40:40.329 --> 00:40:43.909 to Philadelphia. We sell also recycled plastic 00:40:43.909 --> 00:40:47.750 coasters. plant pots from Philly Plastico. We 00:40:47.750 --> 00:40:51.530 also have really fun charm jewelry earrings of 00:40:51.530 --> 00:40:54.750 like little happy meal toys that they created 00:40:54.750 --> 00:40:57.989 into earrings. We have earrings that are also 00:40:57.989 --> 00:41:02.050 made from bowling balls, vinyl records, and we 00:41:02.050 --> 00:41:05.630 also have a fun little DIY section where we carry 00:41:05.630 --> 00:41:11.099 craft kits. crafting books and also patches that 00:41:11.099 --> 00:41:14.679 you could either sew onto a jacket or mend an 00:41:14.679 --> 00:41:18.679 existing garment. We also carry a little assortment 00:41:18.679 --> 00:41:21.400 of vintage and secondhand clothing that we come 00:41:21.400 --> 00:41:24.199 across that we feel is too nice to cut up and 00:41:24.199 --> 00:41:26.699 make something new out of. so sometimes people 00:41:26.699 --> 00:41:30.079 will donate items that we come across um to put 00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:33.300 in our vintage section um we also love this one 00:41:33.300 --> 00:41:36.860 uh it's called bulk vintage warehouse in north 00:41:36.860 --> 00:41:42.289 philadelphia um and they sell just like They 00:41:42.289 --> 00:41:46.389 have bins and bins of just vintage and secondhand 00:41:46.389 --> 00:41:49.030 clothing. It's open to mostly like businesses, 00:41:49.289 --> 00:41:52.369 retailers, wholesalers to buy vintage clothes. 00:41:52.789 --> 00:41:55.150 And they also carry assortment of stuff that 00:41:55.150 --> 00:41:58.409 couldn't, that's not necessarily like vintage 00:41:58.409 --> 00:42:00.690 sellers would want because they do need some 00:42:00.690 --> 00:42:02.809 mending. So we also like to get a hold of those. 00:42:04.730 --> 00:42:07.690 So vintage is super popular to buy right now 00:42:07.690 --> 00:42:10.090 and a big part of it is because of the quality. 00:42:10.869 --> 00:42:13.909 So a lot of times our vintage or antique clothes 00:42:13.909 --> 00:42:18.150 were made either by hand by someone locally. 00:42:18.449 --> 00:42:21.510 It was also made with better quality material. 00:42:21.750 --> 00:42:24.570 Say like a sweater it might have in the past 00:42:24.570 --> 00:42:27.110 been made from wool or cotton and now it's being 00:42:27.110 --> 00:42:30.349 made from polyester synthetic fabrics that are 00:42:30.349 --> 00:42:33.489 going to degrade over time. They might be not 00:42:33.489 --> 00:42:36.090 very nice on your skin, they have that like plasticky 00:42:36.090 --> 00:42:39.750 feeling, and they're a lot harder to mend a lot 00:42:39.750 --> 00:42:43.150 of the times because they rip more easily, you'll 00:42:43.150 --> 00:42:46.170 get more holes where something like wool like 00:42:46.170 --> 00:42:49.690 it could be felted and reworked in a way. So 00:42:49.690 --> 00:42:53.800 I think the biggest contributor to why clothing 00:42:53.800 --> 00:42:56.880 is no longer made really well is because of just 00:42:56.880 --> 00:42:59.860 the fast fashion industry. Companies are trying 00:42:59.860 --> 00:43:02.119 to produce as much clothing as possible to keep 00:43:02.119 --> 00:43:05.219 up with trends and season changes and just trying 00:43:05.219 --> 00:43:09.500 to get people to wear new garments and buy more. 00:43:10.119 --> 00:43:12.900 So clothes are being produced in a more cheap 00:43:12.900 --> 00:43:17.250 manner. So a lot of people will think that, oh, 00:43:17.250 --> 00:43:18.889 you're returning clothes, it's going back on 00:43:18.889 --> 00:43:21.610 the shelves, someone else is buying it. But often 00:43:21.610 --> 00:43:25.590 businesses, stores can't process the amount of 00:43:25.590 --> 00:43:27.730 returns that they're receiving, especially if 00:43:27.730 --> 00:43:30.510 it's just hundreds of returns they're getting. 00:43:31.090 --> 00:43:33.570 So they eventually either will just throw that 00:43:33.570 --> 00:43:35.849 away, it'll go into the dumpsters, go to the 00:43:35.849 --> 00:43:39.050 landfill, could also be incinerated so that it 00:43:39.050 --> 00:43:42.269 gets burned. no longer wearable. There's also 00:43:42.269 --> 00:43:46.469 a lot of just dumping of textile waste in the 00:43:46.469 --> 00:43:48.590 global south. There's mountains and mountains 00:43:48.590 --> 00:43:51.489 of just clothing in other countries that are 00:43:51.489 --> 00:43:54.610 not ours. And it's causing a lot of pollution 00:43:54.610 --> 00:43:57.730 in their waterways and in their land. So returns 00:43:57.730 --> 00:44:00.469 are not necessarily a sustainable way to get 00:44:00.469 --> 00:44:03.889 rid of your clothes. It's much better to either 00:44:03.889 --> 00:44:06.849 try something on, make sure it fits, make sure 00:44:06.849 --> 00:44:09.880 you like it. And then if it's not... fitting 00:44:09.880 --> 00:44:12.039 right if you can't wear it maybe try to mend 00:44:12.039 --> 00:44:14.860 it get it altered dry cleaners are everywhere 00:44:14.860 --> 00:44:17.480 and a lot of them do alterations something that 00:44:17.480 --> 00:44:20.139 everyone knows about and also you can always 00:44:20.139 --> 00:44:23.840 upcycle it create something new or host a clothing 00:44:23.840 --> 00:44:27.079 swap or give it to a friend like people also 00:44:27.079 --> 00:44:29.019 probably would like the garment that you thought 00:44:29.019 --> 00:44:33.420 you might like but something we do at stitch 00:44:33.420 --> 00:44:36.760 and destroy is by every other month we host clothing 00:44:36.760 --> 00:44:41.260 swaps where the public can come bring their clothes 00:44:41.260 --> 00:44:44.280 that they don't want anymore, trade amongst each

00:44:44.280 --> 00:44:48.920 other, take just clothes that people are discarding, 00:44:48.940 --> 00:44:52.199 and usually we're left over with a decent amount 00:44:52.199 --> 00:44:54.739 at the end that we either save for the next clothing 00:44:54.739 --> 00:44:58.860 swap, we cut up and make into new clothes, or 00:44:58.860 --> 00:45:01.039 if it's something that's super cool we might 00:45:01.039 --> 00:45:08.500 add to that secondhand vintage rack. We host 00:45:08.500 --> 00:45:11.579 about one to two, sometimes three workshops per 00:45:11.579 --> 00:45:15.820 month. Typically they involve sewing, fiber arts, 00:45:16.320 --> 00:45:19.780 some kind of sustainability oriented art practice. 00:45:20.139 --> 00:45:22.719 Our most popular one is our intro to machine 00:45:22.719 --> 00:45:24.940 sewing class, where we teach people how to use 00:45:24.940 --> 00:45:27.000 a sewing machine, how to thread the machine, 00:45:27.179 --> 00:45:30.280 and then they practice stitching and they make 00:45:30.280 --> 00:45:37.260 a tote bag at the end. But we've also held paper 00:45:37.260 --> 00:45:41.039 making classes in the past using the paper waste 00:45:41.039 --> 00:45:44.280 that comes from pattern making when making garments. 00:45:44.739 --> 00:45:47.340 There's sometimes extra paper that comes off 00:45:47.340 --> 00:45:49.599 of that and you can make a paper pulp and then 00:45:49.599 --> 00:45:52.519 make new paper from that. So we've hosted paper 00:45:52.519 --> 00:45:55.559 making classes. We also have a collage class 00:45:55.559 --> 00:45:58.900 coming up with one of the artists we carry in 00:45:58.900 --> 00:46:01.739 store and she's going to teach about the history 00:46:01.739 --> 00:46:05.079 of collage making and how to create your own. 00:46:06.019 --> 00:46:07.940 But yeah, the classes are really fun and that 00:46:07.940 --> 00:46:10.559 was also something why we wanted to open the 00:46:10.559 --> 00:46:12.980 store and studio is so that people could have 00:46:12.980 --> 00:46:15.820 access to learn how to use a sewing machine. 00:46:15.900 --> 00:46:18.380 They could see me making the clothes in the store 00:46:18.380 --> 00:46:21.059 and really see the whole process of how clothing 00:46:21.059 --> 00:46:28.579 is made and it's not just by machines. When we 00:46:28.579 --> 00:46:30.840 start off our sewing classes, I'd love to get 00:46:30.840 --> 00:46:33.219 a sense of where everyone is at in their ability 00:46:33.219 --> 00:46:36.480 and one of the most common answers is either 00:46:36.480 --> 00:46:39.059 I learned this in homemade class way long ago 00:46:39.059 --> 00:46:41.079 when I was young and haven't touched a sewing 00:46:41.079 --> 00:46:43.719 machine or it's something like my grandma taught 00:46:43.719 --> 00:46:47.340 me because she was really into sewing but it 00:46:47.340 --> 00:46:49.420 was much easier for me to buy my own clothes 00:46:49.420 --> 00:46:53.969 and now I want to learn the skill. But yeah, 00:46:54.349 --> 00:46:56.750 the age range is pretty varied in our classes. 00:46:57.030 --> 00:47:00.489 We've had like people in their 20s to people 00:47:00.489 --> 00:47:03.349 in their 70s and already retired and want to 00:47:03.349 --> 00:47:05.769 pick up a new skill. It's really, it's a fun 00:47:05.769 --> 00:47:09.510 class to take and just get a sense of why everyone 00:47:09.510 --> 00:47:11.630 wants to learn how to sew, whether it's mending 00:47:11.630 --> 00:47:14.429 their clothes, a lot of people want to alter, 00:47:14.710 --> 00:47:17.809 or they've seen something on social media and 00:47:17.809 --> 00:47:20.170 they want to like learn how to make that garment. 00:47:20.429 --> 00:47:23.909 We also host sewing workshops that require a 00:47:23.909 --> 00:47:26.889 little more intermediate skill level, so if they've 00:47:26.889 --> 00:47:29.269 taken our intro to machine sewing class they 00:47:29.269 --> 00:47:31.909 can take other sewing classes that we offer. 00:47:32.190 --> 00:47:34.090 We just want to make sure that they know how 00:47:34.090 --> 00:47:37.170 to thread the machine and operate it because 00:47:37.170 --> 00:47:39.269 that definitely is something to get used to. 00:47:39.530 --> 00:47:41.949 So yeah, we have had people take our tote bag 00:47:41.949 --> 00:47:44.429 making class and then come back for our denim 00:47:44.429 --> 00:47:47.590 bucket hat making workshop, so it's really fun 00:47:47.590 --> 00:47:51.340 to see those. students grow in their skills and 00:47:51.340 --> 00:47:54.559 become more interested in sewing. Or that we 00:47:54.559 --> 00:47:57.239 have people come back for our clothing swap because 00:47:57.239 --> 00:47:59.320 they learned how to sew and they want to make 00:47:59.320 --> 00:48:08.539 their own garments and alter them. To create 00:48:08.539 --> 00:48:12.820 sustainable fashion without using like secondhand 00:48:12.820 --> 00:48:16.820 materials, you definitely probably would go with 00:48:16.820 --> 00:48:20.579 a natural fiber. um hemp has always been one 00:48:20.579 --> 00:48:23.619 of those fibers that people speak highly about 00:48:23.619 --> 00:48:27.900 because it's less water intensive um it can grow 00:48:27.900 --> 00:48:31.599 in like drier climates flax which makes linen 00:48:31.599 --> 00:48:35.320 that one's also um uses less water too harvest 00:48:35.320 --> 00:48:38.900 and create the fiber. Cotton of course is like 00:48:38.900 --> 00:48:41.320 something that people gravitate towards but that 00:48:41.320 --> 00:48:44.800 one uses a ton of water and also uses a ton of 00:48:44.800 --> 00:48:48.440 pesticides. So yeah not only is it like tons 00:48:48.440 --> 00:48:50.420 of water is being used but also tons of chemicals 00:48:50.420 --> 00:48:53.760 are being put on these plants and it's a monoculture 00:48:53.760 --> 00:48:57.000 plant too so where you having just fields vast 00:48:57.000 --> 00:49:00.800 fields of land is

being used to just one type 00:49:00.800 --> 00:49:04.579 of crop. So these tiny farms like flax farms, 00:49:04.900 --> 00:49:07.639 hemp farms, so supporting your local farmers 00:49:07.639 --> 00:49:10.320 of course is a sustainable way so they would 00:49:10.320 --> 00:49:14.239 make those fibers to then be processed and created 00:49:14.239 --> 00:49:18.260 into kind of yarn that you would weave or knit 00:49:18.260 --> 00:49:21.219 with to create the cloth itself. I mean basically 00:49:21.219 --> 00:49:24.219 to create a sustainable fashion you need to become 00:49:24.219 --> 00:49:28.360 as local as possible using natural fibers using 00:49:28.360 --> 00:49:31.840 natural dyes is a great way to instead of using 00:49:31.840 --> 00:49:34.000 synthetic dyes but of course natural dyes are 00:49:34.000 --> 00:49:37.280 still uh toxic in some ways there's sometimes 00:49:37.280 --> 00:49:40.139 heavy metals used to create the dye color there's 00:49:40.139 --> 00:49:42.679 still a ton of water being used so you might 00:49:42.679 --> 00:49:45.789 see like sustainable fashion being like a lot 00:49:45.789 --> 00:49:49.309 of beige like cream colors it's the color of 00:49:49.309 --> 00:49:52.750 basically the natural plant and then yeah you 00:49:52.750 --> 00:49:55.650 would use local manufacturing to create the garment 00:49:55.650 --> 00:49:58.409 for yourself but and you might have that garment 00:49:58.409 --> 00:50:00.949 even tailored to your size so it fits you well 00:50:00.949 --> 00:50:04.269 and will last you but also to say this is really 00:50:04.269 --> 00:50:09.449 expensive to do if you're going to to buy garments 00:50:09.449 --> 00:50:14.409 that are made truly locally and in a sustainable, 00:50:14.750 --> 00:50:18.349 in a way that pays people as well, it's going 00:50:18.349 --> 00:50:20.750 to be really expensive because it's a lot to 00:50:20.750 --> 00:50:23.050 make a garment a lot goes into it and that's 00:50:23.050 --> 00:50:25.389 personally why I gravitate towards upcycling 00:50:25.389 --> 00:50:27.849 and just using what we already have and what's 00:50:27.849 --> 00:50:31.429 already been produced and there's so much fabric 00:50:31.550 --> 00:50:34.510 already made that i i really believe we don't 00:50:34.510 --> 00:50:37.550 need to make the amount that we're we're creating 00:50:37.550 --> 00:50:39.469 anymore we need to start using what we already 00:50:39.469 --> 00:50:43.230 have so the honestly the one of the most cheapest 00:50:43.230 --> 00:50:45.710 ways you can make a new garment is just using 00:50:45.710 --> 00:50:49.250 old clothes and it's it's probably it's one of 00:50:49.250 --> 00:50:51.489 the best most sustainable ways because you're 00:50:51.489 --> 00:50:53.530 not you're using what's already been made you're 00:50:53.530 --> 00:50:56.070 not creating any new resources and you're not 00:50:56.070 --> 00:51:00.050 discarding any resources We come across a lot 00:51:00.050 --> 00:51:03.969

of t -shirts that are for that 5k you wore yeah, 00:51:04.030 --> 00:51:06.829 like Different like high school events. I'm sure 00:51:06.829 --> 00:51:09.869 like while we were all in school. We got 20 t 00:51:09.869 --> 00:51:12.449 -shirts for whatever field day we were participating 00:51:12.449 --> 00:51:17.230 in or some kind of fun run And those t -shirts, 00:51:17.230 --> 00:51:19.010 you know, you might wear for a year. You might 00:51:19.010 --> 00:51:21.010 wear those to bed They're not like something 00:51:21.010 --> 00:51:24.070 you want to wear out all the time and we come 00:51:24.070 --> 00:51:27.159 across a lot of those and We find those shirts, 00:51:27.179 --> 00:51:29.539 they're not super fun to make into a new garment. 00:51:29.659 --> 00:51:33.019 That graphic isn't well liked. But one thing 00:51:33.019 --> 00:51:36.019 we do is we make it into a t -shirt shopping 00:51:36.019 --> 00:51:38.920 bag. So if a customer forgets to bring their 00:51:38.920 --> 00:51:42.119 bag when they're making a purchase, we have these 00:51:42.119 --> 00:51:46.380 t -shirts sewn together into a new bag that they 00:51:46.380 --> 00:51:55.500 can use to carry out their purchase. Stitch and 00:51:55.500 --> 00:51:58.780 Destroy is located on 4th Street. So just down 00:51:58.780 --> 00:52:01.280 the block, when you go past South Street, there's 00:52:01.280 --> 00:52:04.480 Historic Fabric Row. And Fabric Row has really 00:52:04.480 --> 00:52:08.340 transformed over the years. Used to have a ton 00:52:08.340 --> 00:52:11.000 of fabric stores. You could go buy your fabric, 00:52:11.219 --> 00:52:14.019 your sewing supplies. Now there's only a few, 00:52:14.300 --> 00:52:16.960 but... A really cool thing is that there's a 00:52:16.960 --> 00:52:19.500 ton of vintage and secondhand stores that have 00:52:19.500 --> 00:52:22.719 popped up on the street. So it's still keeping 00:52:22.719 --> 00:52:27.659 with that fashion sustainability world. I would 00:52:27.659 --> 00:52:30.500 say South Street and 4th Street are like a huge 00:52:30.500 --> 00:52:34.139 hub for just secondhand and vintage in general 00:52:34.139 --> 00:52:37.550 in our city. One place we love to source our 00:52:37.550 --> 00:52:39.809 sewing supplies is at the resource exchange, 00:52:40.090 --> 00:52:43.829 which is located in Kensington area. But the 00:52:43.829 --> 00:52:46.309 resource exchange is a wonderful resource for 00:52:46.309 --> 00:52:49.449 secondhand art and craft supplies. They have 00:52:49.449 --> 00:52:52.989 sewing supplies, paints, fabric, yarn. So even 00:52:52.989 --> 00:52:56.530 our threads, buttons, zippers, we source secondhand. 00:52:56.949 --> 00:53:00.630 We've also sourced material from Rabbit Recycling. 00:53:00.760 --> 00:53:04.000 They used to be located up in East Kensington 00:53:04.000 --> 00:53:06.219 area. They just recently moved to West Ville 00:53:06.219 --> 00:53:10.980 and it's a great resource to also get materials 00:53:10.980 --> 00:53:14.079 because they offer everything for free. If you 00:53:14.079 --> 00:53:15.800 don't know what Rabbit Recycling is, they're 00:53:15.800 --> 00:53:21.159 a private recycling... service, so they will 00:53:21.159 --> 00:53:24.719 give you a bin or bucket to fill up with basically 00:53:24.719 --> 00:53:26.699 anything that you're looking to get rid of. They 00:53:26.699 --> 00:53:30.559 have a huge accepted materials list and then 00:53:30.559 --> 00:53:32.940 it all gets sorted by hand by their employees 00:53:32.940 --> 00:53:36.480 and a lot of the stuff that they get is still 00:53:36.480 --> 00:53:40.400 great and usable and it's a perfect source of 00:53:40.400 --> 00:53:43.199 material for artists and just like people that 00:53:43.199 --> 00:53:45.460 are looking to get stuff secondhand for free. 00:53:47.140 --> 00:53:50.960 I've been interested in the sustainable world 00:53:50.960 --> 00:53:53.039 of Philadelphia. There's so many small businesses 00:53:53.039 --> 00:53:56.079 in Philly that are dedicated to sustainability 00:53:56.079 --> 00:53:59.719 and circularity and circular Philadelphia kind 00:53:59.719 --> 00:54:03.420 of came up in my research. But they were also 00:54:03.420 --> 00:54:06.059 looking for people to give insight into a new 00:54:06.059 --> 00:54:09.389 tool they just came out with. resource -vility 00:54:09.389 --> 00:54:13.070 and it's a search engine that allows you to look 00:54:13.070 --> 00:54:15.570 up where to discard things you no longer want 00:54:15.570 --> 00:54:19.429 or to even find things secondhand. So they were 00:54:19.429 --> 00:54:22.849 putting out surveys and taking that survey you 00:54:22.849 --> 00:54:25.190 could become a member. So I thought that was 00:54:25.190 --> 00:54:27.429 like a great way to kind of branch into that 00:54:27.429 --> 00:54:31.070 group and I really have enjoyed my time going 00:54:31.070 --> 00:54:33.789 to the meetings and different events they've 00:54:33.789 --> 00:54:37.909 hosted. They really fund member meetings and 00:54:37.909 --> 00:54:40.789 they also have smaller working groups within 00:54:40.789 --> 00:54:43.309 their membership. So I'm part of the textile 00:54:43.309 --> 00:54:46.070 working group. There's a lot of professors in 00:54:46.070 --> 00:54:49.570 that group that teach fashion, just local citizens 00:54:49.570 --> 00:54:52.690 that are interested in textile production and 00:54:52.690 --> 00:54:55.889 how Philly can do better. So it's a neat group. 00:54:55.989 --> 00:54:58.110 We're still working out what we want to focus 00:54:58.110 --> 00:55:01.059 on for this year. Going to the membership meetings, 00:55:01.059 --> 00:55:03.599 you meet a lot of people that not necessarily 00:55:03.599 --> 00:55:06.300 are in your industry, but they are interested 00:55:06.300 --> 00:55:09.440 in how to make our world better, how to make 00:55:09.440 --> 00:55:15.659 the economy better, and using used materials 00:55:15.659 -->

00:55:19.940 is such a shared experience. So whether you're 00:55:19.940 --> 00:55:24.599 composting or recycling, trying to find new uses 00:55:24.599 --> 00:55:28.019 for vacant lots or old buildings, it all relates 00:55:28.019 --> 00:55:41.829 to each other. I think people are really starting 00:55:41.829 --> 00:55:45.150 to become more aware of the impact the fashion 00:55:45.150 --> 00:55:48.090 industry has on our environment and also just 00:55:48.090 --> 00:55:50.949 people's working conditions in the textile industry 00:55:50.949 --> 00:55:53.809 are so terrible often that they want to support 00:55:53.809 --> 00:55:57.269 healthier practices. So people are really interested 00:55:57.269 --> 00:56:00.230 in learning how to sew their clothes to kind 00:56:00.230 --> 00:56:03.449 of stop that cycle from happening. when you make 00:56:03.449 --> 00:56:06.170 your own clothes you're not contributing to that 00:56:06.170 --> 00:56:08.989 fast fashion cycle that's happening or even if 00:56:08.989 --> 00:56:12.289 you buy a fast fashion garment but you can keep 00:56:12.289 --> 00:56:16.170 it for 10 plus years that's amazing like not 00:56:16.170 --> 00:56:19.170 discarding it after a couple of wears but being 00:56:19.170 --> 00:56:21.929 able to know how to mend it to sew it to add 00:56:21.929 --> 00:56:24.929 to it is just something i think people are starting 00:56:24.929 --> 00:56:28.690 to become more interested in and i think we're 00:56:28.690 --> 00:56:31.820 like ourselves, we see our closets, we see how 00:56:31.820 --> 00:56:36.579 much clothing we have, and I think there's this 00:56:36.579 --> 00:56:39.960 interest of both like minimalism, trying to live 00:56:39.960 --> 00:56:43.239 a more sustainable life in that way too that 00:56:43.239 --> 00:56:46.539 people are wanting to like preserve their clothes. 00:56:47.420 --> 00:56:50.380 But yeah, I think social media is playing a huge 00:56:50.380 --> 00:56:53.159 role in how people are learning about the fast 00:56:53.159 --> 00:56:56.800 fashion industry and not wanting to contribute 00:56:56.800 --> 00:56:59.860 to it because it is like something that's just 00:56:59.860 --> 00:57:03.719 so wrapped up in every part of our lives from 00:57:03.719 --> 00:57:06.199 the manufacturing of the clothes to the industries 00:57:06.199 --> 00:57:10.920 that are within the actual fast fashion industry. 00:57:11.000 --> 00:57:14.579 And then just like what to do after your your 00:57:14.579 --> 00:57:16.940 clothes are worn out. I think that's also why 00:57:16.940 --> 00:57:19.719 people are caring about clothes is because it 00:57:19.719 --> 00:57:22.280 is such a part of ourselves. It's how we present 00:57:22.280 --> 00:57:26.059 ourselves to the world. It's our basically our 00:57:26.059 --> 00:57:30.659 second skin and to know how to alter mend and 00:57:30.659 --> 00:57:33.860 make it your own is really important and empowering 00:57:33.860 --> 00:57:46.480 skill to have. That was Haven DeAngelis of Stitch 00:57:46.480 --> 00:57:49.260 and Destroy on Fabric Row. Thanks to Haven and 00:57:49.260 --> 00:57:51.420 Holly for diving deeper into how clothing and 00:57:51.420 --> 00:57:53.579 textiles can be reused through thrifting and 00:57:53.579 --> 00:57:56.300 consignment. For more information on Stitch and 00:57:56.300 --> 00:57:59.119 Destroy, visit StitchandDestroy .com. And for 00:57:59.119 --> 00:58:01.119 more information on Another Chance, visit them 00:58:01.119 --> 00:58:04.360 on Instagram at Another Chance underscore Fishtown. 00:58:05.219 --> 00:58:07.719 Join us for episode seven, where we'll wander 00:58:07.719 --> 00:58:10.860 into the wonderfully weird world of salvage. 00:58:12.199 --> 00:58:15.159 The Circle Up podcast is presented by Circular 00:58:15.159 --> 00:58:18.119 Philadelphia. It was produced by Meredith Nutting 00:58:18.119 --> 00:58:21.500 at Cool Goon Productions. This podcast was supported 00:58:21.500 --> 00:58:23.800 by a grant from Penn Treaty Special Services 00:58:23.800 --> 00:58:26.559 District. If you want to learn more about the 00:58:26.559 --> 00:58:28.659 circular economy, go to circularphiladelphia 00:58:28.659 --> 00:58:29.460 .org.