Browse through your wardrobe and see what you can reuse or repurpose, or head to a local second-hand shop.
Each of these solutions is great because it aligns with the Slow Fashion philosophy. Instead of buying new clothes for one season, use what has already been produced, bought, and worn. Plus, this can save you a lot of money.
HOW TO REDISCOVER OLD CLOTHES – INSPIRATIONS
You can give your old clothes a second life by, for example:
Shortening or lengthening your skirt or pants. Has your size changed? That’s no reason to part with your clothes. Consider visiting a tailor to have your pants/skirt let out or taken in. A good idea is also turning old jeans into shorts. Simply cut the legs at a slight angle so the shorts are shorter on the inside and longer on the outside. Fray the edges to create a timeless grunge-style effect.
Thanks to easily available, special fabric dyes, you can color blouses and other garments. You can use the tie-dye method inspired by the 1970s. For this, you’ll need an old T-shirt, rubber bands, twine, and fabric dyes. Lay the T-shirt flat, then roll it up in a spiral starting from the center. Next, bind it with twine or rubber bands and divide it into 6 or 7 triangular sections. Dye each section in a different color as desired.
You can glue beads or sequins onto clothes, for example, on a shirt collar. You can buy sequins and other accessories (like ribbons) in notions stores. Choose different sizes of sequins and place them 1-2 cm apart on the shirt collar or below, along the line from the shoulders to the chest. Love the boho style? Add fringes to your clothes to completely change the character of the garment!
Add a decorative stripe to your pants. First, measure the seam on the outside of the pants leg. Then multiply this value by 2 and add a few extra centimeters as a reserve. This is the length of the ribbon with which you will decorate your pants.
You can also find fashion inspiration for dressing in social media channels like Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
The motivation to redesign old clothes can stem from environmental concerns, savings, but also the development of a unique style. By modifying your item, you personalize it, making it unique. Hobbies related to fashion, DIY, or sewing can be pursued by giving clothes a second life.
REINVENT YOUR WARDROBE CONTENT
If you’re just starting to think about Slow Fashion, Circular Fashion, and Zero Waste, we recommend going to a second-hand store. You may not feel ready to alter clothes from your own wardrobe yet (for fear of damaging them). Start by finding easily alterable clothes at second-hand stores. Due to the variety of clothing (in second-hand stores, you can find both new clothes with labels as well as classic fashion and vintage gems), you might even discover a new hobby!
However, if you plan to open your own second-hand store, follow our tips:
How to legally buy and import unsorted used clothes to avoid high fines?
Is it worth opening a second-hand clothing store?
How to open a second-hand clothing store?
As a wholesaler for used clothing, we can explain how and what you can buy for your second-hand store.
See also:
GIVING CLOTHING A SECOND LIFE WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO ALTER OR REWEAR IT
Not every item is suitable for alteration, and not everyone has the skills for it. But even clothes you think can’t be changed can still have a second life through:
In the third case, be sure to check that the bin belongs to a reputable recycling company. These companies take good care of the clothes, and in partnership with charitable organizations, part of the proceeds from reselling the clothes is donated to charitable causes. When we give textiles in this way, we are truly helping. More information can be found in the article: What can I do to be more conscious with my clothes?
For several years now, we have observed a growing ecological awareness and an increasing expectation from customers for manufacturers to take responsibility for our shared future. These developments are also impacting the fashion industry: the time for Zero-Waste and Less-Waste fashion has arrived. But what does this mean, and where can you begin to genuinely contribute to a more conscious approach to clothing?
The most universal and proven method for removing odors from clothing is, of course, washing it in the washing machine—provided it is suitable for machine washing. It is not only recommended but also necessary if you want to get rid of the smell and maintain hygiene.
The term “outlet” includes end-of-collection items, clothing stock, consumer returns, unsold surplus in stores and warehouses. Other sources of outlet clothing include complaints, samples (production samples) that were never introduced into the collection. An outlet store may offer clothing from world-renowned brands, popular premium brands, or from well-known retail chains – at more attractive prices.
Feel free to complete the contact form on our website.
We invite you to complete the contact form on our website. Depending on the goods you are looking for, a dedicated person will contact you as soon as possible.
We work on clothing imported from Germany, England, and Scotland.
Ecotex Germany and Helppack are responsible for collecting and supplying German clothing, and trusted business partners for goods from Great Britain.
For sorted and pre-sorted clothing intended for wholesale and retail sale, our company Ecotex Poland located in the province of
Lubuskie.
Ecotex Germany and Helppack are headquartered in Wuppertal, Germany.
Ecotex Poland and Polstoff are companies located in Żagań, Poland.
Ecotex Germany conducts collections in North Rhine-Westphalia in the western part of Germany.
You can also send clothes by courier here:
Helppack.de. On this website you can send a parcel with your clothing to us for free and choose which project or theme you would like to support.
IMPORTANT!
– at the moment, the solution works in Germany ONLY.
We developed and maintain a detailed and multi-stage grading process that is aligned with our customers’ requirements and expectations.
As such, we use the full potential for reuse of clothing and supply other clothing wholesalers, retail stores and companies that resell or use clothing in its original as well as in alternative forms by finding new applications for textiles.
We do not run our online retail shop. We only offer our goods for sale as a wholesaler.
We meet the expectations of novice entrepreneurs and can carry out trial courier shipments with smaller volumes.
It is also possible to purchase without visiting our facility, but we always encourage to do so to learn about our sorting process and the quality we have.
Ecotex Poland is a direct importer of clothing from England and Scotland.
It is possible to purchase goods in their original form (from D2D and C4C collections), or already sorted by our sorting staff.
Ecotex Germany is responsible for unsorted clothing.
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We do not sell unsorted clothing to individuals or companies without waste processing permits.