Renewable fashion

With growing concern for human impact on the planet, global fashion brands have made immense strides towards more sustainable and ethical business practices. Major moves have been made towards reducing the water wastage involved in cotton production and towards reducing the chemicals involved in garment manufacturing too. The irony is, however, that consumers are yet to get truly involved in closing the loop towards sustainable fashion as even environmentally-conscious consumers are only just coming around to the idea of reducing, reusing and recycling their wardrobes.

Renew Consignment, a female-owned business that helps consumers sell their pre-loved and gently used clothing and apparel, aims to change the way we view the second-hand fashion market and is hoping to win consumers over to making smarter and more cost-conscious choices in fashion locally.

The brainchild of Trinidad-born, Melanie Jones-Powell and Jamaican, Kathryn Cargill-Warner, Renew Consignment meets the millennial and Gen Z market at two key points – to allow consumers to be seen in new styles constantly while also being a sustainably-minded consumer. As Jones-Powell, a data and digital media specialist recalled, “Kathryn and I had been exploring the idea of working together for some time – but we wanted the business to be one with purpose. And we noticed that the global trend was moving towards fashion resale and was also being taken up in other Caribbean countries like Barbados. In fact, resale has grown 21 times faster than retail in the US market in the last three years alone and we predict similar growth here in TT.” Cargill-Warner, a nutritionist by profession and professed shopaholic, noted that it came from a more practical place for her.

In her words, “My husband had been urging me to offer up some of my wardrobe for resale and some for charity, so we thought that there may be other people out there like myself who face the same challenge of finding an outlet that would help them to resell some higher-end designer labels or to donate others.”

In that capacity, Renew Consignment offers a simple model: consumers contact the entrepreneurs by way of their social media presence, bring the clothes in for a visual inspection and consign clothing to the company to be resold on social media sites and at the dozens of pop-ups that the pair (and their husbands) host during the year. Jones-Powell explained further. “We have 90 days to have your clothing items sold after which the customer receives 50 per cent of the final sale.”

Cargill-Warner noted that the process is a carefully curated one. “We were trained by an expert with The Real Real (a similar US resale brand) and inspect the pieces consigned to us to ensure that the designer products are in fact genuine by way of their stitching or fabric weight etc. We also inspect for visible signs of wear – all part of a pre-determined pricing formula and we provide the consignee with the price points for their products to be sold. Consignees do have the option of removing their items prior to them going on sale but those that remain then receive a sales report and a cheque or direct deposit thereafter.” The two do note that they are, however, not a thrift store.

“Thrift shops like the Salvation Army and Goodwill offer fantastic options but our process is far more regimented in terms of what we accept for consignment and resale,” Jones-Powell added. “We have a rating system from pristine to excellent and excellent with tags etc, so it’s very different to the processes used to accept clothing at thrift stores.”

Most importantly as they discovered, this was a market niche waiting to be tapped. “There was an unmet need waiting as we currently have about 100 consignees and receive ten new requests each week from people with clothes that they want to consign and sell,” Jones-Powell pointed out. “It’s also a way to help people make money from things that they may have worn or used just once and have at home. For the consumer that attends our pop-ups or purchase on our social media sites, it’s more economical to access pre-loved designer brands as you can usually find those brands at one-third of their original retail cost. All in all, a win for everyone.”

Given that millennial and Gen Z shoppers are more than twice as likely to shop resale, the idea has been very warmly received.

“We have ardent fans that follow us at our pop-ups across the country from Fyzabad to Sangre Grande,” Cargill-Warner enthused.

“We carry a range of international brands from Forever21, Zara, H&M, Topshop, Calvin Klein, Anne Taylor as well as the more exclusive brands such as Gucci, Tom Ford, Christian Louboutin, Tory Burch, and Cartier. But we have also seen an uptick in local brands available for resale including Lisa SeeTai, Meiling and Anya Ayoung-Chee among others. We do believe that we are seeing the rise of the local fashion-conscious consumer – who expects ethical fashion and is moving to smarter more cost-conscious choices too.”

With their first anniversary approaching in September, the pair have big dreams for their little idea. “We do hope to have a storefront in the future and will also be working towards our website in the coming year. But at this point, we are very much a start-up,” Jones-Powell said. Cargill-Warner also noted for would-be entrepreneurs, “When we first came up with this idea, we just got started on it with less than $2000. If you have an idea that can make an impact and grow, just get started.”

* Visit or contact Renew Consignment on Instagram and Facebook.