A Dublin woman has created a sustainable solution for women looking for special occasion dresses at a cheaper price.
Many women buy expensive dresses for events, only to wear it once and then let it sit in the back of the wardrobe for eternity. But Rachel Hennessy, owner of Happy Days in Leopardstown believes that there is no place for fast fashion in a sustainable future.
She told Dublin Live: “Some people may think that second hand shopping is a bit gross, it’s really not. All the clothes we get are all in perfect condition.
Read more: Stop spending a fortune on dresses for weddings - try renting instead
“For special occasions, you can even swap with your friends, there’s easy ways not to buy something new every time. You can borrow, rent, and have a look online. If you like a River Island dress, search for it on Depop.
“Even if you see someone on Instagram wearing a nice dress, DM them and ask if you can buy it. People are up for being more conscious and they want to become more involved in the circular fashion industry. It’s so much cheaper too, you’re saving money as well.”
Rachel is hosting a swap shop event this Secondhand September and is inviting Fionnuala Jay to talk about sustainable fashion.
She added: “We’re having an event in the shop and all the money raised will go towards Women’s Aid. Fionnuala Jay is coming in to talk about the negative effects of fast fashion and how she shops second hand.
“It’s just to give people an insight and tell people the positives of shopping second hand in a non-preachy, fun way. You can bring two items and leave with two items without having to spend any money.
“I think people just think that you should trawl through charity shops but it’s made so easy for us now. I buy a majority of my clothes secondhand now. I’d go through Depop - it’s really easy to use, you can find the stuff you actually want on it for less than half the price.
“You get a buzz when you find the thing you’re actually looking for, it’s way more exciting than spending hours scrolling through ASOS, just mindlessly looking at stuff.”
Even though Rachel is all for shopping secondhand, she does believe that it’s not always possible to buy everything brand new.
She said: “People are becoming aware about the negative impacts of fast fashion. It’s one of the biggest polluters in the world. There’s more greenhouse gases emitted from the fashion industry compared to the airline industry.
"That really blows my mind. People are feeling guilty about travelling but they don’t really think twice when it comes to fast fashion. You do need new things like plain white t-shirts and underwear.
"You shouldn’t feel guilty if you think you’re going to get enough wear out of them too. It’s when you’re buying something that you don’t need, you’re mindlessly purchasing it because you just want something new - a dress you’ll literally wear once, they’re unnecessary purchases. Then you’re left with too many clothes in your wardrobe."
You can find out more about Happy Day’s swap shop for Secondhand September here.
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