Nu Wardrobe Comes to Cambridge

Posted on November 22, 2019November 11, 2020 by onewokesoul

to Woke Souls,

Christmas is just around the corner, and so the festivities begin: parties, dinners, family gatherings, the annual office blowout, and more.

Ladies, how would you fancy wearing a different outfit, each and every time that you attend an event, have a special occasion, or simply just want to get dressed up? Most of you are possibly already doing this, but what if I told you that there was a way in which you could achieve this, without incurring any cost at all? And no, to address your suspicion – there’s no hidden agenda involved, other than: looking fabulous, expanding your friends list, and saving the planet – each of which require no additional effort..

Fast-fashion

It’s no secret that we (well, most of us) like to look, and feel good, and furthermore that we pay somewhat attention to our appearance, as well as giving thought to how we might dress for a forthcoming event. Despite having a wardrobe, or wardrobes multiple, filled with clothes, many of us may are in the mindset that we do not have anything to wear, leading us to believe, or often consider making a new purchase. However, generally speaking – not much consideration tends to be given to what might happen to that dress or jumpsuit once the event has passed.

With a background in and slight remnant of an interest in fashion and style, when I am feeling up to it – I do enjoy piecing together outfits and ‘looks’, however I’m not one for overconsumption, unnecessary expense and most importantly: waste. In recent years I’ve started to invest in pieces that I really love, I’ve been practicing holding any possible purchases in store and asking myself ‘does this spark joy’ (Marie Kondo-style). More often than not, the item does not spark joy, and so I place it back on the rail and keep moving. The enjoyment of shopping for me, has changed – or faded even.

Slow-fashion

Back when I was at university in London, I was spoilt for choice with super trendy and unique thrift, charity and vintage stores – they were boutique-like in nature, and the garments inside were good quality, and special. Back home in Cambridge, we are unfortunately not so spoilt for choice. The high street stores are becoming less and less appealing: knowing that hundreds of others will own and wear the same pieces as you, that in most cases workers are not being paid a fair, living wage, and that more likely than not – the fabrics being used will only contribute to the destruction of our planet… Maybe it’s just me, but something about supporting these factors, and more – doesn’t quite feel ‘right’.

In recent months any time that I have had a forthcoming engagement, be it a fancy dress party, baby shower, themed event, or party – I have started reaching out to friends to seek out any fitting garments and accessories to borrow, and i am also super open to people borrowing my ‘stuff’ too. This for me has been working very well – although the garment isn’t new, it’s new to me, and once I’ve taken it for a ride, and uploaded images of me in it, on to insta or facebook – it’s unlikely that I’ll have much use for it again – alas, I can return it to it’s original owner and carry on about my life, knowing that I had felt great in a new outfit, without contributing to waste, landfill, unethical practices, and without having spent a penny!

I believe social media plays a huge role in the way in which we shop, this mindset of constantly having to upload images of everything that we do, everywhere that we go, and everything that we wear (and the pressure of feeling like we need to keep it fresh, unique and new), has an influence on the way in which we give consideration to clothes, without really considering the item’s life beyond it’s single, or very limited use. So what then? Stop caring about fashion and feeling good? Stop getting excited about dressing up and attending events? Wear the same outfit every other event? No, but there is a solution – and I think you’re going to like it.

Nu fashion

Some of you may have seen me shouting about the launch of Nu Wardrobe in Cambridge, a couple of weeks ago. NW is an app, a membership if you like, for access to other, local ladies’ wardrobes; it is a way in which we can borrow and loan fashion to one another, in a safe, sustainable and cost-free way, it is the future of fashion. I had the pleasure of attending the launch event for the app, where I was able to get to grips with the concept, through chatting with the founder of this inspiring initiative…

* Images from a shoot in London, featuring clothes from active members.

Nu Wardrobe, with Aisling Byrne

What inspired the creation of the concept?

My associate Ellie and I, spent some time in India in 2013, after Dhaka Garment Factory Collapse. Although I was studying music at the time, having had a keen interest in fashion, I’d always thought that I would at some point end up working in that industry. However, what I saw in India during my time there, was the true cost of our consumption here in the west, being paid for by the locals in other parts of the world. I often thought to myself ‘how glamorous is something that exploits people, and has a huge negative impact on the environment?’.

At the time there weren’t many alternatives available, as any sustainable options were considered more luxury, and aimed at those whose disposable incomes were higher, we were having to buy into sustainability, which is something that was not, and is not accessible by everyone (for example, investing in a keepcup, hiring a designer outfit from a fashion rental brand, etc). This was fine, as I do believe that we need to pay the true cost of what it takes to produce an item, however this didn’t change the fact that I desired for sustainability to be more accessible, and not restrictive.

How did you start Nu?

We began with running Swap Shops, but we found that the products were lower in quality. The types of items that were being brought to the swaps had reached, or were reaching their end of life. We organically began swapping clothes with friends, and those in our inner circles, and we very quickly found that we were creating an eco-system formed purely through word of mouth and via friends. We wanted others to enjoy pieces that we had in our own wardrobes, and we wanted to enjoy our friends’ pieces. We began simply by looking through facebook pics, sending screen-grabs of outfits we wanted to borrow, and communicating via WhatsApp.

Having seen how successfully this was working out for us, and how it was ticking so many boxes, we wanted to create a network where people could do this same thing on a larger scale, via a safe and stress-free platform. We wanted to educate, inspire, and encourage people to share vs buy: to consider all of the things that the traditional way of shopping is lacking. We want people to acknowledge the responsibility that comes with owning an item once you leave the store, as the owner of these pieces we have a responsibility to give them a full life – if not as individuals, then at least as a community.

The ‘30 Wears Challenge’ is thought-provoking – consider whether you’re the right person to own the piece that you are considering investing in. We must give consideration to the fact that our clothes are made from finite resources, cheap clothes are cheap for us, but at what cost? Someone, somewhere along the line is paying the true cost for why we have accessibility to those goods for low prices; the people who make our garments are paying the price of their lives. We do need to invent a system so that people in our society (UK, EU, USA) care about fashion, but still enjoy fashion.

What’s the aim?

The ultimate goal is that at some point, there will not be a need for fast fashion. To create a community, to value the wardrobe that we have, to give our pieces a full life, and to change the way we think about, and enjoy fashion. The aim is not to stop shopping altogether, but rather to invest in brands that are socially and sustainably responsible, and in pieces that will be responsibly worn; our aim is to fit within the fashion industry – to sit alongside a system that already exists, not to separate from that.

We want to encourage our community to move away from buy-wear-dispose model, to share the experience of having something new to you, which doesn’t necessarily need to come from the store. Our larger aim is to look at defining a blueprint, so that anybody across the globe that is interested in starting a NW-community can do so. Let’s become closer as a community, and restore the human connection that is vital, which can often be lost in fashion, especially when online shopping plays a major role in our current society.

How many people are on the platform in other locations?

The platform hasn’t been up and ready until very recently. The app will be accessible via the app store as of January, but for right now it’s running as a private beta, which means that it is being used for testing, therefore it’s a little trickier for people to access/ download without support. The app has the main and basic functionalities, however we endeavour to continue to improve from here, we are however still keen on keeping in a closed group, as we want to maintain control over quality and safeguarding, for example: who’s uploading, what’s being uploaded, verification, any (hopefully very limited) disputes, etc.

How do you work out sustainability?

We have partnered with London Waste & Recycling Board – they have an advanced London programme catered towards circular economy business. They have taken data from various sources outlining environmental impacts: of materials used, weight, disposal, etc. (FYI at present very little textiles are recycled in the UK, they are most likely incinerated in London, or go to Landfill, if outside of London). The calculator right now states when you share, resell, reuse you offset approx 25% of what would have been used in order to produce a new garment, it calculates the water, carbon, and waste (looking at kg from landfill), however it is quite average at the moment, this is just the beginning – overtime we will be able to go a lot deeper.

Will there be options to sell/ swap items in future permanently?

Yes – we believe that this may organically start itself, and it’s something that we are looking at… It will be a function, perhaps in a year or so.

Will there be any physical events?

A core part of what we are trying to restore is human connection, and the sense of a community, in the past we have organised photoshoots, documentary screenings, and more. This is a great touchpoint – grow your network, share clothes but also connect with others; you as an individual are contributing to system change, we are agents of change.

What’s items can people expect to find? And will there also be footwear and accessories?

Clothing, accessories, and shoes yes, we don’t yet have sizing for footwear, but we will soon). All items are required to be of good condition, before uploading – think to yourself is this something that you would want to borrow? We ask members to avoid uploading very fast fashion (PLT, Misguided, Primark, etc, unless it’s like a ball gown, a beautiful embroidered jumpsuit, or so). Pieces will always need to be approved, therefore the quality of what’s available on the platform is due to remain high.

Will there be Childrenswear/ Menswear items in the future?

We are definitely looking to expand, maternity-wear is a big one. Kids & Mens bode better with swapping rather than sharing. We have found that sharing is a behaviour that very ‘normal’, for women, rather than for men, clothes sharing is generally not a habit amongst men – we would need to look at what the platform would look like for them and how we may need to adapt it accordingly, so that they can get the most out of it.

What happens if a loan is ruined?

As you upload any piece on the app, you will be asked to state the retail value and the reimbursement value, should any issues arise. Members will be asked to put in card details (this is a safety precaution incase of damage, and it also works as another process for authentication), plus members will have agreed to the built-in terms and conditions. Any incidents will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. We want our members to feel safe, secure, and to be assured that their garments are in good hands.

Any final words of wisdom to anybody considering the app?

You can sometimes really want to do clothes sharing and it can be hard to get your friends on board. As a member of a community, you are naturally a leader in that space, so sign up, get to uploading, and that’s when the fun starts. Borrow and enjoy your first item, and tag Nu Wardrobe in your posts – sharing the platform is the best social proof that it works, and this is what will encourage your friends to sign up too – be the change that you want to see around you.

Feeling inspired and excited to get involved? Great! You can sign up *for FREE* here: Android / iPhone If you have any trouble signing up, feel free to get in touch with NW directly via their thenuwardrobe.

Until next time,