My Ex wardrobe: Green initiative from Dubai-based sisters

DUBAI: Three Dubai-based sisters, keen to do their bit for the environment, have strung together an unlikely community where people buy and sell second-hand clothes.

"The community was created for people to sell their good-condition, pre-loved clothes instead of throwing them away," said Teagan Rowlands, who launched the community My Ex Wardrobe with her sisters Sian Rowlands and Bekki Britton in May this year.

Green initiative

The trio, originally from the UK, have been in Dubai for 20 years. Teagan is a swimming teacher and designs jewellery while Sian is an interior designer and Bekki runs Lily Bakes.

According to Teagan, studies have established that an individual throws away 30kg of clothes on an average every year, which results in wastage of not just the clothes but also the money spent on them. Moreover, new clothes means factory production which leads to a huge amount of gas being leaked into the environment.

"My Ex Wardrobe is an environmentally friendly initiative. It helps reduce, recycle, reuse and reown," she said, noting that it provides people a chance to clear their wardrobes, contribute to the environment and earn small amounts to buy new stuff.

"We are not excluding anyone from the community. We accept all kinds of clothes, bags and shoes, not necessarily designer stuff. But they must be useable and in good condition. We do not accept undergarments or stuff that is stained, torn or broken," said Teagan.

Explaining how the concept works, she said sellers drop off the clothes they want to sell at select locations. "We acquire the clothes, tag them and sell them at a makeshift shop."

She said sellers determine the price of garments, bags or shoes, the original price of which is verified. Depending on the label and the condition of the product, it could be sold anywhere between five and 50 per cent of the original price in the seconds sale.

"We are also planning an online platform," said Teagan.

As of now, My Ex Wardrobe conducts sales on a monthly basis at different venues. Last week's event, the fifth sale since its launch, was held at the Veda Pavilion at Palm Jumeirah.

"Loving my Armani dress for Dh100 and what yummy cake in the gift bag too. Can't wait until the next one," wrote one visitor after the Palm sale on the community's Facebook page.