Why second hand clothes? Well the fashion industry is the third most polluting global industry accounting for 10% of carbon emissions (University Institute of Fashion Technology Punjab). A huge amount of excess garments are discarded each season if they don’t sell to make way for new stock – the dumped clothing can take years to breakdown and release methane gas into the atmosphere as they decompose. There is also the ethical issue of buying fast fashion – garment workers are some of the most exploited workers in the world, frequently working in hazardous conditions, breathing in dangerous chemicals, overworked and underpaid. Buying or swapping a used item of clothing takes an already made garment out of the landfill and reduces it’s carbon footprint by 92% (Green Story Inc). So here are some places to get ‘new to you’ clothes in Cork:
- Records and Relics, 14 Lancaster Quay, Cork
- As well as clothes, these guys have a fab selection of secondhand vinyl records
- Mother Jones Flea Market, 2 York Street, Cork (Friday to Sunday only)
- also bric-a-brac, records, furniture – a treasure trove of all things vintage
- Nine Crows, 14b French Church Street, Cork
- Ebony Seed, 86 Shandon Street, Cork
- As well as stocking a range of ethical brands, Ebony Seed take in good quality secondhand clothes and accessories from the public and when it sells you get 50%
- Napisha Designer resale, 4 Cook Street, Cork
- Miss Daisy Blue, 1-2 St Patrick’s Quay, Cork
- Charity shops
- North Main Street has the biggest selection but there is also some on Cook Street, Castle Street and Princes Street. thriftify is an Irish online charity shop.
- Use online borrowing services like Nuw or Borrower Boutique for big events
- Depop
- for online secondhand clothes shopping OR selling
- Vintage Kilo Sales
- kilogarm regularly have pop up events in Cork where they have rails of secondhand clothes for sale, priced per kilo
- Clothes swap
- attend pop-up clothes swap events (keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook!), the monthly Cork Clothes Swap OR organise your own amongst friends/family/colleagues
