Throwaway nature of fashion has created a business which creates greenhouse emissions of 1.2bn tons a year — larger than that of international flights and shipping combined. Dubai is not immune to consumers the unhealthy fast fashion habits.

Founded originally as 'My Ex Wardrobe', and re-branded in 2017, Retold is a pre-owned fashion boutique that’s home to a variety of high-street and designer womenswear brands.

Customer can deliver their unwanted or like-new condition old clothing or fashion items to the store, and exchange them either for a cash payout or store credit.

However, if the items show any signs of wear and tear, Retold will instead donate them to a charitable cause. The brand works with a number of charities including Gulf for Good (and their social enterprise Thrift for Good) and Red Crescent.

Retold encourage consumers to buy second hand clothes. By giving ‘consumers’ an option to shop pre-owned, quality goods in a city obsessed with the ‘new’ and the ‘shiny’, Retold is empowering customers to embrace a new and fabulous way to consume.

By buying pre-owned, consumers are diverting textile waste from landfills, but more importantly reducing demand on fast fashion and newly created, ‘throw away’ fashion. Even better - they are making their hard earned money go further which helps promote a healthy economy. 

Retold has grown from one to two branches and an online shop. As the founder says, they have done a lot of hard work to ensure that pre-owned fashion is no longer seen as something belonging in musty thrifts shops rammed full of grotty and out-of-date granny blouses, but it is appealing and easy to access to general consumers. It also received several awards and grants.

Photo by Noémie Roussel on Unsplash