Loopster is hosting a Christmas pop-up shop for the first time in Cardiff. Loopster is an online platform that makes buying and selling quality, second-hand women’s and children’s clothing easy and convenient. The pop-up shop, based in the Morgan Arcade, will showcase a curated collection of Loopster second-hand and previous season women’s and children’s clothing
With 300 tonnes of our clothes ending up in landfill or incinerated every year, Loopster’s aim is to extend the life of fashion and make shopping for second-hand or past season clothes easy and accessible to all.
According to ThredUp, if everyone wore a pre-loved outfit on Christmas Day this year the CO2 emissions saved would be the equivalent to taking 56 million cars off the road for a day.
Loopster Founder and CEO Jane Fellner said: “With consumers waking up to the destructive effects fast fashion has on the environment, it is crucial that sustainable sources of clothing are available at attractive price points. We’re proud to be able to offer that service to our customers through our online platform, and now our first ever shop in Cardiff’s Morgan Arcade. We’re offering affordable clothes, whilst also reducing carbon footprints and extending the life of garments.”
Extending the life of one garment through second-hand use by just nine months reduces its carbon and water footprint by 20 to 30%.
Loopster stock high-street and designer brands ranging from M&S, Cos, Karen Millen, Warehouse, through to Stella McCartney and others. Loopster’s children’s range includes clothes from Jojo Maman Bebe, Boden, Ralph Lauren, and Dior.
At their pop-up store and online, they will also be selling a range of brand-new previous season clothing from English designer Jigsaw. Shoppers can buy high-quality second-hand clothes substantially less than their new retail cost. The pop-up shop is part of a comprehensive brand recognition strategy aimed at encouraging shoppers to reduce waste through reuse.
To sell to Loopster, customers order the Loopy Clear Out Bag and fill it up with unwanted clothes. Loopster then hand-checks every donated item to ensure they are good quality. Sellers are paid for items which make the grade, which are then sold on at a fraction of new high street prices. Clothes which do not pass the hand-check are returned to the seller, or if they agree, donated to the charity Traid.
Last summer, Loopster secured a round of equity funding led by the Development Bank of Wales. Since raising the six-figure sum, Loopster has relocated to Newport and hired a local team of six. It’s also started to build an innovative new tech platform which will enable the team to catalogue second hand clothes faster.
Technology Investment Executive at the Development Bank of Wales, Michael Rees said:
“In a time where there is increasing pressure on consumers’ disposable income and greater awareness surrounding the importance of environmentalism, Loopster provides an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution. The Cardiff pop-up shop complements Loopster’s popular online platform and raises awareness of the brand and their sustainable fashion mission.”
