by Steven Bethell’s mother wanted him to go to law school; Instead, he has built a second-hand clothing empire that sparked an earthquake in youth shopping, and is now trying to revolutionize the creation of new textiles and clothing.
About 30 years ago, the Canadian and his wife, Helene Carter-Bethell, created Bank & Vogue, a group that now buys clothes from about 300 charities in the US and finds a new home for 4 million items a week in more than 30 countries. worldwide.
One such country is the UK, where, in 2002, the group took over vintage fashion business Beyond Retro, which sells around half a million pieces a year. After opening in Cardiff this summer, it now has seven stores in the UK, bringing the total to 17 worldwide, with plans to open two more next year. An online store launched in 2010.
The group paved the way for websites such as Depop and Vinted, which have persuaded many younger shoppers to look for second-hand items as an alternative to fast fashion.
Wearing what appears to be a 10-gallon hat along with a smart jacket and shirt, Bethell is excited about the future of second-hand shopping, which is booming in the UK and elsewhere.
“I think there is a change in category, sensitivity and understanding of the environment, from which there is no going back. “You can’t help but care that the planet is burning,” she says.
The evidence is that young people are fans of second-hand clothing, not only because they can find bargains and more interesting pieces, but because they are concerned about the sustainability of the fashion industry, which contributes more to the climate emergency than aeronautics and maritime transport. set. If trends continue, it could account for a quarter of the global carbon budget by 2050.
The global second-hand market is expected to grow 66% in the next four years alone to reach $351 billion, according to a recent report by US reuse website ThredUp, well ahead of the broader fashion market. as shoppers look to save money and be more sustainable.
“Everyone who has a party thinks that the party is going to last, but the good thing about trends is that they have all been second-hand. [in recent years]” says Bethell, who now lives off the grid on a farm in Ontario guarded by stone lions.
“We are a little more trend-proof than corduroy. We evolve. Beyond Retro has proven this for over 20 years. [that it] “It can reflect the trends of the moment through youth.”
While Beyond Retro faces huge competition from dedicated online marketplaces, it sees companies like Vinted, eBay and Depop as allies, not rivals. “My enemy is not Depop and Vinted. “My enemy is fast fashion and people who treat fashion like lettuce,” he says.
He is so keen to take on the fast fashion giant that Bethell agreed to meet with Kourtney Kardashian, appearing for “about four seconds” on her TV show to expound on the virtues of recycled fashion and advise her on her capsule collection with Boohoo. Bethell isn’t sure his effort has had any effect on Kardashian’s millions of followers on social media, but he says he’s “proud to be trying.” To date, Bank & Vogue claims to have diverted 500,000 tonnes of product from landfill. The group has a facility in India that sorts, sorts and processes textile waste for recycling and reuse. Its goal is to divert more than 680,000 tons by 2025.
Beyond Retro takes a small proportion of fashion items – what Bethell calls “pixie dust” – and sells them in its 17 stores or online.
Of the rest, around 40% is sold to Latin America for resale and reuse and a larger portion is sold to “sorting houses”, which sell a large proportion to African countries for resale. About one-fifth is cut for “wiping cloths” in various industries and about another fifth is shredded for use in items such as mattresses and car doors.
Bethell is working to change that model. “Right now we can sell everything. Really the question is, ‘Can you move up the evolutionary ladder?’ Instead of shredding and making insulation for car doors, can you make a component for a piece of clothing?
Today, less than 1% of all the world’s discarded clothing is recycled into clothing, but Bethell is looking for ways to increase that number.
Since 2017, Bank & Vogue has also been working with Converse to provide ready-made components, cut from unwanted garments, such as floral dresses and plaid shirts, which the footwear brand uses to create new pairs of shoes.
The idea of using existing material is what all grandmothers did. Our best future is to look at the past
Steven Bethel
Last year, the group launched Beyond Remade, which takes parts of unsaleable used clothing and recycles them into glamorous new pieces, including skirts, jackets, bags and dungarees.
Bethell says the project is “really about showing brands that we can create luxury from post-consumer material” and is working on new brand collaborations that will be announced next year.
“The idea of using existing material is what all grandmothers did: make quilts with scraps of fabric. Our best future is to look at the past,” he states.
Finding ways to recycle fabrics that can’t be made into new items is at the top of your to-do list.
In 2020, Bank & Vogue signed a deal with Swedish textile chemical recycler Renewcell under which it provides 30,000 tons a year of used jeans (mostly American plus-size jeans, which are difficult to resell) for conversion into cellulose. for new threads. Other denim is sent to be shredded and converted directly into fiber.
However, such innovation faces many challenges in a global market beset by cost pressures as household purchasing power is constrained by the cost of living crisis, while manufacturers are unwilling to abandon the threads they know. .
A global slowdown in clothing sales has depressed demand for yarn and Renewcell recently scaled back production amid lackluster orders. While he says there is strong demand from brands, some of which have invested in the company, acceptance by manufacturers of fibers that could spin their recycled cellulose pulp into yarns such as viscose is lagging behind. amid a wave of virgin viscose hitting the market.
“We and they have shown that circularity in textiles is not only possible, but now… brands need to step up and buy the fiber,” Bethell says.
“It’s hard work, but I think it’s worth it,” he concludes, noting that several second-hand sellers and recyclers find it difficult to make money, while Beyond Retro and Bank & Vogue make a profit.
“My job is to say that we begin a journey. I have been in resale for 20 years. “We are showing that it is possible to have longevity.”
And he adds: “I want to be like the Greeks, who before becoming citizens had to promise that they would leave the planet a better place.”
CV
Family Married, two children, four grandchildren.
Education Bachelor’s degree in political studies.
Pay N/A
Last vacations The Bahamas.
The best advice you have ever been given. “Every day, discover how to delight your customer.”
The biggest professional mistakee Put all your eggs in one basket.
Overused word “Fuck”.
how do you relax Farming and moving rocks.
