In the light of COP 26, the 2021 Glasgow Climate Change Conference, why not discover new ways of consuming. For example thrift stores. These are shops where you can find second-hand clothes that have already been worn. So obviously clean and in good condition. This makes it possible to avoid participating in what is called fast fashion: flash fashion which is the second most polluting industry. In Chambéry, the ecological alternative to dress without polluting is causing a sensation, at all ages.
We feel that there is an impetus, whether it is a concern for quality, ecological, or economic – Fanny Roger
Rachel’s thrift store is like the ray of sunshine in the narrow rue de la Croix d’or. A luminous showcase that lets glimpse a real palette of clothes of all colors and all materials. Rachel Troillard has been running La Belle Armoire for 2 years. Each month, she receives about twenty appointments from people who come to drop off their clothes. “We have more than 2,500 people who follow us on social networks. There is a real change in mentalities and the health crisis has accelerated this change. There is a real awareness. We see that people prefer to come in our store before going to buy something new, it is a logic of new consumption that has become part of their way of life. “, details the manager.
For all ages
Customers with varied profiles : “We are fortunate to have a clientele ranging from 14 to 90 years old. There is a real mix with sharing within the store” People who come looking for unique pieces : “The clothes have already had one life but are just waiting to have a second, they are of high quality. We have agreements with recycling centers, sales depots, … It gives a unique look that’s what it is exciting”. Finally Rachel concludes: “If I have a say: don’t throw your clothes away! Donate them to associations or thrift stores.”
A little further on, at the end of the rue des Nonnes, a clothes rack catches the eye. This is the entrance to Fanny’s Local Vintage. Five or six steps lower, 13 small square meters for a big fan: Fanny Roger offers a hundred pieces. “I have done humanitarian work, especially in India and I have seen a lot of sickening things on the clothing circuit. I am not here to give lessons, I think people have understood. ‘wanted to show that it is possible to dress second-hand. “ She’s been running the shop for 3 years: “We feel that there is an impetus, whether it is a concern for quality, ecological, or economic. I have all the generations in my shop. _And then the thrift store is a state of mind too, beyond commerce_. Sometimes I have a date, we drink coffee and there is a story. There I have a leather that comes from an old quarter of Paris, the Carreaux du Temples. And then the person tells you their story, where they bought it, when they wore it, … The pieces are unique and have a story. ”
Unique pieces that have a history
Fanny is passionate about sewing, she does not buy from wholesalers. Her credo: do everything, all alone. And, seeing her eyes that sparkle when she talks about it, she loves it: “I hunt myself, by hand. I will find beautiful pieces in flea markets, in clearance sales, in private homes. I closed in August to hunt everywhere in France with my truck. I also do a lot of retouching. I’m doing new things with old ones. I think that’s the future of second-hand. “
We find things that we cannot find elsewhere! – Jacqueline, 80 years old
In thrift stores, each item of clothing is unique. And that, it pleases a lot, whatever the generation. Jacqueline is 80 years old: “I am dressed from head to toe in second-hand clothes. I love it! I can tinker with them, widen them, shrink them and I like that. And then we find things that we can’t find elsewhere! “
Young people are more and more involved in the preservation of the environment, like Julia and her friends who are just over 18. “I never buy new clothes for ecological and ethical reasons. With my friends, we never shop like H&M or whatever, that’s not even an option. Recently we have seen a lot of reports on fashion and we know how polluting it is to buy new clothes. _It seems more consistent to me to go to a thrift store, for us it’s more natural._“ Julia spends every week in Fanny’s thrift store, this time she leaves with a black blaser, ideal for her piano lessons at the Chambéry conservatory.
– Rachel Troillard