Project Thrift, a charitable pop-up thrift shop is set to open July 30 to August 10 at Stackt Market (28 Bathurst Street). The shop will sell used fashionable clothing and designer goods with all proceeds going to Greenpeace Canada in efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change.
The idea came to the minds of three passionate young teens Nina McConnell Abbaszadeh, Eloise Chapman Korchinsky and Esme Chapman Korchinsky . After time spent travelling overseas and seeing the amount of litter, the girls were inspired to create Project Thrift to help reduce textile waste and find ways to make a difference in their own community. They had learned that every year, approximately 80 billion new pieces of clothing are manufactured and sold. They also learned that on average each person throws away 70 pounds of unwanted clothes. So, instead of constantly purchasing new items, why not make a difference by giving a second chance to an item that is still in perfectly good condition — by doing so will prevent another item from going to the landfill.
We had a chance to find out a little bit more…
How/where are you sourcing the clothing and pieces that you will be selling?
The clothes that we sourced for Project Thrift have come from our local community, family, and friends. We sent emails throughout our school community and through word-of-mouth to ask people to donate clothes towards our initiative.
What meets your criteria for clothes being accepted into the Project Thrift?
All clothes must be gently-used, i.e. items should not have any odours, stains, tears or holes. We are also looking for labels that would be desired across a wide range of ages.
Are you still accepting items?
As we near the opening of our thrift shop, we have already collected lots of great fashionable used clothing in excellent condition for people to choose from, including everyday casual wear to designer finds. While we have received plenty of donations, we are still very much accepting anything people in the community may have to offer.
What are some of the items we can expect to see at the pop-up?
We have been very fortunate to have received many generous donations including designer handbags, such as Longchamp, Prada, and Tods. We have also received a selection of designer clothing items including Gucci, Brunello Cucinelli and Prada. In addition to the higher-end labels, we have also received a wide selection of casual brands including Brandy Melville, Urban Outfitters, Zara and more.
How did you decide to partner with Greenpeace Canada?
After spending time in Halong Bay, Vietnam and seeing the tremendous amount of waste that littered one of the natural wonders of the world, we were inspired to create Project Thrift to help reduce textile waste and to help restore the environment in our own community. Since Greenpeace Canada is a non-profit organization that helps to reduce the impacts of climate change, we wanted to do our part to help with that cause, which is why 100% of the profits raised by our initiative will be donated to Greenpeace Canada.
This is the first pop-up in Toronto, what would you like to see happen next?
Our main goal is to contribute as much as we can to help reduce the impacts of climate change. Of course, this is only the beginning for Project Thrift and we hope to continue this initiative after seeing the outcome of the pop-up. Although we have no specific plans for the future, we hope the success of the pop-up will bring with it new opportunities and initiatives.
Please visit projectthrift.org for more details.
