Models walk the talk for national Dressed by Vinnies Day

An enthusiastic audience of around 100 fashion followers attended the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s inaugural Dressed by Vinnies Fashion Parade on Friday November 1, 2019.

The fashion parade, presented in conjunction with Sue Rees Modelling Agency, is an initiative of the St. Vincent de Paul Society to draw attention to the hazards of fast fashion, the throw-away society, and how these issues affect so many lives. All the fashion items worn by the models are preloved and straight off the displays at Vinnies Stores. The national Dressed by Vinnies event highlights the issues of throw-away fashion, the harm it does to the environment, and how it perpetuates modern-day slavery.

St. Vincent de Paul Society CEO, Lara Alexander, said that Australians throw out six tonnes of clothing textiles every ten minutes; and that in the past year, 24 percent of Australians have thrown away an item of clothing after wearing it just once.

“The throw-away society and fast fashion are having a very detrimental effect on the environment and the lives of so many people,” Mrs Alexander said.

“Wearing preloved clothing, most with years of wear in them, has a very positive effect in a variety of ways. It takes about 10,000 litres of water to produce enough cotton for one pair of jeans, so choosing to wear preloved denim saves our precious water resources.

“Over 50 percent of workers within the fashion industry are not paid the minimum wage in countries like India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. In Australia, some garment outworkers earn as little as $4 per hour, which is well below the minimum wage of $17.49 per hour.

“On a local community level, while buying at a Vinnies store helps save the planet, a purchase can help save lives too. At any one time, every Vinnies store across Tasmania, stock up to 7,000 items of clothing. That’s tens of thousands of pieces of clothing that have been sorted, modestly priced, and prepared for sale. This also represents tonnes of clothing diverted from landfill, which helps the environment.

“Finally, shopping at Vinnies cuts the number of children and people inducted into slave labour or poorly paid work in developing countries. Every purchase at a Vinnies store helps a disadvantaged person or family in need in our community,” Mrs Alexander said.

According to a 2019 report by GlobalData, there is a world-wide boom in the resale apparel and second-hand goods market. The report reveals that the market is currently worth $24 billion per annum; with expected growth to $51 billion by 2024. A staggering 56 million women purchased pre-loved clothing or second-hand products in 2018, an increase of 12 million new consumers over the previous year.

Researchers also found that the re-sale customer is no longer a niche group, it’s everyone; and that 51 per cent of re-sale shoppers plan to spend even more on pre-loved and second-hand goods in the next five years. The increase is, in part, due to Millennials and Gen Z; who are 2.5 times more likely to purchase pre-loved items. Vintage is in vogue. These are some of the reasons the Society embarked upon a complete overhaul of its retail offering. The added advantage of purchasing from a Vinnies Superstore is that all profits go to a very worthy cause.