INTERVIEW #10 CIRQULAR
“The fashion industry is the one of the most polluting industries in the world. 80 billion clothes are produced each year but only a small part of the population bears the responsibility.”
Why did you start Cirqular?
Definitely as a response to the climate crisis. The fashion industry is the one of the most polluting industries in the world. 80 billion clothes are produced each year but only a small part of the population bears the responsibility. We don’t need more clothes! We need to shift our entire mind-set -from linear to circular. 80% of the carbon emission impact comes from the production stage. That can be cut out simply through circulating clothes that have already been produced
On a positive note, people start to become more aware of the negative impact of their consumption and people start to see better options for circular shopping. This will accelerate and we want to play a leading part.
“We want to make it as easy and simple as possible while providing a shopping experience at par with the first-hand market.”
We want to make it as easy and simple as possible while providing a shopping experience at par with the first-hand market. Additionally, we will cooperate with brands to help them to reach their second-hand markets and start benefiting from it. Through this, we will activate circular consumption at a much larger scale.
How does your business model look?
Today we provide resell service. Sellers send their clothes to us, we produce attractive product listings with attractive pictures, publish and sell them on our platform and for that we take commission on the final sales price.
We only sell items that are in excellent condition and from brands in the premium or high-end segments. We do not accept fast fashion, mainly for lacking quality as well as we do not want to encourage that segment.
Essentially, we strive to provide the same experience as you would get from shopping on the first-hand market. In that way we erase all reasons for not shopping pre-owned. It’s as good, cheaper and very important in fighting the climate crisis.
What has been or are the major challenges?
It’s about balancing an excellent product for sellers to buyers while keeping speed up. We want to publish as many products as possible but in parallel not compromise the quality of our product listings and our customer service.
We will introduce a peer-to-peer product later this year with various mechanisms to ensure excellent quality. For a higher share of the earnings, sellers will be able to upload their clothes following clear assortment guidelines directly themselves and then send clothes directly to the buye. This will enable larger scale, while keeping our full-service option for sellers who wants send in clothes directly.
What has been and are the largest gains?
In just a few months, we’ve launched and received such a positive attraction and numbers have been growing on a monthly basis. Many repeat buyers and sellers that love our service. Also from companies wanting to partner with and people wanting to work with us. That gives a lot of energy!
What do you think needs to change now in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
Everything comes down to the consumers. The consumers are the decision-makers and need to be educated on the significant impact that overproduction and consumption of fashion has.
Also, the brands need to adapt to circular models. The majority of the brands just see the pre-owned market as a risk of cannibalization. We need models that incentivizes brands to take active roles in their own second-hand markets - to bridge the gap between the first - and second-hand markets.
Cirqular is currently developing a product for fashion brands to offer their customers an option to resell via them, with Cirqular in the background providing the technology and logistics behind it.
“The consumers are the decision-makers and need to be educated on the significant impact that overproduction and consumption of fashion has.”
What do you believe is “greenwashing” and what can producers and consumers do to avoid it?
All fashion brands have a sustainability page on their site talking about e.g. their choices of material but very few actually tackle sustainability at its very core - circularity. The most efficient way to become sustainable is to produce less and circulate what has already been produced.
What would you advice consumers to do who seeks to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?
I encourage all consumers to read more about the climate crisis and realise how much the fashion industry is contributing to it. And then start shopping pre-owned and resell what you rarely wear. You can shop as much as you want as long as they’re not newly produced, and there are great options for this online in addition to Cirqular.