INTERVIEW #43 ASTRIDS VÄNNER
Based in: Gustavsberg, in the Stockholm archipelago
Founded in: 2021
Founded by: Kristin Murray Edsander
Shop at: astridsvanner.se. Currently we ship within Sweden only. They do not have a physical store (yet), but possibly a pop-up store in the hometown in the future.
Price range: The pricing of our second hand clothes starts from 1/3 of the estimated price of a similar new product you’d find in stores. Sometimes slightly lower and sometimes about half of the price in stores, it depends on condition and demand.
Instagram: @astridsvanner
What is Astrids Vänner and why did you start it?
Astrids vänner is a webshop for modern second hand for the whole family. We want to make it easy, inspiring and fun to shop sustainably. We have therefore placed a great emphasis on creating a simple but attractive website with a decent selection where the shopping experience is very important. In addition to second hand, we also sell selected clothing care products as we believe that’s an important part of a sustainable holistic approach to fashion.
My (Kristin, founder of Astrids vänner) background is from a completely different industry, but I have always been passionate about sustainability and have had an interest in both web and fashion. When the new and modern second-hand shops started to pop up around Stockholm a few years ago, I got super inspired. Shopping at these stores gave me so much more than shopping brand new. It gave me a better conscience, a good price and a very small climate footprint. On the other hand, shopping second hand online was still quite uninspiring, so it was here the idea first came to my mind.
With the start of the corona pandemic in 2020, the pace at my work place at that time slowed down substantially and I (together with many others at that time) had to leave work. To find a new job at that time was difficult and the dream of creating and starting my own second hand shop started to grow in my mind. If I ever would dare to do this, it had to be now! In the spring of 2021, the dream came true and the web shop became a reality. To my help, I got my fantastic brother who has got amazing skills and knowledge in IT. He made my web page sketches a reality and helped me develop all the requested features and functions.
How do you source your products and what you sell?
Astrids vänner use commission sales 50/50, which means that the person who sells with us gets 50% of the sales price back. We strive for an inspiring and modern range of popular brands so we need to be careful about what clothes we take in. Step one is therefore to send us a photo of what you want to sell.
What have been and are the major challenges?
There are challenges of course. For example, we would like to update our website with new incoming clothes more often, but every product is unique so the time to handle each item is a big challenge. Everything has to be steamed, photographed and retouched plus all clothes need to be tagged, have a description etc. This is very time consuming and challenging.
Another challenge of being a new rather small webshop without a big marketing budget and without a physical store is to have people to know we even exist. We knew this would be a great challenge, but we are growing slowly, but surely. Our strategy in this area has focused on Instagram and influencer collaborations, and we intend to continue in this way.
What has been the largest gain?
Of course we were prepared it would take time to reach out and to “make a name” as a newly established web shop. However, it feels like we are heading in the right direction. Sales are gradually increasing and we have many frequent customers, which is super exciting and also tells us that we are doing something good!
What do you think needs to change now in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
We believe all big fashion companies must take their responsibility and work more with recycling and also improve the quality of their clothing. The lifespan of each item of clothing must extend. Thankfully, it seems like things are moving in the right direction, especially in Sweden. Many fashion companies want to work more with second hand. The big challenge might even here be the time of handling each item, which also leads to lower profitability than what they might be used to in their ordinary business.
What would you advise consumers to do who seek to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?
We want more people to discover all the positive things about updating their wardrobe with second-hand clothes. However, we understand you may not always find what you are looking for second hand. But, if more people were looking for second hand at first, it would make an incredible difference. Therefore we believe that "every other second hand" is a good goal to strive for.
Taking care of the clothes you have is also very important if you want to manage a sustainable closet, and investing in really good clothing care products such as a steamer, a fabric shaver, shoe kit, sewing kit and laundry detergent for different types of garments makes it both easier and more fun to live more sustainable.
Feel free to be inspired by any fashion trend, it is fun! But, think long-term. The trends today are many and varying and they always tend to come back. So, bring what you like, colors you like and clothes that you can match with clothes in your current wardrobe. When buying newly produced - think quality. Will anyone be able to wear it after you?
What's the best thing about Astrids Vänner?
We strive to always have a modern and neat range of second hand in good condition, as well as a wide range of fashion for both women and children. Our men-section is smaller, but it might grow. It depends on the demand.
We want the shopping experience to be as inspirational and joyful as in web shops for "new products". In addition to being inspiring, it should also be easy. We therefore have four different dropdowns to filter your search. We also have several preloved rooms with one clothing brand and clothes from selected influencers (including stylists) where you can shop second hand based on style.
Of course, there are loads of second-hand online, but one of the advantages of shopping in a second hand-store (like Astrids vänner) and not by a private person on Tradera, for example, is that you always have 14 days right of return.
