INTERVIEW #2 VARIÉ
In this digital age, where change has rapidly been sped up, the concept of “store” is changing too. Maybe we should stop separate digital rooms from off the screen rooms? I have chosen to include all stores in this interview series regardless if they’re virtual or not. VARIÈ is probably all second hand lovers dream! It’s a second hand online store (and they have a physical store too) that only sell clothes that are ment to last. You can also use the platform to get a minor income and make sure someone else can fall in love with what you use to wear. A Sustainable Closet is grateful to share the words of the founder Ann-Sofie Bergort!
Why did you start VARIÉ?
I started VARIÉ because I have a passion and drive to make change in fashion consumption and also learn more and more every day. And I am also in love with fashion, clothes and styles since I was young. With VARIÉs vision I can use all this, it is not about making people stop buying fashion, it’s all about helping and inspiring people to reflect on how and why they are buying clothes and present sustainable options that reflect and meet their interest in shopping…..but consciously and with respect for clothes. VARIÉ means variation in french and that is my goal, to help people create a wardrobe that is variated with clothes to relove (second hand), rented, mended, remade, loaned or just taking care of what you already have. Of course there will be new produced garments in the closets but I want people to learn where it is produced and why it is sustainable.
“VARIÉ means variation in french and that is my goal, to help people create a wardrobe that is variated with clothes to relove ”
I started VARIÉ together with my college Linda in maj 2016. But at that time we only sold children clothes online and our company´s name was Minimera and the founder was my college Linda, she started it after inspiration from the US model Thred Up. Working with new business models and circular ones in commercial second hand is both inspiring but also challenging because the market is unused to these types of models. Early we knew we wanted to focus on the strong target group ”women”, and we wanted to focus on premium quality clothes through knowledge and inspiration. Then we changed name in nov 2017 to VARIÉ, giving our brand a higher focus on fashion. And we stopped selling children clothes.
How does it work and what products can I find there?
The service is that you as a private person can sell your garments through us on commission. We send people bags to fill all over Sweden but people living in Norrköping or nearby often come to our store and show the clothes they want to sell. We choose clothes o sell that are on season, that have a good quality and is demanded and actual in fashion right now, or if it is a garment that is modern year after year, for example the beige trenchcoat in spring. It is demanded every year, the trick may be the model, long or short, oversize or not, what is demanded and modern now, that one I will choose. We do all the work with the products, from curating, marketing to selling it. We are not a big company, we work closely to our customers. Our products, carefully chosen by us, premium quality and style, we sell through our e-commerce varie.se and our physical store in Knäppingsborg, Norrköping. Since almost two years we also work with Filippa K and their business area Collect where they collect their clothes in stores that people don’t want anymore. The clothes that are in good shape come to us and we lengthens the lives of them, sometimes we do some mending on small faults. We are also a reseller of REMAKE - Stockholms Stadsmission since two years.
What's your sustainability profile?
“We actually came up with the word ”återälska” in nov-17, ”relove” in english because we wanted to challenge some negative attitudes regarding the word second hand”
We focus on selling fashion!!!!! Try to make it as natural as possible by visually in store make it attractive, easy to find, inspirational and personal. We actually came up with the word ”återälska” in nov-17, ”relove” in english because we wanted to challenge some negative attitudes regarding the word second hand, some people still think and believe shopping second hand clothes still means "smelling bad, are off trend, is difficult and not inspiring". So we wanted to find a word that is more positive and focus on something good and lovable. In our sustainable profile we always have the tonality in inspiring people in a positive way, what you can do instead of what you should not. It’s our belief that people need that. When I have lectures in school or at organisations I explain how the industry look like but I am also very focused on solutions. We do this because we love clothes and fashion of course but the big bonus is that we wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t sustainable.
What has been/and are the major challenges?
The biggest challenge is and will, I think, always be to scale up as long as we are working with clothes to relove - one of each. Because you always have only one whether you work with store or/and e-commerce. But e-commerce is somewhat more work with because the working processes are enormous. From receiving products, to photographing it, to register everything online (brand, size, color, material and other), to market and finally sell and packet it. To be able to do this in a big scale and maybe get investors is challenging. Due to this the business model, if you also have in mind that we pay 25% tax on everything we sell (garments that are taxed when first bought) and the people selling it through us do not pay tax so this, is a big cost for us.
“I think the biggest gains is wittnesing a big change and development in consumers attitudes regarding sustainable fashion consumption and the interest in these questions,”
What has been/is the largest gains?
I think the biggest gains is wittnesing a big change and development in consumers attitudes regarding sustainable fashion consumption and the interest in these questions, I have been working with sustainable fashion for over ten years. So we have seen a slow transformation that is still to slow but it is happening and that is a gain. Both in our hearts, our passion and drive but also in our sales. We have a close relationship, understanding and support from our customers and that is wonderful and also gives us strength to keep on working towards sustainable development.
What do you think needs to change now in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
I think it has to be even more easy to find sustainable on trend clothes that are sustainable, more close, more digital and inspiring. I also think we need to challenge the culture of consumption even more through transparency, other options, new lifestyles and knowledge. And finally it most cost more to be unsustainable than sustainable in fashion.
What do you believe is “greenwashing” and what can producers and consumers do to avoid it?
It is often greenwashing if you don’t have a source and when it is impossible or hard to get information. Most people have a consumer attitude that is connected to identity and if you have a tag in store that says for example "sustainable choice" many people think, well that’s good - I can buy this. But this information is often made from the brand itself and not by a third party. The most negative environmental impact comes from production of a garment (80%) and that is a big problem because the overproduction is what makes fast fashion being an environmental threat. That must stop, and that do not many people know. They now buy cheap clothes in ”better” materials and think this is good enough…..but it isn’t. Polyester in for example pants is better due to the long life aspect, they almost never break:-).
What would you advice consumers to do who seeks to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?
Use what you already have a lot, or change the model or form of it. If you don’t want it, sell or give it to someone or somewhere else. Buy clothes to relove or rent. That’s it. If you want or NEED something new, please invest for long life wearing in good quality that has a good second hand value if no longer wanting it.
Contact:
Instagram: instagram.com/varie.se
Facebook: @variesweden
Webbutik: www.varie.se