Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1466490
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MAY 2022 NEWS "All the clothes and accesso- ries are donated by the public. We use our social media plat- forms to reach out to people who are interested in donat- ing their clothes and arrange a drop-off day prior to the thrift pop-up event," Valletta ex- plained. Thrifting is a common way for people to reduce their envi- ronmental footprint when pur- chasing new clothes, but Falzon sees more benefits beyond this. "It's a different and fun way to go about your normal shopping, and you end up finding piec- es that are more original than what everyone else is currently wearing," Falzon said. The initiative has also grown over time. More people are at- tending the pop-ups, and do- nations have increased as well. "Both Fran and I have been tak- ing it as a great experience to learn what works for our brand and how to make each event better," Falzon said. Thrifting has become more accessible in Malta, with sec- ond-hand shops slowly sprout- ing across the islands. Falzon said she feels this growing pop- ularity is mostly down to the current Y2K style craze, which play on the trends that char- acterised the late 90s and early noughties. "The majority of our shoppers are students, so their budgets match better with thrift prices compared to current retail store prices," she added. Valletta added that height- ened awareness on environmental is- sues has been a con- tributing factor too. "I think this has cre- ated some pressure amongst people to find sustainable alternatives, and thrifting is one option." Some manage to avoid spend- ing a single cent by opting to swap their own old clothes in for second-hand pieces. To- wards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic Cecilia Martinetto set up a Facebook group to facilitate this, allow- ing people to swap clothes and everyday items through an in- formal barter system. The idea came to her after she wanted to change up her ward- robe. "After four years living in Malta I wanted a change in wardrobe, but living in a small penthouse studio apartment meant I didn't know where to fit anymore clothes. I decided to try and swap them, think- ing that someone would end up loving them," she explained. Swapping isn't limited to just clothes. Martinetto said that people have swapped gym members for beauty services, and others have even tried to swap condoms and tampons. "Leftover food is also a common swap, which I find amazing for fighting food waste," she com- mented. The group started informally, but it has since grown intense- ly. Martinetto said it is now run by a team of five people mod- erating the group. "With time we became more organised and introduced new rules such as the creation of an album for each member and a maximum of posts allowed to be published by a person per week." One of the administrators is Kristina Felice Pace. She said that the group still receives a lot of membership requests and posts to approve on a daily ba- sis, but COVID-19 meant that member meet-ups had to be put on hold. "If swapping were to become a mainstream phenomenon it would be remarkable, however I think we still have a long way to go. That being said, through the past years I think that swapping has definitely become more popular since it is more accessi- ble thanks to social media," she said. What sustainability means to them Falzon said that, to her, fashion sustainability means avoiding fast fashion while supporting local brands and ethically-made clothes. "My stance has been to have wardrobe basics that match your style which you can very easily thrift and create dif- ferent outfits with them. Trends change too quickly and I feel like it's not only unsustainable for the environment but also for your wallet." "I shop from thrift shops, vintage stores, and hand-me- downs, with absolutely no shame – as long as they're com- fortable and will serve their purpose." Valletta thinks of fashion sustainability in three parts. She said that it's important for people to reflect on what needs to be done to mitigate issues stemming from unsustainable clothing consumption practic- es, while remaining aware of the environmental problems of the overall fashion industry. "Lastly, being able to engage in proactive and environmental- ly-friendly practices in terms of the way one consumes clothing. This can be achieved through the long-term use of clothing, thrifting, buying less, and so on." Martinetto insisted that sus- tainability is the key to a better future. "Humans rely on natural resources for business, activities and survival. Ignoring sustaina- bility can lead to the exhaustion of natural resources," she said. But ultimately, sustainability for Martinetto comes down to the small changes that people can do to help care for the plan- et. "Making these changes helps protect animals, plants and our natural resources so that future generations will be able to enjoy them." Felice Pace, an earth sys- tems student herself, put her thoughts on sustainability most concisely. "Sustainability is the way of living our day-to-day life without jeopardising the future of our children," she said. nmeilak@mediatoday.com.mt Francesca Falzon and Francesca Valletta set up their own thrift shop pop-up to resell their own clothes while raising money for animal charities "Being able to engage in proactive and environmentally- friendly practices in terms of the way one consumes clothing. This can be achieved through the long- term use of clothing, thrifting, buying less, and so on"