Fast fashion is defined by inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. The fashion industry produces 10% of global carbon emissions every year. It emits more CO2 than aviation and maritime shipping combined and is estimated to use around 1.5 trillion litres of water annually. One new garment creates a staggering 17 lbs of CO2 and over 100 billion garments are produced every year. According to the Fashion Revolution, extending the life of a piece of clothing by just 9 months reduces its carbon, water, and waste footprint by around 20-30%.
Choosing to buy an item second hand vs new reduces its overall carbon footprint by up to 82%. When sustainability meets affordability, we can build a society with the power to reverse the fast fashion mindset. Mindful choices for a better world!
Go Thrift was launched by Carl, Katie, Sam & Sarah in 2019, they live and breathe second-hand clothes and have a mission to:
- Offer a more sustainable way of shopping for clothes, one that helps reduce waste and build a more circular fashion economy
- Offer the brand’s customers love, for a fraction of the price
- Provide an amazing buying experience with first-class customer service
They want Go Thrift to be the destination website for second-hand fashion and to offer a more sustainable and affordable way of shopping for the clothes and brands that customers love. They also want to provide a world class buying experience that will encourage more people to make shopping second-hand, their first choice
Go Thrift stands for sustainability. It doesn’t chase trends, it makes them. From vintage leather jackets to 90’s sportswear and everything in between, if you want something, Go Thrift probably has it.
Go Thrift is fast growing, in the past year alone it has:
- Launched its own website – now customers have access through two platforms, the other being eBay
- Double its team size
- Moved to new 31,000sp ft warehouse
- Increased output to 1000 loads per day
It has also received a lot of recognition, including eBay’s ‘Sustainability Seller’ Award in 2021, recognising its growth and commitment to reducing fast fashion pollution by saving over 50 tonnes of clothing from landfill since launch. It has also been featured in The Times ‘Rising Stars’ of Business Series in January 2022.
“Go Thrift hits all of our sweet spots: a driven, hardworking team; a clear market opportunity with proven product-market fit; and sustainability built into the core of the business model. We’re looking forward to following on in the next fundraising round and to continue supporting Go Thrift’s incredible growth”
Hugh Blair – Chairman & Partner, GreenTribe
”December and January were both very strong trading months for Go Thrift due the website sales exceeding targets.We have made some key hires in departments that are crucial to growth and the leadership team is now looking very strong with experience and expertise in each department. Our £1m investment round is going well with lots of interest and there’s a possibility we could over-fund in this round that will help accelerate growth plans.”
Carl Walker CEO, Go Thrift