Last September, I had the great pleasure and honour of attending the WEAR conference in Toronto, a conference about fashion sustainability, ecology, and ethics, amongst many other topics. It was an exceptional conference, with amazing panelists and speakers. One of the presenters, Canadian businessman Steven Bethell, founder of the Bank & Vogue Group of companies, caught my attention with his fascinating business and inspiring collaborations. He also has great stories to share ( and wears interesting hats.)
Based in Ottawa, Bank & Vogue is a global leader in the facilitation, logistics, purchase and reselling of wholesale used goods and most notably, used clothing. According to the Ottawa Business Journal, the firm buys and sells about three million garments a week – enough to fill more than five dozen 40-foot shipping containers – from an operation based here in Canada.
They also run a popular chain of vintage stores, Beyond Retro, in the UK and in Sweden which is popular with locals, and even celebrities like Adele and Lady Gaga. Their Instagram page is also very colourful and quite entertaining.
In addition to reselling used clothing, the firm has also become a leader in “upcycling” garments – that is, remaking them into new merchandise. One of the many things that caught my attention at WEAR, was the mention of a collaboration with Converse for the Converse Renew collection: the Denim Chucks are made out of a single pair of “post-consumer” jeans.
Image via hypebeast
I’ve seen them up close and they’re really, really attractive. I just love the look and feel of denim. However, it’s not just about the look: this is a big win for the environment as it takes about 1,500 litres of water to grow enough cotton for just one pair of jeans. The fact that they are recycled this way is a win win for the planet.
Anyone having watched the Documentary River Blue will attest to the detrimental effects jeans have on the environment.
Steven is quite fascinating to talk to, so I hope you’ll listen to our interview and find out more about him, especially his favourite shopping haunts. You may be very surprised to hear about his favourite place to browse.
I know I was floored. Probably because I do the same, and just haven’t told anyone about it yet!
