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.