When It Doesn’t Spark Joy, Even for Charities or Thrift Stores

thrift store selling used goods

  Does it spark joy? That is the question of the moment, as set forth by de-cluttering guru Marie Kondo. The “KonMari” phenomenon has swept a wide swatch of Netflix audiences across the world, thanks to her recent series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” As we discussed in a February blog post on this site, […]

Helene Carter, New Elected Member of the Board of Directors of SMART

Helene Carter

  We are happy to announce the election of Helene Carter to the Board of Directors of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART). The election took place on Monday, March 4, 2019 during the SMART Annual Meeting. Helene will serve a two-year term on the Board. Congratulations Helene Carter! About Helene Carter As […]

Rag News: March 2019

used denim creative projects

  Denim Upcycle The term “upcycle” is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the reuse of discarded items or materials in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original”. It was used for first time in the 1990s as a blend of up- and recycle. LABEL is […]

Increasing Used Clothing Collection through Participating Return-It Depots

Return It textiles

  What happens when the leader in the wholesale used goods industry in Canada joins forces with the largest recycling depot network in British Columbia? The answer is a convenient textile recycling program in one of the largest cities in Canada. Bank & Vogue, a Canadian based company with a global footprint, has a commitment […]

Beyond Retro: Finding a New Purpose for Clothing in the Circular Economy

Retro clothing from bank and vogue

  You probably know us here at Bank & Vogue as a global leader in the facilitation, logistics, purchase and reselling of wholesale used goods. We take a great deal of pride in being an active player in the Circular Economy of Fashion, committed to sustainable solutions that reduce waste and increase the reuse and […]

Marie Kondo, Mixed Rags & Solving the Crisis of Stuff with Joy

Marie Kondo the crisis of stuff

  Thrift store donations are up significantly this year, and that’s largely due to a phenomenon created from some unlikely sources. Netflix, the global video streaming giant, released a series called “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” This comes on the tails of a successful book by Ms. Kondo, who has become known as the expert […]

Rag News: February 2019

denim repair

  Artistic Repair of Denim Repairing denim at scale is similar to triage in the emergency room. First the jeans are categorized into categories of how they need to be repaired. The following are the main five categories: Repairs along the pocket Small hole in the upper thigh Hole on the upper part Hole on […]

The Worldwide Journey of Credential Clothing

thank you for donating your old clothing

  Nearly two decades into the 21st century, we find ourselves in an increasingly smaller world. Air travel spanning the globe has become commonplace, while people think nothing of being on one continent today and another tomorrow. Likewise for the products we consume. Very rarely these days are we wearing or using something that was […]

Groundbreaking Project to Prove that Fashion Can Be Circular

recycling denim

  Beyond Retro, the leading European vintage retailer, and parent company Bank & Vogue, are excited to be closing the loop with an innovative project in partnership with Swedish chemical recycling company re:newcell, that will turn post-consumer denim into a new, recycled fibre at industrial scale.   The partnership has developed from a groundbreaking project […]