Rent, Reuse, Relove: Reducing Fashion Waste, One Rented Dress at a Time
Angela Pike from Lucida Boutique Dress Hire chats about the prevalence of "wear once culture" and the transformative role of rental in fashion. She shares her sustainability strategies, from utilising eco-friendly packaging to eliminating plastic, and discusses how she curates trendsetting pieces with sustainability in mind. Through heartfelt anecdotes, Angela reveals the transformative power of conscious consumerism, shedding light on how Lucida Boutique is reshaping the future of fashion, one rented dress at a time.
Guest bio:
Hi, I’m Ange, creator and owner of lucida boutique - a dress hire boutique is Ballarat Victoria. In 2019 I created a beautiful and inviting space where women can browse through an extensive and ever-changing range of designer dresses. Women hire the dress they choose, wear it to their special event and then return to the boutique. The process is personalised, stress-free, affordable and environmentally conscious.
Connect with Angela:
@lucidaboutique_dresshire on Instagram
About the show:
This is Reloved Radio: Sustainable Fashion Stories, the fortnightly show that brings you inspiring stories from guests who are making a positive impact in the sustainable fashion space.
Want to know the BEST places to shop secondhand online in Australia? Download this EPIC list for free!
Join the Reloved conversation on Instagram.
Credits:
Music: 'Old Leather Sneakers' by PineAppleMusic
Transcript
Everyone's got a story of a dress that they've bought and they've only
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:worn once, and now it's stuck hanging
in their cupboard, like everyone's
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:done that at some stage in their life.
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:That's why the rental industry is
fantastic, because this one garment
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:is getting worn up to 30 times.
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:Chryssius: Hey, Relovers.
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:Welcome back to another
episode of Reloved Radio.
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:Today I have the pleasure of chatting
with a trailblazer in the world of
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:sustainable fashion and entrepreneurship.
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:Please join me in welcoming Angela
Pike, the creative force and owner of
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:Lucida Boutique Dress Hire, a conscious
fashion space that blends high-end style
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:with a commitment to sustainability.
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:Ange, welcome to Reloved Radio!
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:Ange: Thank you so much.
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:What an intro.
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:That was so nice.
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:I'm so happy to be here.
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:Chryssius: Your journey is a little bit
different to the ones that I have shared
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:lately, coming at sustainable fashion
from a completely different angle.
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:Do you reckon you could just tell us
the story behind how Lucida Boutique
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:came to be and also how its values
align with sustainable fashion?
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:Ange: I started Lucida Dress Hire
back in:
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:I started as I thought the concept as
a business was such a great idea and
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:something unique that has only just
started to emerge, you know, over the
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:last decade and thought this is such a
great business idea to get started with.
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:And I'd never owned a business
before this and I thought this
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:was a perfect way to get my foot
in the door as a business owner.
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:And initially it was just that,
it was just a business idea.
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:And one, you know, in, I love
retail, I love working with, um,
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:customers in store, face-to-face.
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:That's always been a
passion of mine as well.
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:So I thought it'd be a perfect
place for me to start off with.
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:And it wasn't really until I got in
the research phase of the business and
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:really started to get things going that,
I realised actually the impact that
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:a rental business, especially rental
business for clothing, that it is making
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:such a great impact on the environment.
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:I had no idea how awful fast fashion was
and the effects it was actually having
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:on our environment with the amount
of textile waste - I didn't know
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:textile waste was a thing, like when
you talk about recycling, you always
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:just immediately picture, you know, oh,
I've got my yellow bin, so, you know, I
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:recycle all my bottles and things at home.
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:Not once have I ever thought about the
fabric waste in landfill until I started
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:this business and it just made me go,
well, even more big of a tick with
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:this business is look what it can do.
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:If it's only helping a little bit.
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:At least it's helping.
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:Chryssius: Do you talk to your
customers about the impact of fast
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:fashion on the environment and
why renting is a better option?
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:Like, does that ever
come up in conversation?
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:Ange: Yeah, naturally,
obviously a lot easier with some
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:customers compared to others.
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:I do try and talk about it a lot
through social media, but the
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:conversations I have with customers
in store as well, I think initially
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:when they're coming through the door,
you know, majority of them aren't
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:really thinking about that side of it.
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:However, once they're in here and seeing
how great the process is and we start
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:talking about, and everyone's got a story
of a dress that they've bought and they've
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:only worn once, and now it's stuck hanging
in their cupboard, like everyone's done
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:that at some stage in their life and
they don't realise that it's, everyone
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:is doing that and that's why it's so bad.
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:So they love the idea of
being able to rent a dress.
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:A, because it's convenient and affordable,
but it's just having that extra feel
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:good moment for them going, "Well, I'm
actually helping the environment as well."
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:Chryssius: For sure.
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:Are there any sort of memorable moments
or memorable things that your customers
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:have said about that part of the business?
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:Ange: I think it's more their reaction
to hearing the good side of it when
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:it comes to sustainability, like I
said, it's more I am educating people.
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:They don't necessarily like
95% of them wouldn't consider
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:the sustainability side of it.
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:So I think the fact that them listening
and actually taking on board that
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:this is something good, we are sort of
eliminating fast fashion by renting a
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:piece instead of buying something new.
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:I can tell they've got that feel
good in them when I tell them that.
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:So I think, well, I've just
educated them on that like that.
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:And that makes me feel good.
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:'cause I think I'm spreading this
even further like it was with me.
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:I did, I had no idea.
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:So I've learned, now I'm passing it
on to everyone that comes in as well.
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:So it's more about that
education side of it.
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:I think that has the impact on me
knowing, well, hopefully I have now
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:turned a corner in that person's
path when it comes to their choices,
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:when it comes to purchasing garments.
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:Not just dresses, but
everything in their wardrobe.
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:So yeah, I love that side of it, being
able to educate people around that.
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:Chryssius: Are you renting just dresses?
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:Ange: I started with just dresses.
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:Yes.
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:And that is majority of my
business, but being Ballarat
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:based, we get very cold winters.
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:So I have introduced faux
fur coats for wintertime.
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:So it completes the outfit.
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:I haven't really branched
out in any other ways.
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:It's mainly for special occasions.
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:So these faux fur coats
obviously compliment the dresses.
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:I haven't really thought about stepping
outside of that realm just yet.
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:I think the designer wear for special
occasions is the main focus at the moment.
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:Chryssius: And being in Ballarat
myself, I can totally vouch
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:for the need for a nice coat.
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:There's nothing worse than when you have
a beautiful dress on and then you're going
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:to go put your puffer over the top of it.
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:Ange: Exactly.
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:Yes.
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:That's the last thing you want to
do, but you want to be warm as well.
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:So
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:having the faux fur coats is perfect.
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:Yeah.
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:Chryssius: How has your business
made a difference in the local
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:community when it comes to being more
sustainable and as we were saying,
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:cutting down on the fashion waste?
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:Ange: This is tricky as, I guess like
I'm still a small boutique, so I don't
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:feel like I'm making a huge impact.
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:I think coming back to that education side
of it, that might be having more of an
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:impact rather than anything physically.
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:However, in saying that every dress that
I do rent to someone, I have potentially
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:saved one other dress going into landfill.
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:So if someone's not renting, they're
potentially just buying a one-off
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:dress that they're 95% chance they're
not going to wear again, 'cause
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:that's usually what's happening.
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:And it ends up in there.
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:It might be a very long process,
but that dress is going to end
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:up in their wardrobe not worn.
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:And it's then either going to get thrown
away at some point or at some stage in its
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:life, it's going to end up in landfill.
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:So the one dress that I've now
rented out, I've rented that out
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:instead of it going to landfill.
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:And that same dress that I've
rented is going out multiple times.
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:Instead of ending up in landfill.
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:So someone coming in to rent a dress,
that one particular dress might also
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:get rented 15 to 20 other times as well.
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:So that dress is getting its full wear out
of that fabric rather than just the one.
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:Chryssius: Absolutely.
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:Can you share some of the things that
you do to be more eco-friendly and reduce
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:your environmental footprint, that
aren't necessarily just the dresses?
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:Ange: Of course.
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:So for me, there's a couple of things
that I do that I'm really conscious of
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:because as I get dresses delivered to me,
I see the amount of plastic that they come
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:from, from all of the , manufacturers.
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:It's so much plastic.
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:It's made me very conscious of the
amount of plastic I use in my business.
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:So the first thing I did, was
when I would get all my dresses
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:returned from the dry cleaners.
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:They'd all be individually
bagged in these plastic bags.
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:You know the big plastic bags
you get from the dry cleaners?
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:So the first thing I said was,
stop putting them in the bags.
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:They're just going straight from
the dry cleaners to my car to the
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:shop, so they don't need the plastic.
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:Just give them to me on the hangers.
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:So we've eliminated all of that plastic
for them to be, and it's just one off.
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:I did ask them and
said, do you reuse this?
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:And they said, you can bring 'em back in.
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:But uh, to be honest, I think
they would just throw it out.
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:So I've eliminated all of the
plastic from the dry cleaners.
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:I give them back all of their
coat hangers, all of the clips,
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:everything that they use.
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:I rotate them back to the dry
cleaners to then reuse again.
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:On another side of it, with the postal
orders that I do, I don't use any
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:plastic when it comes to that as well.
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:I use compostable mailers.
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:And with those mailers, they
usually have a double tab.
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:So that one mailer gets used twice.
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:So because my dresses need to be returned,
I'll pop them in this one satchel.
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:I will use it once, the customers will
cut along the dotted line, they put
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:the dress back into that same satchel
to then send it back to me again.
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:So we're eliminating one whole plastic
bag with the return, just by using
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:this particular branded satchel.
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:And they're compostable
so they break down.
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:So they're, yeah, they're a fantastic
business and I think they're
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:doing really good things as well.
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:Chryssius: Can you just put
those in your home compost?
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:Ange: You can, you've got to cut off the
shipping label, or if you use like the
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:express post sticker, so any stickers
have to be cut off, but yeah, I just
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:put them straight into my green bin.
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:After I've taken all the plastic,
like all the paper stickers and stuff
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:off, I pop them just straight in the
green bin so they can do that as well.
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:You don't even have to
compost them as such.
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:They can go in your green bin at
home, but if you did want to compost
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:them, you just cut them into strips
and then you put them in the compost.
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:It's so easy.
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:Chryssius: The world of fashion is
just ever-changing, it's so fast.
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:How do you manage to offer items that
are on-trend, while also staying true
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:to that commitment to sustainability?
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:Like what are your, unspoken rules around
the dresses that you source for your shop?
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:Ange: This is tricky because this is
a learning curve for me too, and a
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:lot of my choices are quite limited
or left for those bigger brands to
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:decide on what their sustainability
practices are going to be.
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:I'm only exposed to a certain amount
of dresses being in the production line
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:like, I'm not making the dresses myself,
I'm wholesaling them from other labels.
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:So for me, I'm putting a lot of trust in
those labels, doing the right thing on
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:their end for their sustainable practices.
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:For then, to me make a decision
on a particular dress that
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:it is right for everybody.
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:I think when I choose the range that I
do have, I want the most that I can get
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:for that one particular dress that I can.
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:So it comes down for me choosing
the quality of the fabrics, which
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:naturally, with the level that the
ones I stock, naturally, the quality's
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:going to be there regardless.
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:I'm choosing something that I
know is going to wear really well
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:and for a long period of time.
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:It's really hard 'cause some people
do want to stick with the trends and
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:what's trending at the moment, but
for me it's trying to find a balance
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:of both, something that's on trend
but will also wear for a long time.
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:And I think the great thing about my
particular audience here in Ballarat,
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:I think, there's always someone at
their stage in life that they're
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:happy to wear a dress, even if it was
trending 12 months ago, they would
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:still like to wear it 12 months later
they want to, they've, they've seen
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:it in that path for that 12 months.
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:And then it comes for a chance for that
particular customer to have a go and
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:they think, no, I still want to wear this
even if it hasn't been worn for a long
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:time, I actually want to be part of that
journey and I'm now going to wear it too.
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:So I think even when things are trending
initially at the start, they are trending
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:for just that little, little period.
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:But I still get the trickle effect.
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:I don't just get rid of the dresses
after, you know, three months just
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:'cause they're not trending anymore.
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:There is someone out there all
the time that still wants to
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:wear that dress, which is great.
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:It does make it hard because you do want
to pick things that everyone wants, but
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:you've still got to be conscious about
like a, from a business per perspective,
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:is this going to make me money?
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:But also is this dress going to be worn
for a long period of time and still
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:align with our sustainable practices?
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:Chryssius: That's the thing as well,
like you want it to have a longer
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:lifespan than just one fashion season.
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:Ange: Yeah.
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:It's just trying to find that
balance, I guess, which is tricky
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:'cause you do want to keep up with
the trends, but you also want, you
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:want the longevity there as well.
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:So yeah, that is, that is tricky.
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:But it's always going
to be there, I think.
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:Chryssius: Yeah.
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:How many, or what percentage would
you say lean more towards classic
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:pieces and then what percentage
is more into the trendier pieces?
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:Ange: I would say it would, it would
be 50/50 because there are a lot of
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:people that come in hoping to get
something that's on trend 'cause they've
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:seen it on social media or Instagram
and, and they desperately want to
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:wear that particular style or dress.
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:However, out of that 50% that come in
for those on-trend pieces, majority of
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:those do end up leaving with something
completely different altogether.
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:So I think their expectation is that
they want to get something on trend
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:'cause that's all they've seen.
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:However, when they actually try these
pieces on and then realise, well that
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:was right for that particular person,
but that's not right for my body shape.
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:And I actually, I don't feel good in this.
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:I actually want to wear something
that I do feel good in and end
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:up wearing something that they've
then dressed for their body shape,
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:which I've helped them with rather
than something that's on trend.
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:So they've left with a completely
different mindset about how they
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:choose dresses now because their
eyes have been opened up to a whole
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:new range of all these other items.
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:And they could be timeless pieces because
that's what's better for their body
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:and we're dressing them as their body
and what looks beautiful on them as
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:a person rather than what's trending.
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:Chryssius: I can vouch for that because
I distinctly remember when I got a
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:dress from you and I had picked out
a bunch of different options from
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:your website, and you know, these are
dresses that I thought Oh, definitely.
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:And the dress that I ended up wearing
for that particular event was a
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:dress that I would never in a million
years have thought that that was
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:something that I would go with, or
something that I would even wear.
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:You know, I had in my head, oh, I
want to wear this kind of dress.
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:But when I tried them on, they looked
terrible on me, and that's nothing
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:against the dresses, it's just they
weren't right for my body type.
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:So yeah, I went with a
completely different dress.
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:Ange: Yes, it's really hard 'cause the
stigma is this is what looks good on
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:Instagram, so that should look good on me.
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:But people get caught up in that and
forget that I should be dressing for
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:my body shape and what looks good for
me, not necessarily what's on trend.
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:So just breaking down those barriers of
people's thoughts on what they should
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:be doing and what's better for them.
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:Chryssius: That's a topic that's also come
up a few times in previous interviews.
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:We get so caught up in the outfit not
looking good on us, and then we blame
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:it on us when at the end of the day,
they're not made for every body type.
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:Ange: People feel like they have to
change their body or lose a bit of
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:weight or do whatever they need to
to fit into that particular dress in
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:instead of there is a dress or there is
a style out there for every body shape.
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:We just have to find it
for you as an individual.
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:You don't have to change who you are.
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:Like that's the last thing
anyone should be doing.
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:So.
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:Chryssius: Exactly.
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:Just out of curiosity, how many dresses
do you have on hand at any given time?
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:Ange: I actually don't know.
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:My husband asked me this question not long
ago and I said, actually, I don't know.
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:When I first started, I was so excited.
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:I had just over a hundred, I was between
a hundred and 150 dresses, and I was so
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:pumped 'cause I thought that was so many.
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:And I would look at it
now and I think, oh...
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:I'd just be guessing, but I'd be up
around 450, close to 500 dresses.
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:But that's because I stock, like
that's not one particular style.
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:So I would, in one style, I will
stock at least three different
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:sizes in that particular style.
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:So that's where the numbers
add up, because I have
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:multiples in just one style.
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:Chryssius: That makes sense.
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:Are there certain features in your,
in the designs that you choose to make
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:sure that they're versatile and durable?
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:I know that you mentioned that at
the price point that you're buying
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:these or getting these dresses in,
like quality is there, but is there
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:anything else that you are looking at?
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:Ange: The fabric is the main thing,
so I have to go to Melbourne, so I
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:have to travel to do my buying trips.
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:I don't always get there, and I
sometimes have to do them just online
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:through lookbooks and things, which
every time I do it that way, I always
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:end up choosing something that,
yeah, isn't quite right because I
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:need to get a feel for each fabric.
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:It's the fabric and the detailing in each
dress that makes a big difference for
307
:the longevity of that particular garment.
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:So I am always on the lookout
for quality fabric, is it lined?
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:Does it have good zips?
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:What are the details like?
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:Some, some designers like to have at
least one item in their collection that's
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:really out there, or really delicate or
whatever it might be, which is great for
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:a one-time wear, but you know, as soon
as we start dry cleaning these dresses
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:multiple times, those things break down.
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:And then the the look of that
dress has changed just purely
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:because we've washed that dress.
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:So, and I've done that just by learning
from my mistakes as to what I should pick.
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:And, and while I do get things
repaired, there are certain fabrics
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:that don't necessarily last, the
distance compared to some other ones.
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:So I do have to look out for what's
going to be better for the long
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:run rather than having to pick
something that is just going to be
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:able to only be worn once or twice.
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:And that is something that , those
designers should be considering
324
:when they're designing these
dresses in the first place.
325
:Can this dress be worn more than
once and cleaned more than once?
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:And if it can't, then they shouldn't
be even producing that item.
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:Chryssius: Mm-Hmm.
328
:That is such a good point.
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:Ange: But that's every, that's every
label and that's even, you know, you
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:look even higher up with the even more
higher end labels, and it happens all
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:the time with like Gucci, and they
might make this gorgeous skirt, but it's
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:got this detail of the Gucci part on
the top that's like a brass buckle or
333
:something, and it's stitched into the
fabric, and that makes it impossible to
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:clean because that then runs or catches
on the fabric and then it ruins it.
335
:So you can't even, some
designers don't even consider
336
:one wash, let alone multiple.
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:Which is awful.
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:Chryssius: They're literally
designing it as a one wear type item.
339
:Ange: Yeah.
340
:Chryssius: How long would you
say then would be the average
341
:lifespan for your pieces?
342
:Ange: Uh, some last longer than others,
and that's sort of in more ways than one.
343
:So if I sort of give an example of a
really popular item, so one particular
344
:dress that might I like, I've got
quite a few in here that I've had
345
:for two years, maybe three that are
still popular, still renting out.
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:And they're still coming back great.
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:So they're still getting washed.
348
:Obviously they're not like new condition.
349
:They have been worn, but they're
still great quality where they
350
:still can be worn and it still looks
like a beautiful designer dress.
351
:These types of dresses are usually
those classic and timeless pieces.
352
:Yeah, like I said, two to three
years potentially for one item.
353
:So that could be rented 30 plus
times and washed 30 plus times.
354
:You think if you were to buy a dress
or any garment for that reason,
355
:are you going to wear it 30 times?
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:That's why the rental industry is
fantastic, because this one garment is
357
:getting worn up to 30 times, which would
not happen if that one consumer isn't
358
:going to potentially wear it 30 times.
359
:Chryssius: Mm-Hmm.
360
:Then when they come to the end
of their lifecycle with you,
361
:what happens to them then?
362
:Ange: So I always have a sales section
on my website, and I also do two in-store
363
:sales per year, where, I choose a
select range of dresses that are at
364
:the end of their lifecycle, where I
think they're just not at that quality.
365
:They've just been worn way too many times.
366
:It's time to move these on.
367
:Or I've made a bad decision in one
of those and it's just not renting
368
:well, I then sell those items to
consumers, and usually those particular
369
:people that are buying those items,
they've had their eye on it for a
370
:while and they've always wanted it,
but could never buy it at full price.
371
:Whereas now they're getting it as a
secondhand piece at a much cheaper price,
372
:and they're just as happy because they
then, it's going off to a new home.
373
:It's getting worn by new people.
374
:Rather than sitting here on the
floor, not doing anything or
375
:sitting here out in storage.
376
:So it's nice for me to be able to move
those items on to a new home to get
377
:loved by someone else all over again.
378
:Chryssius: I think that's fantastic.
379
:With more and more people, showing
an interest in things like purchasing
380
:secondhand and upcycling, do you
ever include any secondhand or
381
:upcycled fashion in your collections?
382
:Ange: I don't, at this stage, I don't
really have the capacity of my floor
383
:space here in the boutique that I have.
384
:It is only a small space, so I don't
have a huge amount of space to play with,
385
:with experimenting and things like that.
386
:I think potentially something for
me down the track is to have dresses
387
:on consignment so I could have other
people's dresses that they own in
388
:here on the floor to be rented so I'm
sort of renting it on their behalf.
389
:That is a potential option for me in
the future, which I've thought about.
390
:When it comes to formal dresses,
everyone's still got dresses in their
391
:cupboard that they're either willing to
sell or something needs to happen with it.
392
:Whether that's make a bit of
money off it by renting it.
393
:Chryssius: That's a really clever
way of doing it actually, because
394
:you're solving a problem for somebody
else who has this item hanging in
395
:their wardrobe, potentially not
being worn after being worn once.
396
:And it's something else that
you can offer your customers.
397
:Ange: Yes.
398
:Just more of a range.
399
:Yeah, and 'cause I only stock a
certain size range, so I will have
400
:people come in outside of that
size range and I can't help them.
401
:So that would then help a wider
audience in terms of sizing as well.
402
:Chryssius: Have you had any
real horror stories around a
403
:piece that you've rented out?
404
:Ange: There's a lot of trust in these
people that rent these dresses, but I
405
:don't really have any horror stories.
406
:Because people treat these
dresses with a lot of respect.
407
:When they're renting it, they treat it
like it's their own, which is fantastic.
408
:So, to be honest, the worst thing
that's happened is a cigarette burn
409
:in the fabric of one of the dresses.
410
:And we both, we were both freaking out.
411
:The customers freaking out.
412
:I was freaking out.
413
:It was sort of my first
like, damaged item.
414
:And, and they were freaking out
'cause then they were worried they
415
:were going to have to pay for this
dress and, I thought, oh, like
416
:I'll just take it to my seamstress.
417
:You just never know.
418
:Let me just, let's just do this
and we'll, we'll, we'll worry about
419
:it when she says it's no good.
420
:So I actually took it to my seamstress
and she solved the problem, the what,
421
:where it was and how the fabric sat.
422
:She was managed to put a seam in
it, and you could not even tell.
423
:So, to be honest, if that's, that's
not even really that much of a
424
:horror story because we were able
to solve the problem and I actually
425
:still have that dress on the rack.
426
:It's still renting out.
427
:So that was right at the start
of the business for me, and
428
:Yeah, I'm still renting it out.
429
:So that's not even really that much.
430
:That's kind of like a horror story as
well as a good story in there because we
431
:were able to, we were both worried, but
we were able to solve it and it was fine.
432
:But really, the worst part of the
rental side of it is, putting
433
:all my trust in Australia Post.
434
:So I post dresses out all the time,
all over Australia and Australia Post
435
:is probably like our biggest worry
usually about getting a dress on time.
436
:I have lost a dress in within
Australia Post system at some
437
:stage, which has never come back.
438
:So there's those kind of little things,
but they're out of your control and
439
:that's just all part of the process, so...
440
:Chryssius: That's amazing that you
are renting dresses Australia wide.
441
:I didn't realise.
442
:Ange: Yes.
443
:Which is crazy to think that when
I get a website order I think this
444
:person hasn't even tried it on.
445
:They're putting all this trust knowing
this dress is going to fit and they see
446
:it on the website and they put the booking
through the website and we send it off.
447
:So yeah.
448
:It's great.
449
:I send, send them off every week,
which is exciting 'cause I think, I
450
:don't know who this customer is and
it's sort of a feel good thing knowing
451
:that they've taken a part in this
small Ballarat business and putting
452
:trust in it for their special events.
453
:It's fun.
454
:It's another nice aspect of the business.
455
:Chryssius: I'd love to know
what your favourite part of
456
:your dress hire business is.
457
:Ange: There's so many good parts.
458
:My favourite part is the customers.
459
:When someone walks through the
door every day, that excites me.
460
:I love hearing people's stories.
461
:I love being able to help
them solve a problem for them.
462
:They're coming in, needing a
garment for a special event and
463
:majority of the time, they're either
nervous or not sure what they want.
464
:So I'm able to help that
and I love that part of it.
465
:And the best bit is they walk
out feeling so confident and so
466
:excited to wear one of my dresses
that just makes me feel so good.
467
:And then when they return, I get all
this amazing feedback from customers,
468
:special little notes in their
returns, like it just lights me up.
469
:I love it.
470
:I love being able to help people
and make them feel really good when
471
:they're wearing one of my dresses.
472
:That's the best part for sure.
473
:Chryssius: I know we touched on
earlier that the whole aspect of
474
:sustainability when it comes to fashion
didn't really come to your attention
475
:until you started this business.
476
:Has that inspired you in any way
to, for your own personal shopping,
477
:consider purchasing secondhand?
478
:Ange: Yes, absolutely.
479
:Personally for me, in terms of
just clothing, every day wear, I,
480
:I feel like I've always been pretty
savvy with that side of it anyway.
481
:To be honest, I thought that was
more of me being money-conscious.
482
:But I think now since running the
dress hire business and being more
483
:aware of fast fashion, it's just
cemented even more in my mind.
484
:Whether it be for money reasons, I'm
being more sustainable in that sense.
485
:It's not just about the money.
486
:I'm, helping reduce the environment
with this fabric waste in landfill.
487
:Personally I'm glad that I don't just go
out and buy one off pieces all the time.
488
:I've never really been like that anyway,
in my mind I thought it was because it was
489
:for money, but now I think it's, you know,
100% for helping to reduce that footprint.
490
:And I've always loved going into op-shops,
especially for, I've got three young kids.
491
:I love going in there and
buying secondhand toys for
492
:them or clothing for them.
493
:Like you always find such wonderful
things in secondhand stores.
494
:So that's always been a part of my
life anyway, but I've certainly
495
:far more conscious of it now.
496
:And if I do buy a new piece of
clothing, that question is always there.
497
:Am I going to wear this and am I going to
wear it long term rather than just once?
498
:If it's a winter item in
Ballarat, you've certainly got
499
:your chance to wear it 30 times!
500
:Chryssius: Yeah.
501
:Ange: And I think when I'm, in
the boutique and I'm on my social
502
:media accounts and I'm taking
photos of myself or whatever,
503
:you know, people are seeing me.
504
:I like that they will see me
in an item more than once.
505
:Like, just say, I am
wearing a statement piece.
506
:And I know that I've put that up on
my socials and that people would've
507
:seen me in that statement piece.
508
:I don't care that if that next week
I'm wearing that statement piece
509
:again, like I want them to see that
I'm wearing clothes more than once.
510
:So I'm conscious of that too, knowing
that we've got to break down those
511
:walls of, yes, people have seen me
in that particular top, but I want
512
:them to see me in that top again,
because I want them to know that that's
513
:what you do when you buy a piece.
514
:You wear it multiple times.
515
:Chryssius: There's this whole
culture around, "I've worn it once,
516
:I can't possibly wear it again
because what will people think?"
517
:Ange: It's awful.
518
:It's such a, I know.
519
:I wish we could break that down,
but in saying that, my rental
520
:business benefits from that.
521
:When it comes to dresses as such,
and that's such a common thing
522
:for people only to wear once, for
me as a business, it helps me.
523
:People are going to rent more if
they do only want to wear it once.
524
:So that's a really tricky
position for me to be in.
525
:While it's good for them to only want to
wear something once, that means they're
526
:going to come back and rent more often.
527
:Which is great for me as a business,
but I do wish we could cut that
528
:stigma somewhere along the line
because it's an awful mindset to be in
529
:thinking, I can only wear this once.
530
:Chryssius: Yeah, that's right.
531
:And I mean, at least when they're
coming to you, they're doing
532
:it in a more sustainable way.
533
:Ange: Yeah.
534
:Chryssius: Do your kids like
to go to the op-shop with you?
535
:Ange: Oh yeah.
536
:They love it.
537
:They think it's fantastic.
538
:Yeah.
539
:They expect we're going to get
something every time we go, of course.
540
:They're like, "I want
this" and "I want that."
541
:And yeah, they think it's great.
542
:And we pass that down
the line with them too.
543
:So when we go back home or whether it's
the day before we go to do something like
544
:that, I like, we are cleaning up our toys.
545
:Okay, you need to make a pile of toys
that you want to keep, a pile that you
546
:want to donate, and then obviously a pile
of broken ones that can't be replaced.
547
:But you know, there's always in
that, there's always a pile for
548
:them to donate to someone else
that can, that can use these toys.
549
:So I try and include them
in that process as well.
550
:Chryssius: Yeah, that's great.
551
:Is op-shopping something that
you did when you were younger?
552
:Like were you brought up
hitting the op-shops with your
553
:family or anything like that?
554
:Ange: I think so, we grew
up in a small country town.
555
:It was certainly part of
our lifestyle at some stage.
556
:But I had, I grew up with four
other sisters and we naturally
557
:shared clothes all the time.
558
:As soon as our eldest was out of hers,
it was all about the hand me down.
559
:So that was a massive
part of our upbringing.
560
:And to be honest, we still do it.
561
:We're all similar age.
562
:We all have young kids.
563
:We all pass our clothes and
everything around to each other.
564
:And that's not just the kids stuff.
565
:Like if my sister has a wardrobe
clean out, she'll send the bag over
566
:to me and I'll go through it and
I'll take out what I want before
567
:we pass it on to the next sister.
568
:So that's always been part of
our upbringing as well anyway.
569
:And I think, like I said it was more
of a budget conscious reason as to
570
:why Mum did that, but that's, why
we did it back then to save money.
571
:Whereas now you realise the
more beneficial part of that is,
572
:that, well, that's actually worth
saving the environment as well.
573
:Chryssius: Can you please tell
us about your best bargain brag?
574
:So that is something that you have
found secondhand, whether it be from
575
:a, secondhand market or an op-shop.
576
:Something that is either your
favourite, the craziest, the most
577
:out there, or just the best find.
578
:Of course, I love this.
579
:I think everyone's got
a good story about this.
580
:When I was on one of my buying trips
in Melbourne, I had a bit of time and
581
:I was just window shopping, while I
was waiting for my next appointment.
582
:And I came across this, shop and it
was on like a main street as well with
583
:all these other high-end businesses.
584
:And it wasn't an op-shop as such,
'cause they didn't take donations, but
585
:everything in that store was vintage,
it was secondhand, it was upcycled.
586
:I was in heaven.
587
:It was so, it was the most
amazing place I've ever found.
588
:And I bought a few things, but
this one particular item that stuck
589
:out to me was this long sleeve
velvet body suit, black body suit.
590
:It's gorgeous.
591
:And I just fell in love
with it straight away.
592
:And I thought, it's velvet like
that's, it's just such a classic piece.
593
:I was so excited to see it was my size.
594
:And everything else in this
store was fantastic as well.
595
:But this one particular
piece is it's become my fa.
596
:I wear it all the time when
I'm in the boutique as well.
597
:It's my favourite piece and I love
wearing it because I know that I've
598
:saved that ending up in landfill
somewhere 'cause someone was sick of it.
599
:Whereas I now get to love it all
over again and multiple times.
600
:If you would like to see
Ange's black velvet bodysuit...
601
:Sounds terrible when you say it
like that, "black velvet bodysuit".
602
:It looks awesome, I must say.
603
:I love it.
604
:Yeah...
605
:Yeah, so jump onto the Reloved
Radio Instagram highlights
606
:to have a look at that.
607
:Um, yeah, I didn't mean it
for it to come out like that.
608
:No, it's just when you said it back I
was like, oh, sounds very interesting.
609
:Oh, well, it might make
people go on and have a look.
610
:Can you tell everyone where people can
find you on social media and how they
611
:can go about hiring a dress from you?
612
:Of course I am on Instagram
under Lucida Dress Hire Ballarat.
613
:I have my physical store here in
Ballarat, which is on Armstrong
614
:Street South, I have open hours.
615
:You don't need to make appointments.
616
:You can come in at any stage,
but I also have the website.
617
:If you are from out of town, I
can post dresses to you wherever
618
:you live in Australia as well.
619
:Excellent.
620
:Thank you so much, Ange, it
has been so fun having you on.
621
:Yes, I know.
622
:It's been fantastic.
623
:Thank you for having me.
624
:I really appreciate it.
625
:Thank you so much.