Today's entry is brought to you from a warehouse that, despite being kept as tidy as possible, is quite literally bursting at the seams (pun equally fitting and unintended) with second hand clothing. That is a problem in itself, but the fact that the majority of this clothing won't fit the average U.K size 16 woman is what really worries us...
It's a minefield shopping second hand as it is, but we know that having to scroll through pre-loved apps full of pieces that aren't even in your size is a real mission. And to be quite frank, one that most of us just do not have time for.😴
After conducting some of our own research🤓 we recently found out that the main reason most people get rid of their clothes is because they don't fit👖 Which to be honest, is both validating and frustrating. The problem that this leaves us with is a growing number of pre-loved stock being too small for most of our customers. As our business grows, this problem will inevitably grow too and as we don't want to send clothes to landfill we need to find a solution.
In addition to our challenge we're aware that size inclusivity is hugely important to you. We know you are trying to be a conscious consumer, looking for cute fits, and too frequently finding that the clothing you love will not quite fit!
So to find a solution we asked you what you'd do on Instagram and here's what you said...💭
To try and solve our problem, we thought we'd come straight to you! It's cliché for a reason; but a problem shared is usually solved. In the past, you gave us some great suggestions on how we could better show you the fit of some of our pieces and so we started doing try-on videos along with ready-made outfit bundles.
So again, we asked our OWNI fam on insta how we could provide better options for our mid/plus sized pioneers who have had to deal with a lack of representation and shopping choices since forever.
This was one of our fave suggestions...
Upcycling at OWNI✂️
Although our stock room unfairly favours size XXS-S, the fabric quality and prints on some of these pieces are just too beautiful to not be shared amongst the sizes. So we're visioning a use for these fabrics where they become re-worked and crafted in to stunning one-of-a-kind waistcoats (ofc in larger sizes!)
We're still in the development stages of designing and sketching so if you have any suggestions of how your dream upcycled waistcoat would look, please get at us!💕
As I write this, I'm looking over at a pile of clothes on the table of our office that Lucy, our lovely Operational Officer and Part-Time Meme Extra needs to photograph and list on the OWNI site. Despite the problems we keep encountering, I'm feeling somewhat hopeful that there IS something we can do💪🌍 and just want to say a big thank you for bearing with us on this journey.
With love, The OWNI Team xxx
