WALKING into The Wearhouse on main St, Nadi, one could easily be misled into thinking that the clothing on sale is brand new.
One of the first things that will catch your attention is the cleanliness and boutique style arrangement of the shop.
Men’s, women’s and children’s clothes are professionally and neatly arrayed in various sizes and styles.
The Wearhouse is a second-hand clothing outlet with a difference.
Owner Reaaz Ali said he ventured into the business to give employment opportunities to those in need and also to give consumers a better shopping experience.
And then there is the environmentally-friendly aspect of the second-hand clothing trade.
“Recycling one kilogram of clothing saves the atmosphere four kg of carbon dioxide emissions,” he shared.
“If you were to produce that one kg of clothing brand new then you would contribute four kg of CO2 into the atmosphere.
“So you can imagine how many millions of kgs of CO2 is being eliminated by the second-hand clothing trade.
“Recycling is a big thing around the world — it saves the environment, it is cheap, it’s cost effective and we dress Fiji.
“If it wasn’t for the second hand clothing industry, a lot of people in Fiji would not be able to afford decent, good quality clothing.”
