Shopping For Sustainable Fashion In Dubai
One of my goals this year is to not buy any new fashion items, and to be more mindful when purchasing essentials and workout wear (I teach yoga 5 days a week so cannot realistically go a year without buying new leggings!). When I first moved to Dubai almost four years ago, there were no thrift stores and the mega-mall culture meant that options here were quite limited for the more ethically-minded consumer.
Of course, I have bought fast fashion in my time, and this isn’t to say that it’s all bad. Sometimes necessity, finances and size-inclusiveness (or lack of it) means that fast fashion is the only option. For most of us, a realistic goal will not be to cut out fast fashion entirely but to buy less of it over time. To do that, we actually need to have options of where to go other than the mall or our web browser…
So, here are my picks of where to shop more mindfully in Dubai from pre-loved designer items to sustainable brands:
Thrift For Good
Dubai’s first and much-needed thrift store! Thrift For Good is both a spot to take your donations, and to pick up some pre-loved or unworn thrifted finds. I volunteer in the store once a week and the stock is always totally different on every shift – it’s really amazing how much gets donated and how many pieces find new homes rather than going to landfill or lingering in wardrobes unloved. I’ve so far picked up an unworn pair of Zara jeans, a vintage Jigsaw blouse and an unworn pair of Repetto heels.
The store sells mainly high street (or mall in Dubai) and online brands. Topshop, ASOS, H&M and Zara feature quite heavily on the rails with many items still tagged. Prices are 70% less than the original price so it’s pretty nice to be able to snap up an unworn Zara dress and give to a good cause at the same time. Designer items also do get donated but these get snapped up pretty fast!
Dubai has such a consumerist culture so this store is such a great antidote to that, I remember actually shuddering once when I overheard a girl saying that she bought a new dress for a Friday brunch every weekend and then…threw it away. Hopefully Thrift For Good means that more Dubai residents consider buying pre-loved as a normal (and sustainable) way to shop, and those one-off occasion clothes get the chance to be enjoyed by someone else.
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The Giving Movement
I’ve been on the hunt for sustainable yoga and workout wear for a while after various events made me feel less than comfortable about shopping at my past favourite brands… A lot of my friends recommended Girlfriend Collective but they don’t currently ship to the UAE and, if one is trying to be sustainable and make minimal impact with clothing choices, clothes being shipped across the world isn’t an ideal solution.
The Giving Movement is a sustainable active wear brand, designed and manufactured in the UAE. The items are priced in-line with most premium activewear brands and you can mix and match different pieces depending on your workout of choice or day to day style (the pieces are definitely nice enough to not just wear to workout in). The company donates to charity for each piece sold too.
The active wear is super simple and has a very clean aesthetic, The colour range is amazing but you all know that I have a trusty black cropped top and leggings on my “to buy” list for when a couple of my old favourite sets finally give up!
Shop Retold
Buying preloved doesn’t mean missing out on designer items… Shop Retold has an amazing range of clothes, shoes and handbags looking for a new lease of life. Obviously you’re limited by what is in stock (both by style and size) but if you’re looking for a certain handbag or shoe then there’s a pretty high chance you’ll find something if you keep checking back (there’s both an online and retail store).
If you have any unloved items, Shop Retold offers store credit in exchange for them which is a really great initiative. I know I have a few unworn pairs of designer shoes in my wardrobe which I’m currently seriously thinking about whether I’ll wear them at some point or whether they’d be better off in someone else’s closet…
Location / Website / Instagram
Nouvelle Dxb
Finally, I have to mention Novelle Dxb – a project by the daughter of a friend of mine from my yoga teacher training in Bali last year.
Briana and her cousin Mia are high school students by day and up-cyclers by night (and weekend). They turn old fabrics into scrunches and reusable cotton pads, so saving end-of-live fabric from landfill and also helping to save resources (I started using reusable cotton pads last year and they are so much better for the environment and save money, too). It’s so hopeful to be inspired by a younger generation who are all too aware of the impacts that fast fashion and a desire to always have new items is having on the planet. Nouvelle currently sell a selection of their products at Thrift For Good and at various pop-ups around Dubai.
Where do you go for pre-loved and sustainable fashion?