Companies Making Waves in the Circular Economy

  Recent years have seen a growing concern for the environment and the impact that countless industries have on it. Traditionally, only a few industries around the world have shown interest in protecting our environment, with others focusing predominantly on increasing their revenue without regard for consequence. There’s been a paradigm shift, however. More and […]

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, thrift […]

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 co-founder […]

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 in […]

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 […]

Rag News: January 2019

Vintage clothing store showing denim

The Vintage Side of Discarded Denim Imagine, if one day you go back to your parents’ house and decide to help them with their cleaning. You open a dusty old trunk and you find a bunch of denim clothing inside. Here they are, your father’s bell-bottoms jeans from the 80’s; and this hippy denim vest […]

Rag News: December 2018

pre-owned denim

Extra-Large Size Denim Items, How to Recycle Them? Every textile recycler aims to achieve zero waste. The ultimate goal is to prevent every garment from going to landfill. That is not always an easy task. For example, denim jeans are donated to your organization. You extend the life cycle of these jeans by putting them […]