Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, July 26, 2023
Plastic Free July, a global movement encouraging people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution is in full swing in Hamilton.
Hamiltonians pride themselves as a community which is mindful of the environment and work towards waste reduction in more ways than one.
Several local cafes and restaurants in the City usually offer a discount on drinks for people who have a cup from home, and community events encourage zero waste measures to all in attendance with many environmentally friendly solutions as required.
Responsible Fashion
This year, Hamilton City Council is shining a light on some of the City’s waste minimisation champions. One such champion is Jahdiel Mason, a business owner, representing ‘Again & Again,’ which is a consignment store on Alexandra Street at the Hamilton City Centre.
Like many people in the City, Ms Mason’s handbag always has a reusable bowl, cup and water bottle when she is out and about and more often than not, she is wearing a pre-loved outfit.
Her store is dedicated to her passion of reusing and fighting fast fashion.
Again & Again specialises in gently-worn designer clothing and accessories.
Ms Mason has made the store appealing, with many customers not realising that they are browsing pre-loved clothing.
Globally, Fast fashion is an emerging problem as it is cheap, trendy clothing, made at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand. Fabric is often made of cheap synthetic fibres and reportedly uses cheap labour, violating human rights. It is the third most polluting industry in the world, following food and construction.
“There is an overconsumption of fast fashion and I like to encourage everyone to think about the choices they are making when shopping,” Ms Mason said.
She grew up appreciating pre-loved goods and loves to see them accepted more.
“Waste reduction has always been second nature for me. For many people, it is too hard or not convenient, and it is the same thing with second-hand clothing. When I was growing up, there was a lot of stigma around it, however buying pre-loved is becoming more accepted.”
Sustainability at its finest
“Some people are always surprised when they find that we are a pre-loved clothing store because it all looks so good. That is what we want to encourage people to see, you can get nice clothing that is pre-loved and could still have a lot of life in it. Quality brands make clothes that are meant to last. Many brands use natural fibres and are sustainable. Someone might have brought it and it is not quite right for them, so they want to move it on to a home that is going to love it,” said Ms Mason.
Sustainability goes beyond clothing and accessories. Like many consignment stores, Mason reuses the clothing tags, by removing them from the clothing before they leave the store. She also encourages people to bring in their paper shopping bags.
“Lots of people do their online shopping and end up with all these brown bags which they throw into recycling, so we encourage people to bring them in and we will gratefully reuse them.”
Supporting the community
The store also aligns itself with charities promoting reuse and supports people in the community.
“If people are happy to donate their clothing, we work with Dress for Success, an organisation helping women get back into the workforce. We also work with Hospice, as the money and support stay in the community, and the Breast Cancer Research Op Shop because we love what they do and what they stand for,” she said.
Ms Mason prides herself on making sure clothes sold in-store go to homes that will love them. She cares more about making sure people are comfortable with their purchases, rather than being pressured to make a sale.
“If you are not sure, it is probably not right for you and we will be honest about it too. We are passionate about giving items a new home and getting love for them again and again,” she said.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Hamilton.
