Growing awareness of our collective impact on the environment has led to a shift in the way we live, including the way we dress. Fashion is wasteful, making the industry one of the least sustainable due to its contribution to CO2 pollution levels and using huge amounts of resources including water, electricity, and land. As a consequence, many young consumers are looking to shop more sustainably, buying garments made from recycled materials and shopping second hand.

Sta_Re, the circular fashion app, provides a platform to do just that by repairing damaged items, selling unworn pieces, buying responsibly, and learning more about ways to help in the fight against climate change.

Georgia L Berry was inspired to create a circular fashion app after exploring the effects of the fashion industry on the environment within her dissertation, ‘How does the rise of discount fast fashion impact the industry’s environmental footprint?’ She found that fast fashion has created a culture of disposable, throwaway clothing. An alarming number of garments are also made with damaging synthetic materials, which are unable to be recycled.

Berry learnt about the idea of circular fashion, the process of creating considered pieces that can be recycled and eventually will biodegrade at the end of their usable life. Although there are some apps that allow users to resell their products, such as Depop and Vestiaire, there was not an app that has a complete circular approach. This is why Berry created Sta_Re, which allows users to repair their items to extend their lives, resell their unwanted pieces, and buy new garments responsibly from trusted, sustainably-minded designers.