{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.bankaust.com.au/blog/{{slug}}" }, "headline": "{{title}}", "description": "{{desc}}", "image": "{{image}}", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Bank Australia", "url": "https://www.bankaust.com.au/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Bank Australia", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64d5d5beb2a67e9491ecdff8/64d5d5beb2a67e9491ece00c_BA-logo-white.webp" } }, "datePublished": "{{datePublished}}", "dateModified": "{{dateModified}}" }
No items found.
Back to blog
Impact

How this pre-loved clothes site is promoting a circular economy

Photo journal

Have you got clothes hanging in your cupboard that you don’t wear anymore? Bank Australia customer Karen Freidin is helping fashionistas sell their pre-loved clothing, while supporting women facing disadvantage at the same time. We had a chat to find out more.

We all wear clothes. They’re part of our identity, and help us show the world who we are. But when you start thinking about who makes your clothes, how they’re being made, and where they end up when you don’t love them anymore (or they’ve gone out of fashion), that’s where things start getting murky.

Bank Australia customer Karen Freidin had never been much of a shopper herself, but started thinking more about fashion, and in particular fast fashion, when her daughters hit adolescence. “I was giving them money and started wondering ‘Where were they shopping? Where were these clothes coming from?’” she remembers.

With a background in sustainability, she started looking into the impact of the fashion industry on people and the planet. “It felt like peeling back the layers of an onion,” Karen says. “You become aware of the huge consumption of clothing and clothing waste, you become aware of the conditions that the women who make our clothes work in. So many people have clothes in their cupboards that they don’t wear.”  

This led Karen to start Reluv, a pre-loved clothing website specialising in high-quality, affordable outfits. Everything for sale on Reluv is from brand names, and is in either brand-new or near-new condition. Along with purchasing a new/pre-loved wardrobe, you can also send in your garments for Reluv to sell on your behalf.

“A good resale program should drive down consumption of new garments,” Karen says, “and increase consumption of pre-loved garments.”

Four coathangers with pre-loved clothes hanging on them

Reluv partner with a number of organisations working to empower women, especially garment makers, women in Indigenous communities, and women returning to work.  

“I wanted to extend the life of clothes that have already been made, and generate an ongoing revenue source so we could fund some of these important programs,” Karen says.

Some of these organisations include Fitted for Work, which supports women returning to the workforce, and the Remote Op Shop Project, a program in the Northern Territory where Indigenous women set up and run op-shops in their local communities. In Bangladesh, Reluv are currently supporting women’s cafés, safe spaces where garment workers can access vaccinations, childcare, financial advice, and get information about their rights.

Last year, Karen released Reluv’s first Fashion Resale Report, investigating the state of fashion resale in Australia, environmental issues within the industry, and how fashion resale can support a circular fashion economy.  

“I wanted to understand what was happening with resale in Australia, but I also wanted to share that information,” Karen explains. “I don’t want Reluv to just be a resale store; I want us to be thought leaders and a source of information and value for the fashion industry.”

According to Karen, brands – clothing or otherwise – have a responsibility to design and produce items with circularity in mind. “Products should be designed for longevity, to be used as much as possible, and to be recycled/repurposed at the end of life,” she says. “Clothing should not be designed to be thrown away after a few wears.”

Read more about our incredible customers.

Related stories

Impact

‘I absolutely love where I live’: how accessibility and location matter to Shanon

Moving into a thoughtfully designed and purpose-built apartment has been ‘an absolute game changer’ for Shanon, a resident at AccessAccom’s Specialist Disability Housing (SDA) apartments in Woolooware, Sydney.

Impact

Big news: announcing our 2025 community customer grant recipients

At Bank Australia, we believe in the power of community. Every year, our Community Customer Grant Program supports customers making a positive impact within our key impact areas

Impact

Partnering with purpose: Bank Australia and Muru Office Supplies

Who we do business with matters. That’s why we’re proud to announce our new partnership with Muru Office Supplies—a Supply Nation certified, Indigenous-owned business that shares our commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable future.

Impact

“Doing well and doing good”: How Coffee Club Investment Group is creating beautiful accessible housing

In a quiet, tree-lined street just 11kms from Melbourne’s CBD, a residential development is reshaping how Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) can look and feel. Named “Bumblebee”, this ten-apartment complex is more than a housing solution – it’s an example of purpose-driven design.

Read how Specialist Disability Accommodation is being reshaped in Melbourne.

Impact

“Stories of strength, resilience and self-determination”: Victorian Aboriginal News is amplifying First Nations voices

From his van on Country to the airwaves across Victoria, Uncle Charles Pakana is amplifying First Nations voices through Victorian Aboriginal News. We spoke to Uncle Charles about how the independent media project, backed by Bank Australia, is changing the narrative around reconciliation.

Read how Uncle Charles Pakana uses his VAN as a voice for the future.

Impact

How Nalderun is helping young First Nations people thrive

On Djaara Country in Central Victoria, Bank Australia community customer grant recipient Nalderun has been changing the lives of young First Nations people for over 15 years. Their aim? To help their kids thrive and become the leaders of tomorrow.