Our Mission and Values

How do you authenticate the clothes and accessories you sell?

It is important that our community can trust that everything we sell is authentic. We also have a responsibility to ensure that everything we sell has a reliable provenance. We have in house authentication to check every item we sell and take our responsibility seriously. Why wouldn’t we?

Ultimately it is our credibility and reputation that is at stake.

How do you clean garments?

We know our sellers value their garments as much as the buyer will. We request that garments are cleaned before they are sent to us. We don’t expect perfection, just cleanliness. Clothes sometimes have a little wear and tear and maybe the odd mark - but we do not accept underarm stains.

Is there a limit to how old a garment can be?

No, we love vintage. We’re only as old as we feel, and the same goes for our clothes!

Do you sell items that have been repaired?

We believe that clothes, like us, should have as long and varied a life as possible. Occasionally there might be the odd bump, scrape or tear along the way, and we love to see a beautifully darned hole, or a carefully repaired hem because that shows how well loved a garment has been. We value the lifespan of our clothes and know that you do too. So we do not discriminate against clothes that have been mended. We celebrate the thoughtfully patched, and the lovingly fixed. Of course, we will highlight any repairs to you so you can choose if, like us, you consider a repair to be a badge of honour.

How do you encourage people to care for their clothes in order to keep them being worn longer/ eventually resell?

Our whole reason for starting Reluxe is to extend the life of our clothes. We see Reluxe as a tool within a whole system designed not only to resell clothes you know longer wear, but to incentivise you to value your clothes and look after them so they keep their value. See our Reluxe Care Guide for tips on Wardrobe Wellbeing.

We also understand that clothes need to fit well in order to be worn with confidence. We are keen to encourage our community to make use of tailoring services so that clothes are professionally altered if needed so that they can be kept in the best possible condition. We are particularly excited by services like The Seam which connect users to a local seamstress who can seamlessly tailor your clothes whilst ensuring the quality of the pieces remain intact.

What about your packaging? Is Reluxe plastic-free?

We work with compostable packaging suppliers NOISSUE because we understand there should be no issue about sustainab le packaging. We are all part of a circular system. By compostable we mean that our packaging must break down in home compost within 180 days, and in commercial composting conditions in 90 days. If you don;t have a compost heap at home, you can find a local compost project. Even better, just open carefully and reuse the packaging.

Remember to use paper tape only as we do. And while we are on the subject of packaging, to reduce the impact of any nasty chemicals getting into the earth, we only use soy based ink.

Do you only ship locally?

Our main focus is in the UK, but we also ship to Europe and the USA. We are still a small start up, but as we scale up, we plan to develop Reluxe hubs in these countries to minimise shipping so that costs and CO2 emissions are kept to a minimum.

Who is the Reluxe community?

Our community is our inspiration, our support and our strength. We are part of a network of amazing women who are trying to do something for the greater good. Many of the women in our community have public profiles and successful careers in the fashion and creative industries. They might have even influenced the way we dress.

We are friends and colleagues, who have a wealth of experience in the industry as well as an abundance of individual personal style. We understand how clothes can make us feel positive about ourselves. What connects us is a need to use our voices - and our wardrobes - to help make the world a better place. We know this might sound a little idealistic, but we mean it. Together, we can share information, we can help to change the way we shop and reduce our consumption habits.

We can use our community on Reluxe to rethink our relationship with the planet and with each other. We believe that small steps can lead to big impact if we work collectively. Through sharing the clothes we no longer wear, we also share our stories, and the sense of purpose that inspires us to live as responsibly as we can.

By sharing information, we can educate each other. The fashion industry is a challenging one. We know it has a disastrous impact on the planet and exploits people at every step of the way. We are constantly learning about how we can change the way we make fashion, and how our own behaviour and habits can have an impact on the industry. Something as simple as sewing on a button can have a profoundly positive effect. There is something new to learn every day and there are many experts with knowledge and experience who we follow and some we regard as our mentors. We don’t pretend to know all the answers. We are collaborative, we are open, we are listening, and we are learning. That’s all we can do.

What about sizing? Is Reluxe for everyone?

We take all sizes. By working with our community, we hope we can represent the multitude of sizes, shapes and heights in the clothes we offer on Reluxe. We also encourage the use of tailors and seamstresses to alter clothes to fit you so you will wear them for as long as possible.

How does Reluxe fit within a circular economy?

By providing a marketplace for clothing that already exists rather than increasing demand for new products, we are working hard to ensure every part of our service is sustainable as possible. We aim to be part of the solution, not the problem.

The clothes we sell are already part of an opaque supply chain. In the future, we would like all of our clothes to be made in a way that is transparent, traceable and responsible. Until then, we are working to create a new business model that operates within a circular economy, which means we work with what is already in the system. We are transparent in what we are doing.

We have very clear lines of communication with our community of sellers and buyers and we are doing what we can to work as responsibly and sustainably as possible.

Why do we need Reluxe?

Reluxe is born out of a love of fashion and a concern about the ways that the industry is negatively impacting our world, from the soil in the cotton fields to the microplastics in the oceans and in the air we breathe, and the overproduction that is built into the fashion system. We also care about the people who make our clothes and their pay and working conditions. We love fashion but we do not want to be part of a system that exploits and extracts. We want to be part of an industry that is kind, collaborative, and works with the considerable resources we already have in our wardrobes. We want to channel our creativity and love of fashion into an industry we can be proud of.

We are aware that resale sites are not the solution on their own. We have to be part of a bigger network that includes regenerative agriculture, fair pay, greater diversity, equality, slower but better production, respect for nature and the wellbeing of people. There are an increasing number of resale sites that have become a dumping ground for unwanted clothes. Reluxe is the antithesis of that. We have a slow and considered approach, to encourage our clients to see the value in the clothes we wear. It is not an elitist space, but somewhere to find your style, indulge in a little wardrobe refresh, play with a new colour, or find an essential that helps you function better in your life. The difference is, with Reluxe, you are investing in a new system that celebrates the clothes we already own.

As a community, we can build a more mindful approach that reduces consumption and brings back a culture of care and respect that starts with the clothes that are already hanging in our wardrobes.