Get ready for a wardrobe refresh that’s good for the planet 

Posted on 15 November, 2021

The doors open today to Canberra’s newest sustainable shop for preloved high-end clothing—Goodbyes on Lonsdale Street in Braddon. 

The brainchild of two Melbourne-based fashionistas Monique Thomas and Olivia Mangan, Goodbyes Braddon is now calling for items from Canberra sellers keen to recoup some money from past fashion purchases and to maybe fall in love with something new (which is not actually brand new!) in the airy new space.

It operates on a simple concept that there are enough pieces of clothing in the world and recycling existing items is much kinder to the planet than creating new ones from limited resources.  

According to Liv “our goal is to make shopping secondhand more desirable than buying brand new”. 

The concept has grown quickly, and Goodbyes has three stores in Melbourne, one in Hobart and more on the way. 

Meanwhile, interest in the Braddon store has been intense, and there were plenty of people checking the new window display out over the weekend. 

From today, the doors open and the store is stacked with more than 1700 preloved items. This includes everything from Scanlan Theodore dresses, to racks of denim jeans from brands including Levis, Rag & Bone, and Sonia Rykiel, and a cabinet of high-end designer items including an Issey Miyake scarf, a Margiela handbag and Missoni Sunglasses. 

There’s an entire corner of gently-worn sneakers from brands including Adidas and Acne Studios. Unfortunately for this intrepid and shoe-loving reporter, the Golden Goose high tops for only $203 (BARGAIN!) were too small.  

The good news is Mon and Liv keep turnover high so that 100 new items hit the shelves daily, and they now want Canberrans to clear out their wardrobes of items that someone else may covet. 

The process is easy. Sellers simply bring in freshly-washed clothes—no appointment necessary—and the Goodbyes team sort, select, price and merchandise their items. Pieces are in store for seven weeks and when items sell, proceeds are split between Goodbyes and sellers on a 50/50 basis, excluding GST and with a 50 cent handling charge. 

The new team of nine welcoming staff will accept a large range of pieces in both masc and femme styles and are on the hunt for timeless pieces, quality fabrics, great construction, and seasonal styles. 

The store has capacity for around 2,500 items which will be priced from $30 – $1000+ depending on the piece. You can expect to find labels such as Gorman, Zimmermann, Gucci and everything in between. 

Mon and Liv said they felt Canberra was going to be a great location for their concept given community engagement with the perils of fast fashion and the relatively small market of upmarket preloved fashion ventures already operating. 

They want to take the idea of preloved clothing into the mainstream and believe their central location on Lonsdale Street will allow them to reach a market of ethically-minded and fiscally-savvy shoppers and sellers.

“We try to appeal to everyone, from the mothers and daughters shopping together to students, to a businesswoman wanting a new suit,” said Mon. 

Their general guide is that clothes sold from Goodbyes are roughly one-third the cost of brand new items. And the planet reaps the profit.