Amelia Khazali
Chauncey Dewey
Priyank Ahir
Nina Gozali
Loyola Marymount University
Jeff Thies
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Recycle to Riches illustrates an innovative company through its culture and consumer experience. Ash mentioned that her goal is to “tear down the third wall” of fast fashion by educating consumers about their buying decisions.
Recycle to Riches illustrates an innovative company through its culture and consumer experience. Ash mentioned that her goal is to “tear down the third wall” of fast fashion by educating consumers about their buying decisions. This company was founded after Ash’s internship in the fashion industry. She saw the amount of waste produced by just designing a concept. Seeing how this waste is translated to the finished product is what made ash feel like this is a problem that our generation is tasked to solve. The company’s mission is assisted by the help of Ash and her marketing partner Kelly. Ash acts as the face and designer of R2R. Her role includes but is not limited to sourcing ethical companies who fit within the company’s mission and long term goals. This innovation relates to their mission of ultimately ending fast fashion and educating the consumer. Ash’s purpose, which is guided by God, is to end fast fashion and ultimately make consumer buying decisions more transparent.
When we asked about the inspiration for this idea, Ash’s first answer was God. Her motivation and inspiration are theologically based as she claims her task is “to educate and teach about the harmful effects of fast fashion”. The primary motivation for Ash is centered around changing the way people think about “new” by altering the term to include “-ish”. Meaning, through education she wants to teach about the effects of our buying decisions by demonstrating the practicality of converting old, existing clothing into something new. Ash wants to empower the consumer through her business by showing how “everything can be something”. Immediately after, Ash explained through her previous experience in the fashion industry that she was exposed to the waste which results from ever-changing trends.
The primary motivation for Ash is centered around changing the way people think about new. Meaning, through education she wants to teach about the effects of our buying decisions. Ash wants to empower the consumer through her business by showing how “everything can be something”. “All those tiny moments that I get to expose the (fast fashion) industry to those that don’t know yet, are the high points of my life”
On top of that each garment that was wasted cost about seven pounds of carbon dioxide to create it. About 700 gallons of water are used to create a single cotton garment, which can fill up about 22 bathtubs per garment. In fact, about twenty percent of industrial water pollution is due to textile dyeing and treatment. The effects of an American re-using one garment about 210 billion gallons of water and a million pounds of carbon dioxide would not be wasted. The impact of each garment Recycle to Riches uses is much more impactful than recycling plastics, yet is not as popular. Ash and her team combat this immense waste by offering a cheaper alternative to shopping for temporary fashion goods.
As more conscious consumers become on the impact their purchase has, the more the demand for redesigning clothes will rise. The success company goes hand to hand with the rising trend of sustainable training. As a redesigning boutique, they do not have to incur the cost of buying wholesales as typical boutiques do. They avoid ethical dilemmas of working with cheap manufactures who cut corners to generate higher profits. Through re-using garments, they can satisfy consumer needs in a cheaper way without being unethical.
The company benefits from creating a sales process that has a relatively low cost to operate with, which means they could offer lower prices in their services. Consumers do not have to pay full retail price for new pants, for example, instead, they could have it redesigned for a fraction of the price. Another added benefit is they could have their garments tailored made to fit them how they would like. A pain point in shopping is finding a good-fitting garment, and often time customers find a design they like but the fit isn’t what they desire. These benefits can help them market their services. The company’s biggest competition is the retail industry, and consumers may need some time before they break their habits of buying new clothes and disposing of old ones. Therefore highlighting the benefits will be beneficial in their marketing campaigns.
Consumers can now have their favorite clothes tailored fitted to their own unique body, while they lessen their carbon footprint. Each garment that is wasted cost about seven pounds of carbon dioxide to create it. About 700 gallons of water are used to create a single cotton garment, which can fill up about 22 bathtubs per garment. In fact, about twenty percent of industrial water pollution is due to textile dyeing and treatment. The effects of an American re-using one garment about 210 billion gallons of water and a million pounds of carbon dioxide would not be wasted. The impact of each garment Recycle to Riches uses is much more impactful than recycling plastics, yet is not as popular. Ash and her team combat this immense waste by offering a cheaper alternative to shopping for temporary fashion goods.
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Ashleigh Morgan, CEO/Creative Director
Recycle2Riches transforms pre-loved clothes into ecologically sound products that feel new. They also partner with brands that reflect the same passion. Recycle2Riches strives to solve the ecological epidemic of over-consumption by informing consumers of what elements are going into each product. Their main goal is to make smart eco/ethical shopping easier on a global scale.