Innovation

The concept behind the store is repurposing used clothes, which coincides with UN Sustainable Development Goal 12, responsible production and consumption. DoubleTake is stocked solely with merchandise sold to them by consignors. Consignors can get paid with store credit instead of cash to encourage buying other consigned clothing rather than more overproduced new goods.

Inspiration

Locals consign pre-owned clothing to be sold through DoubleTake. Through its emphasis on waste reduction, DoubleTake embodies sustainable values and promotes environmentally-friendly habits.

CEO Marci Kessler founded DoubleTake after an experience with her own closet. She explained it: “I had an abundance of clothing that I wasn’t wearing anymore.” Although she was not using them, the clothes were too valuable to throw away. “I decided to go into a consignment shop in New Jersey. And I walked into this clothing store and realized I could do something better, and I thought that it was time for consignment to be more upscale.” Clothes, like antique furniture and house décor, may be appreciated by more than one owner. DoubleTake was able to capitalize on this concept by accepting only designer clothing to showcase a more high-end side of consignment and thrifting.

Unfortunately, there is a long history of waste in the fashion industry. “The industrial revolution introduced the mass-production of clothing, changing the game. The more affordable it became to buy new clothes, the more people thought of clothes as disposable” (Waxman in Time 2018). Clearly, textile waste is an operating problem in the developed world. Consumers buy a ton of clothes only to toss them when they are still in good condition. The creation of consignment shops like DoubleTake has allowed for clothes to live past the time that the original buyer is bored of wearing them. DoubleTake’s business model cuts down on textile waste and contributes to responsible consumption.

Overall impact

Kessler managed to start her company through personal funding with the first store in Short Hills, New Jersey. Decades later, others joined Kessler once they saw her vision of DoubleTake; DoubleTake has grown to include two other store locations in New Jersey. Kessler did not have the UN Sustainability Goals in mind specifically when founding DoubleTake. Indeed, DoubleTake predates the goals by more than 20 years. But the company embodies Goal 12 nonetheless, Responsible Production and Consumption. DoubleTake’s entire business model is built around sustainable consumption. By only selling pre-owned clothing, DoubleTake produces no textile waste. Furthermore, DoubleTake gives its customers the option to purchase responsibly. They also have a system in place where consignors can get paid with store credit instead of cash to encourage buying other consigned clothing rather than more overproduced goods.

DoubleTake has made Sustainability its primary mission. By collecting used clothes and reselling them, DoubleTake collects revenue while facilitating recycling in its local.

Kessler is confident in the impact of her business model. During an interview, Kessler explained, “A good year for us is when we get thousands of pieces in, and we sell just as much.” Of course, there is a question of securing the inventory of clothing. So, our team asked how the company ensures the supply of clothes and the turnover of inventories. Kessler confidently stated, “we never worry about supplies because we always have enough.” People continuously consign their clothes to DoubleTake for sale because of its good reputation. Also, the business provides an incentive to donate; the donor receives 50% commission if the product sells. DoubleTake popularized the idea of recycling within the communities it caters to and offered the platform to foster that goal. Furthermore, by recycling clothes, DoubleTake’s has helped the local government reduce waste disposal costs. DoubleTake is a positive influence in its community.

Business benefit

DoubleTake’s decision to go paperless and to use non-plastic clothes hangers, provides an environmental benefit. These simple adaptations also bring down operating costs and inspire environmental habits among employees. It also improves the worker efficiency by expediting clerical work. The electronic database makes it cheaper to store a limitless amount of customer and operations data.

Social and environmental benefit

DoubleTake maintains a sustainable atmosphere; sustainable consumption undergirds the business model. For society, it helps people to live in a closed-loop economy where waste is avoided. According to the Huffington Post, “the average American will toss out eighty-one pounds of clothing this year. That amounts to 26 billion pounds of textiles” (Goldberg). Fortunately, DoubleTake has made a quantifiable impact on textile waste in America. Across its three store locations, DoubleTake has saved 5,400 pounds of clothing (New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry).

DoubleTake Boutique motivates its customer to appreciate sustainability. Their business model has stood the test of time, as DoubleTake has lasted over three decades. The small business has differentiated itself as being both luxurious and environmentally-friendly. Through a small vision inspired by a wasteful closet, Kessler began DoubleTake and watched it expand. Rather than creating waste through high fashion clothing, DoubleTake creates a platform for sellers and buyers to consume responsibly.

Interview

Marci Kessler, CEO