Blvd. Curated is one of several social media-based thrift stores trying to change the way Ottawans view vintage shopping, one Instagram sale at a time.
The Instagram reselling store was launched in May 2020 by University of Ottawa political science student Dara Saravi. Saravi said he was inspired to start an online clothing business at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While looking for somebody with knowledge on how to start a company, Saravi reached out to Logan Porter, his friend and graduate of the University of Ottawa’s commerce program. Saravi said Porter was passionate about the entrepreneurship opportunity and joined the Blvd. team in October 2020.
Since then, Saravi said they have been focused on reselling “trend-forward” womenswear. The difference between resale and consignment is that consignment stores sell items on behalf of the original owner and give them a percentage, while resale stores sell items and collect the commission themselves.
Saravi said he first was inspired to start getting into the reselling fashion business after he realized the ecological and ethical impact of his own fast fashion consumption.
“I used to be a huge fast fashion consumer. I was shopping at Zara and H&M all the time,” Saravi said.
Reselling fashion brands such as Blvd. aim to cut down on waste by promoting the use of items that have already been made.
“We thought of what we could personally do to introduce trendy clothes without fast fashion coming into play,” Saravi said.
He added that during the COVID-19 pandemic, launching an Instagram-based business felt even more appropriate.
“Online shopping and climate change are so much more prevalent, so it felt like the perfect time to launch,” Saravi said.
Saravi’s concerns for the future of the earth were echoed by Kristina Martin, another Ottawa-based online vintage store owner.
Martin, founder of THE SLOW FIT, said she was inspired to start her online store after being troubled by the rise of fast fashion and the popularity of “mega haul” videos on social media.
“[During the pandemic,] there didn’t seem to be enough accessible options to consignment fashion for the people in my community and I wanted to change that,” Martin said.
Saravi explained that many thrift stores are established to help people who are unable to afford expensive mainstream clothing alternatives. Critics of the reselling industry, according to Saravi, claim that reselling businesses take away these clothing resources from those in need in order to personally profit.
Saravi said he understands the concerns. He added he believes his education in political science has helped him be mindful of how his business operates and how he can use it to help educate others on the issues of fast fashion.
“With political science, I [was] able to take globalization and humanitarian courses,” Saravi said. “It has given me the opportunity to not get defensive when we get these criticisms. I can educate someone else and say, ‘Here are all the statistics and facts to why reselling can be beneficial.’”
When Saravi is sourcing items to resell on Blvd.’s Instagram, he said he’s intentional in ensuring that the items he chooses are not basic layers, children’s clothing or warm weather items such as jackets and winter boots.
“By people saying that resellers are taking away resources, it’s not 1000 per cent wrong but it isn’t necessarily the truth either because too much [clothing] is being put in and not enough of it is being taken out,” he said. “The majority of it is still going to landfills.”
Bvld. held their first “pop-up” on Oct. 20 at Little Victories Coffee on Elgin Street.
Looking forward to 2022, Saravi said he’s excited to start bringing more Blvd. Curated events to Ottawa in the spring and hopes to launch a website in January.
Saravi said the vintage market in Ottawa is full of potential that is not often explored. He hopes that the newfound public interest in sustainable fashion is a trend that will continue on an upward trajectory.
Featured image from Instagram.
