Looks Better on You is a student-run second-hand clothing shop on Instagram that donates all of its proceeds to charity. 

The shop has two accounts, the original operates out of Montreal, Que. and its newest account operates out of the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

Angélique Dinh-Vu, the 22-year-old creator of the original Instagram page, is a fourth-year marketing student at Concordia University. Dinh-Vu started volunteering two years ago with the non-profit segment of the Commerce and Administration Students’ Association (CASA) at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business (JMSB), also known as CASA Cares.

CASA Cares supports and donates to organizations such as the Montreal Children’s Hospital, which is where Dinh-Vu currently donates all the money she makes through Looks Better on You.

Dinh-Vu said the biggest event held by CASA Cares annually is a fashion show dedicated to raising funds for the Montreal Children’s Hospital. As a model and volunteer at the show, Dinh-Vu had to raise $200 by herself.

“I didn’t want to ask my family or do a bake sale,” Dinh-Vu explained. “I knew I had a lot of clothes that I didn’t wear anymore, so I started a separate Instagram page and started posting my clothes on that and my friends would buy from me.”

 The next step for Dinh-Vu was to expand her audience.

In July 2021, 22-year-old Maria Florez reached out to Dinh-Vu in hope of taking part in her initiative by reaching out to communities in her locale of the Ottawa-Gatineau region. A second account was created where Florez, a biomedical and food science student at Carleton University, began posting and selling her own clothing.

“I’m really happy that second-hand shopping and ‘slow fashion’ in general has become much more part of the mainstream,” said Florez. “I just really think that’s the future in light of the climate crisis.”

Since its inception in 2019, Looks Better on You has grown in followers and buyers. At the time of publication, the account had 440 followers and over $2,300 in donations,

To purchase clothes, buyers can direct message Dinh-Vu or Florez on either account. They can inquire about size, fabric, fit and price. Once they finish shopping, buyers can pay by e-transfer, cash or by donation on Dinh-Vu’s fundraising page on the hospital’s website. 

Buyers can pick up their new clothes at an agreed-upon location or via delivery, depending on the distance.

As Florez works through selling her own clothes, Dinh-Vu has received an influx of clothing donations to sell on her Montreal-based page. She estimated she has around 70 bags of donated clothes right now.

“I think I have like 50 donations in my basement,” she said. “It did gain a lot of popularity and a lot of people are buying now. Before it was mostly my friends, but now it’s mostly people I don’t know.”

One of those people is Helene Do, a returning buyer.

“I found out about Looks Better on You when I was scrolling through Instagram,” Do said. “It was an account that was being suggested to me, so [finding] it was pretty random.”

Do wasn’t an avid thrift shopper before she found Dinh-Vu’s account, but the low prices, stylish selection and overall intention of the account enticed Do to continue thrifting.

“It does matter to me where my money goes,” she explained. “The way I spend my money represents what I support, what I value.”

Do added that Dinh-Vu’s account inspired her to look into what else is out there.

“Ever since I found Looks Better on You, I’ve been keeping an eye out for more accounts that have similar concepts,” Do said.

 According to Dinh-Vu, next steps for Looks Better on You include better marketing of men’s clothing and more size inclusivity.

“I would love to find a way to market Looks Better on You to male clients,” Dinh-Vu said, adding that she has sold men’s wear in the past.

Florez echoed Dinh-Vu’s goals when speaking about her own sales.

“I’m still working through my own stock of things I used to wear,” Florez said. “But as [the page] grows, I would love to get different kinds of stock, whether it be different styles geared toward different gender expressions or different sizes.”

Dinh-Vu and Florez continue to raise money for the Montreal Children’s Hospital and are excited for the opportunity to work with other charities in the future.

“Looks Better on You just aims to give back in any way possible,” said Dinh-Vu. “Either donating clothes or donating money, I’m always open to finding new ways to give back.”

Featured image by Spencer Colby.

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