Individual tastes and preferences in the clothes we chose to wear each day are what set us apart. For those who want to be on-trend followers of fashion, there’s a $1.7 trillion global fashion industry catering to their needs.

But in the past two decades as the world has become saturated with perfectly good clothing that no one is wearing – creative ways of sourcing pre-loved clothing have emerged including swaps and swishes, online resale, markets, vintage shops and of course charity/opportunity/thrift shops.

The beauty of op shops is we can donate clothes to them when they no longer suit our needs – and make a financial and sustainability contribution by buying clothes from them to create unique looks combining random finds that work together. 

Sew 232 is opshop uncut. A perfectly good beige jacket teamed with a floral raw silk skirt – both opshop finds that were barely worn. They’re now back in New Zealand with Keri (Olivia and Liam) as she returns home for work, inspired to continue on her own upcycling journey.