The social media recycle

Perzen Patel sold her baby clothes as well as shoes she hadn't worn, on Instagram recently

For Parsi food blogger and mother of two, Perzen Patel, also known as Bawi Bride, the concept of finding second-hand items and giving them a home at her own is not new. She furnished her former home in New Zealand with purchase from such sales. But since the trend is rare in India, she used WhatsApp and Facebook groups to buy a second-hand or pre-loved pram.

So, for someone who considers herself minimalist, it came as a surprise when she found out the clothing items she had accumulated over the last few years had not been worn at all/ as much. "I realised this when I started packing. I thought I was a person who wouldn't hoard things. And here I was with a heap of baby clothes and shoes. I couldn't find a place to sell them. OLX and similar services cater only to household items and appliances. So, I turned to Instagram to sell the rarely-worn baby clothes and my shoes because there is a sense of community there and it was easy to find like-minded people who are open to buying pre-loved things. I believe in being environment friendly and minimalistic, for which it's crucial to declutter," she tells us.

Maia Sethna Twain

City-based influencer and fashion consultant Maia Sethna Twain, who runs a collective drive where people drop off clothes to donate that go to the NGO Wishing Well, agrees, "If you don't donate, you end up throwing things away, making fashion a wasteful industry. As more people are realising this, they are and recycling and reselling items they can, and becoming open to pre-loved goods. Social media today is the most convenient and quickest way to go about it ," she explains. A response Patel agrees with for wooden toys she uploaded had queries from 15 followers, and was sold in seven minutes, she informs. Patel, who started the resale about three weeks ago says the response has been better than what she expected, as she has already sold around 20 pieces. "The breast pump didn't sell, but it's higher priced so people may want to check it out before buying it. Maybe Instagram isn't the best place to sell it," she adds.

If you're looking for something exclusive or out of the ordinary, check out the Instagram page vrttvintage founded by city-based Hanna Stromgren Khan, Gabriella Demetriades and Diva Dhawan, which is upcycling clothes by adding funky embroidery and reselling vintage items. "The idea is to offer an eco-friendly and zero waste solution to fashion.

Buy vintage shoes and bags on Hanna Stromgren Khan's Vrttvintage

Vintage clothes have a big market in India, as there aren't many places which are selling second-hand vintage items. We make sure they are usable before we buy them, and return 65 per cent of the money to the original seller, and five per cent is donated to charity," Khan tells us.

Log on to (Instagram handles) perzenpatel and vrttvintage

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