We’ve been on a green journey for as long as we’ve been together. Sometimes we do it really well, sometimes...let’s face it..we can’t always afford the latest and greatest eco-friendly trends. Slowly over the past few years however, we’ve made many transitions that we can be proud of. Even though we sometimes feel overwhelmed with how many transitions still await, we’re always excited when we can make a new change towards living greener and more sustainably.When we decided to start a family, we knew we had to go full force with our commitment to the planet. In fact, like so many people these days, our concern for the environment almost kept us from having a baby. Our conscience was knocking at our heart’s door saying, ‘but what about the landfills? They’re not getting any smaller!’ We vowed to each other that if we were going to bring a human into this incredible world, that we would do everything we could to counteract our footprint.
If you can relate at all, you know that we’re those people that watch documentaries, read articles, labels and a ton of reviews on the latest eco-friendly products. Yep. We’re that beeswax wrapping, ziplock washing kinda family. It’s no surprise that you can also assume that this translates into other areas of our lives. Clothing our child in pre-loved clothing is one of the ways that we consider is a simple, economical and above all, sustainable way to reduce our impact on the earth. Fast fashion for kids is a HUGE industry. How can it not be? These little people have no choice but to grow out of their clothing. While we can buy a fast fashion item, and at the very least wear it for a few seasons (or as long as it lasts without the item shrinking, stretching, fraying or pilling), children cannot. It’s just the nature of things. They wear, they grow, they move on. It’s not their fault. And it’s not the earth’s fault either. We began to feel a sense of responsibility to take control of the things we could. In addition to all the responsibility we felt as first time parents, the cloud that was looming over us in regards to the responsibility we felt towards the planet and the duty we felt to our daughter and her generation, was growing bigger and bigger.
Naturally, our passion drove our entrepreneurial instincts. If we were feeling this way, surely there had to be others who were experiencing the struggle. Our main issue in particular when it comes to pre-loved fashion for our daughter, is that we want her clothing to stand the test of time. Trying to find styles that aren’t overly gendered or trendy is harder to do when you’re shopping pre-loved. Is it normal that we want our little ones to be mini me’s? We basically dress our daughter in miniature versions of what we wear ourselves - neutral colours, basic styles, and classic cuts. We feel our clothing can last longer when the styles are simple and classic. Generally speaking, earth tones are harder to find (not impossible - just harder) at the big box stores, which translates into very hard (almost impossible) when you’re shopping pre-loved. So what does this mean? Well, we know what you must be thinking. Does it take time to shop pre-loved?! Who has that kind of time anyway!? Especially when your little ones are little! Shopping with kiddos is hard enough, nevermind going to a thrift store where it does take time to go through racks and racks of clothing and goods.
To make matters worse, then came...the lockdown. Sigh. Thrifting in person was out of the question. Not even a possibility. We found ourselves turning to Facebook Marketplace. And if you know the Marketplace, you know it means that sometimes it's wonderful, and other times...not so much. Sellers not responding to messages, having to drive to multiple places for multiple items, driving further than you wanted to, and in the end...it either wasn’t exactly what we wanted or it wasn’t in the condition that was specified. It was becoming harder and harder to be environmentally conscious during the pandemic.
We knew there had to be a better way. A platform where we could trust that clothing was quality, stylish, and affordable. A place where we didn’t need to buy an entire lot just for a few pieces we wanted. We felt that it actually went against buying sustainably if in the end, we weren’t going to use some of the clothing we were buying. A store that would deliver our clothing in an eco friendly way. And finally, a place where transparency is a core value.
We are happy to announce that we believe AbeeBerry checks all the boxes. A simple, affordable way to shop quality, stylish products in a sustainable way - quickly!
We’re proud to be the creators of this company that has so much potential. So many avenues to follow and so many goals to pursue. We are bursting with inspiration, and we’re excited to share it with all of you. If you want to see us through our journey, share your experience, or even learn a thing or two about sustainability, follow us on Instagram @abeeberry and on Facebook @abeeberrystore and be part of the conversation!