Exclusive clothing commission in Klaipeda: women even bring clothes from Vilnius to give away clothes

In Lithuania, Asta Burneckienė, owner of the women’s jewelry brand Abrand, and Kristina Cvetkovė, owner of the clothing brand Pepper Me, founded the sustainable fashion house Meta.

– Sustainable fashion house “Meta” – What is it? What does sustainability mean to you and why is it important?

– The meaning of the first letters of META – Responsible Sustainable Ethical Fashion. Thousands of tons of used clothing and footwear are “thrown into the landfill” each year. Textiles rank second after oil pollution. So that makes you think. Our value and goal is not to import tons of used clothing from other countries, but to rotate the fashion circle within the country, so that clothing has a chance to discover new hosts and make them happy.

– How long have you been living in Klaipeda?

– We started the business just before the second quarantine, in November 2020. At that time we only had to operate online, but we felt great interest from buyers. Starting on April 8, we decided to take a chance and opened a shop in the old town of Klaipeda.

– How did the idea of ​​creating this type of clothing commission come about? And why did you choose such a business model?

– For a long time it has been wanted to contribute to sustainability in some way. Our own clothes thrown in the closets kept staring us in the eye. I had to think about where to put my second hand clothes. Some of the garments were handed over to various organizations, others had to be disposed of in special containers. When delivering clothes to organizations, we notice that they are no longer very willing to accept because there is a large surplus of clothes to deliver. So one day we decided to try to open a commission-based store, but we preferred to call it a dear clothes house.

– How is it different from others on the market?

– Our goal is to spread the idea of ​​sustainability. Encourage women to be sustainable. Infect this idea with as many women as possible. We can already be happy that since the opening day we have saved more than 4 tons of clothes from landfills and found new owners for them. We are not just a clothing store, but our goal is to make our clients feel at home in their closet, where they can receive advice on how to try to combine different clothes, to have a feminine touch. We are also one of the few in Lithuania who has an electronic loyalty card, which is not made of plastic, but is installed in the phone. In our plans, as soon as the quarantine is released to do various events, educate, invite stylists to help.

– Anyone who wants to bring you their clothes? Do you make a selection of clothes? What type and condition of clothing do you accept?

– Yes, anyone can bring it, but we carefully select the clothing so that it is clean, not torn and has a commercial look.

– Do you only sell women’s or men’s clothing?

– We sell women’s clothing, but sometimes we carry men’s jackets, shirts, which women adapt.

– Do you pay attention to the brands? What famous brands can be found in you?

– Our goal is to make the clothing choice that suits all customer segments, which is why we accept a wide range of garments, from well-known to lesser-known brands. We have a wide variety of brands – Zara, Reserved, HM, Max Mara. The store is also home to fashion houses Emporio Armani and Love Moschino. It would be difficult to even list them all.

– What clothing prices – from to? How is the price of the clothes decided?

– Our goal is for every woman to find the right clothes for her at a good price. As a result, prices vary. You can buy a dress for both 10 euros and 120 euros. We set the prices of the clothes together with the customer. Very often I have to advise women how much they can get for the clothes they bring. Our goal is to satisfy all parties: the carrier, the buyer and, of course, us.

– Where does those clothes that nobody buys go? Are you going back to the people, or is the fashion wheel turning somewhere further afield?

– When changing seasons, unsold clothes must be returned to whoever brought them. There are women who refuse to remove it, so in those cases we distribute the clothes and transport them to various organizations.

– Who are your clients? Who brings the clothes and who buys them? Are your customers both the younger and older generations?

– Our clients are of very different ages. We are very happy to be able to offer clothing and accessories not only for young people but also for older women. They also bring people of all ages. Not only do Klaipėda residents give us clothes as gifts, but women from Vilnius and other cities also visit us.

Therefore, we are looking forward to everyone who wants to buy good, fashionable and more expensive brand clothes at a significantly lower price. And what fun it is when women leave our homes happily and find the right pearls for them.

– I noticed that there are clothes and labels in your store. Maybe you also wear other clothes abroad?

– We don’t really ship. During the quarantine, most of the women bought clothes in electronic stores. Some had neither the time nor the desire to return, so they were brought to us. Also, a lot of the clothes unexpectedly shrunk during the quarantine, so those clothes made it to Meta.

– Do you also sell clothes online?

Yes, it is also possible to buy clothes online by following us on social networks. Without a doubt, we plan to have an electronic store in the future. However, we strongly believe in live communication. Many women who brought clothes are disappointed with the electronic platforms in Lithuania. Most managed to sell us clothes. They do not lose the measurement or the response to different queries. We have many plans and ambitions for the future, such as what we are doing to make it even more attractive. Our goal is to make “love” clothes a new fashion.