Anoli is the founder of the UK’s first preloved South-Asian fashion platform: Circular Threads. Launched just this August, the online marketplace has generated widespread ecstatic buzz. The simple yet classy brand allows customers to buy and sell beautiful South Asian clothing that’s previously owned but no less desired. The concept was created when Anoli realised how many people not only wanted to share but also honour their South-Asian glamour, including the lady herself: “The idea came when searching for the perfect outfit for my brother’s wedding. I found myself darting around the usual ethnic hubs for clothing – Ealing Road, Green Street. I didn’t know if I was getting value for money and getting stressed out through the process. You want to look your best but without spending unnecessary time and effort. In addition to this, the ensembles you do purchase for special occasions are often heavy and expensive so they tend to accumulate in the closet. It was a feeling shared by lots of friends and people I knew. I wanted to make high-quality trendy pieces easily accessible and constantly worn - thus Circular Threads was born!”
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Highlight pieces from the venture’s digital collection includes “an Qbik designer outfit, Karina, which was a chic champagne pant-sari that looked amazing on both the buyer and the seller. This outfit completely transforms, bringing out the individuality of each person who wears it. The material was hammer satin, with thick net which made the outfit multi-layered and distinct. Another Founder’s favourite is a white floral number that looked as if it could be worn on Netflix’ British show: Bridgerton. It has floral embroidery and reminiscent of old English style that can be worn on multiple occasions. However, the inventory has been growing and every piece is unique: each one is actually given its own name.” Indeed, the versatility demonstrates the especially empowering dimension of South-Asian couture: “Fashion in general gives expression to individuality and our multi-coloured varied outfits epitomise this concept.” Circular Threads enhances cultural heritage, dynamically preserving connection our roots. But “Fashion itself is cyclical: the silk saris our mum and grandmas wore are coming back in. The site reinforces this…”
Sustainability is generally central to Anoli’s entrepreneurial ethos: “we want people to dig deep into their wardrobes and enjoy the act of recycling, rewearing and restyling” and the online age doesn’t make it hard for us to do so. “Lockdown made the digital potential of the idea doubly clear. Ultimately, we are not here to only circulate different and beautiful outfits but also provide an education to our community to foster change to more sustainable behaviours. Our social media posts present our preloved pieces, events, as well as listing socially conscious fun ideas you can do at the weekend. But most importantly, we are building a community of like-minded individuals who want to live more sustainably. We want to encourage proactive living around conscious fashion.”
Anoli elaborated: “We welcome the stories behind each design, we like to uncover the types of materials used for garments, fostering investment as well as confidence. We are working on devising an Impact scale so that when purchasing an item, buyers can see how much water they’re saving by the litre due to constitution of the outfit materials, and by how much they’re reducing the omission of carbon-dioxide.” This directly challenges the notoriously toxic practice of fast-fashion, from the exploitation of workers for profit to the adverse impact on the environment, reflecting the wider culture of unchecked materialism too. In this way, Circular Threads also exhibits an emerging generation who want to harness tech to increase the positive impact on industries across a variety of sectors. Driven by emotional vibrance, Circular Threads doesn’t just flaunt spectacular pieces, but also a benign philosophy that can constructively reshape the world. “We see Circular Threads as a lifestyle rather than just a fashion destination.” The business encourages people to feel good and gorgeous while doing the same for others and the planet. Morality, inspiringly, is the transcendent timeless trend.
If you have outfits to sell or are looking for something different for your next wedding or Diwali event, check out the Circular Threads website and follow their socials:
Website: https://www.circular-threads.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/circular.threads/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threadscircular/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThreadsCircular
