Tucked away on the third floor of Humber Polytechnic is a student-run clothing boutique that sells pre-loved clothing while giving students hands-on retail experience.
Rossie Kadiyska, program coordinator for the fashion management postgraduate certificate and acting coordinator for the fashion arts and business program, said Humber Boutique sells donated clothing, including jackets, T-shirts, shoes and denim.
Prices typically range from $5 to $25, depending on the quality and brand of the item, she said. The boutique at H344 operates Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Kadiyska said revenue from the boutique is reinvested into Humber fashion programs to support student events and initiatives.
She said the funds help finance activities such as the Humber fashion show and other student projects.
Anyone who donates clothing receives a 15 per cent discount on purchases, Kadiyska said.
She said students in Humber’s cosmetics management program also use the boutique to sell select beauty products through a cosmetics display in the store.
Kadiyska said the boutique was created to give students practical experience outside the classroom.
“Our vision was to create a community hub for students,” she said. “Students could practice and apply their knowledge from the programs merchandising, sales, running store operations, visual merchandising, social media and marketing.”
Kadiyska said clothing for the boutique comes from daily donations and larger collection drives organized through Humber fashion classes.
“We had a major collection drive in the fall, which is part of an event class in the fashion program,” she said. “We are also open to collecting donations every day.”
Ariana McQueen, a first-year fashion arts and business student, said she enjoys seeing how students transform donated denim into new items.
“I love seeing the different ways students transform donated denim into upcycled products,” McQueen said. “It’s inspiring to take something pre-loved and make it new again.”
She pointed to items created by Shawanna Charles, a first-year fashion arts and business student who turns leftover denim into bags and other accessories sold in the boutique.
Textile waste is a growing environmental concern in Canada. About 98 per cent of plastic textile waste ends up in landfills because of limited recycling infrastructure, according to the Government of Canada.
Yanira Deyanera, a business marketing student completing a co-op placement at the boutique, said she helps promote new items through the store’s Instagram account.
“I focus on promoting the outfits or new items we receive for students,” Deyanera said.
She also helps organize clothing displays and keep the boutique clean for shoppers.
Trina Troitskaya, a second-year architectural technology student, said she discovered the boutique by accident while looking for a class.
“I actually found it by accident some time ago when I got lost for one of my classes,” Troitskaya said. “I was just passing by, and the door was open.”
She said she returned to browse the boutique and was interested in clothing created by fashion students.
Kadiyska said the boutique focuses on selling higher-quality clothing that lasts longer.
“We don’t sell fast fashion items,” she said. “We rely more on quality items that have better longevity.”
Kadiyska said the boutique promotes a circular approach to fashion.
“The silver thread through the operations of the store is consume less, repair more, recycle,” she said.
