No. 01
Donate
Donors can send well-preserved clothing and shoes in a large cardboard box to the organization in Helmstedt free of charge. The German Clothing Foundation provides package stickers for download on its website. In Helmstedt, the packages are then opened, sorted by hand and organized into product groups.
Click here to go to the website: kleiderstiftung.de
No. 02
Repair
Often, simple tricks and a little skill are enough to repair a broken favorite item. In more difficult cases, it's worth going to the tailor or dry cleaners. There, even seemingly hopeless cases can shine like new again.
Otherwise, you can often turn old clothes into practical everyday items or home textiles such as dust rags, pillowcases or even hairbands. Let your creativity run wild!
No. 03
To exchange
So-called clothing swap parties are becoming increasingly popular. Here, everyone brings along the clothes they no longer wear and can then swap them for the discarded “old clothes” of others attending the party. These parties usually take place privately - just ask around your circle of friends.
Swap parties offer a great happening and togetherness.
You can chat and give each other advice in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying drinks and snacks.
In some stores, you can also bring your discarded clothes in bags and receive a voucher from the store in return.
This is a good alternative if you shop there regularly. The clothes you donate are usually recycled and returned to the textile cycle.
No. 04
Lend
Renting clothes is also a trend. There are more and more providers who offer a large selection of fashionable and timeless items for rent with a monthly subscription. If you no longer like the clothes, you can simply send them back. If you have rented a new favorite item that you no longer want to give away, there is also the option of buying the item.
Tip: At the Kleiderei Cologne and Freiburg you can currently find great LANIUS favorites.
For particularly valuable items with small holes and other defects, we offer our repair service and cooperate with the professional art darning company PlisseeBecker.
We would like to encourage you to have your favorite LANIUS items professionally repaired – and we will give you free shipping to PlisseeBecker in Cologne throughout the EU. Find out more here
No. 05
Sell
If you want to make a little money with your former favorites, that is by no means reprehensible and here too there are some options:
On Vinted (formerly Kleiderkreisel) or eBay Kleinanzeigen, for example, you can upload as many items as you want and sell them on your terms. Listing and selling can be quite time-consuming, but this is probably how you make the most profit.
Sites/apps like Momox or Zalando buy items for a small price. Here, however, the clothing must first be sent in and checked before you receive the money for the items. The effort is limited, but so is the turnover. With high-quality clothing, you can assume that slightly better prices will be achieved. Therefore, in this case too, investing in sustainable, timeless and high-quality clothing is worthwhile.
Flea markets are also highly recommended for selling clothes. It's best to check locally to see when flea markets are taking place again. The girls' flea markets, for example, are highly recommended for current fashion, but also vintage items.
Tip: You can now also officially sell particularly well-preserved LANIUS favorites through our partner Buddy&Selly as part of our Care - Repair - Resell Service. In addition to the proceeds, you will also receive an extra €5 voucher code for the LANIUS online shop.
If your discarded clothing cannot be repaired, given away, sold or upcycled, it can of course be thrown in the trash. Defective and heavily soiled clothing should definitely NOT be thrown in the used clothing container!
By the way:
How does LANIUS deal with complaints, old goods and sample parts?
It is important to us that no goods produced have to be destroyed. Therefore, we only produce on demand with pre-orders - i.e. on orders from (wholesale) retailers and only plan a small quantity for our warehouse. In addition, we only produce 2 collections a year - and thus try to avoid overproduction. More on the topic: "The Future of Fashion is slow - Why do we only make two collections a year?"
Nevertheless, we do not have 100% sales either. Where does our old stock go - and what happens to complaints and seasonal sample items?
We donate old goods and/or pass them on to online shops that place as much importance on the longevity of each piece of clothing produced as we do. At Otrium, for example, you can already find LANIUS favorites from older seasons. Further collaborations with online shops are planned.
We also have our own outlet and even a warehouse sale for our goods in Cologne. Returned but still wearable favorites or items from older seasons are offered there at reduced prices.
In the future, we would also like to work together to give worn-out, defective items a new life through upcycling. This way, no LANIUS item has to end up in the trash.
