A Hula for unwanted children’s clothing takes off in Hong Kong, and looks to expand overseas

Online resale platforms are big business in Hong Kong. Websites such as Hula and Vestiaire Collective offer women a quick and painless way to get rid of their unworn or second-hand clothing. The latest to come to the fore is Retykle, which targets a category that is frequently overlooked when it comes to textile waste – children’s wear.

Former Lane Crawford executive Sarah Garner was inspired to launch the site last year when she had her first child.

“I received a huge amount of hand-me-downs from a friend that were high-end and high-quality. I felt so indebted to her and wanted to give her something in return, so I assigned a second-hand value to each of them and gave her a gift card. The whole experience got me thinking about a bartering and swapping programme, and that eventually evolved into Retykle,” she says.

Retykle (the name is an amalgamation of the words recycle and tyke, informal British English for small child) aims to transform the fast-fashion nature of children’s clothing. While Facebook and community boards such as Hong Kong Moms offer advice and help on where to dispose of used items, Retykle is an official platform that makes the process easy, organised and, above all, profitable.

Using a consignment model, the site gives sellers between 50 and 55 per cent of the resale price, either in cash or credit that can be used on the site. Retykle does all the grunt work, including free pickups, sorting and storage, as well as pricing (which ranges anywhere between 50 to 90 per cent off the retail price). While Retykle accepts most brands – it has a database of over 1,000 labels, including popular names such as Seed Heritage, Bonpoint, Jacadi and COS – every item donated must meet specific criteria.