INQS

• Start with a real problem you’ve personally experienced. Mary’s idea was based on her own lived experience and a problem she noticed herself: Textile waste. If you deeply understand the problem, your solution will be more relevant and authentic.
• Build purpose into your business model. Change Clothes is not just selling clothes, it’s a circular fashion social enterprise tackling textile waste, community needs and employment. Don’t add ‘sustainability’ or ‘impact’ later- design your business so impact is a core value creation.
• Think in systems, not in single products. Instead of one offering, Change Clothes is a multi-layered model: Swap shop, workshops & education, upcycling production, community programmes. Strong ventures often create ecosystems of value. Multiple revenue + impact streams leads to a more resilient business.
• Community is a competitive advantage. Mary emphasises that Change Clothes exists because of the community. Build with people, not just for them. Community creates loyalty, word of mouth growth and co-creation opportunities.
• Make your solution accessible. A core principle is making sustainable fashion fun, affordable and easy. Ask yourself, is your idea accessible, simple to use and appealing?
• Start small – test – and scale. Change Clothes started as a monthly pop-up shop which appeared in different locations and evolved into a full enterprise! Don’t wait for perfection, start with a pilot, a pop-up, a prototype, and iterate based on feedback.
• Collaborate across disciplines. Collaboration expands your idea beyond your skillset.
• Revenue can align with impact. Every purchase funds community programmes and training. You can design models where customers benefit, society benefits and the business remains viable.
• Turn waste into opportunity. The entire business is based on reframing waste as value. Look for underused resources, inefficiencies, and discarded material. These are often the best innovation opportunities.
• Make behaviour change fun. People don’t change behaviour because they should, but because its enjoyable, social and rewarding.
• Build a mission driven brand story. Change Clothes isn’t just a service, it’s a movement and narrative around sustainable fashion. Think about your story, why do you exist? What change are you creating? Strong storytelling attracts customers, partners and funding.