What started as an idea on a Moroccan beach, has now grown into a platform with over five thousand users and a community of like-minded swappers ready to change the fashion world.

As we head into the new year, Bandi is looking back on all of our achievements of 2022, and the successes of the secondhand fashion industry.

Reuseolutions

We started the year off strong with our Reuseolutions campaign, where we asked people to challenge themselves by not buying new for January.
With 268 people joining us, we saved around 1340 items of clothing and enough carbon emissions to equal roughly 120 trees and 3100 cups of coffee. That’s not all, though. Our CEO, Frankie, went the extra mile by setting herself the challenge to not buy any new clothes for an entire year. Demonstrating how accessible, affordable, and rewarding second-hand clothing can be. Frankie smashed this goal and is now going for a second year running, hoping to encourage others to quit Fast Fashion.

Bandi Bag Launch

Plastic packaging is estimated to make up 26% of the total volume of plastics created a year, and 72% of this is thrown away. In April, we launched The Bandi Bag, our solution for single-use packaging. Designed to last up to 200 swaps, our reversible postage-turned-tote bag is everything you need to make fashion circular. At the end of its life, you can send your Bandi bag to be repaired or upcycled, giving them a new lease of life and closing the circular loop that is Bandi.

ITV This Morning

We couldn’t quite believe our eyes when we saw Bandi featured on ITV This Morning‘s sustainable fashion segment, and was called “The Future of Fashion”. The model showed off some very cute shoes and a matching handbag, both swapped through Bandi!

Bandi Beach Days

Summer came around, and as lovers of the ocean and the environment, we were determined to make our summer as sustainable as ever. As a part of our Bandi Beach Days campaign, we shared our top tips for an eco-friendly summer. We held Instagram Lives with amazing creators, such as the founders of sustainable swimwear brands JUNK LDN and SoSo Swim, as well as activist, fashion designer, and vegan cook Niha Elety.

New Search Feature

We listened to exactly what our swappers had been asking for, and in November, we gave them what they wanted! The launch of our new in-app search feature meant that swappers could now find that specific swap they had been searching for with ease. Of course, you can still match with other swappers, but we like you to have the best of both worlds!

Our One-Year Birthday

On the 11th of November 2022, Bandi App had its first birthday! Since we launched, we have hit over five thousand users on the app, with over 250 swaps being made (meaning around 500 items of clothing finding their way into the right wardrobes).

A HUGE increase in secondhand shopping – (ThredUp predicted a 26% increase in secondhand clothing in 2022)

Powered by Gen-Z and Millenials, the secondhand fashion market has seen a massive boom in popularity. With even royalty like Kate Middleton stepping onto the red carpet in a dress rented from HURR, it’s safe to say secondhand is staying.

New Chip Accelerator

In late November, Bandi was accepted into Newchip’s renowned global accelerator program. Designed to provide all the skills and tools founders need to rapidly fund, build and scale their companies, past accelerator cohorts averaged more than 17.5 times the average funding amount. The equity-free, fully digital accelerator has helped over 1,500 founders from more than 50 countries, and 250 cities raise over $450 million in funding with an estimated portfolio of over $9B.
In Co-Founder Frankie’s words, “Being accepted into the Newchip Accelerator, we are excited to connect with investors throughout the globe interested in our industry. Raising capital at this point along our journey would mean a global scale for Bandi and a bigger opportunity for fighting back against fast fashion.”

The Launch of Second Hand Sunday

To counter the devasting environmental impact of Black Friday’s overconsumption, Poshmark announced they would be launching Second Hand Sunday. This movement was inspired to encourage everyone to shop preloved and make the mindful switch from traditional Black Friday shopping habits and instead buy unique, one-of-a-kind items from individual sellers instead of conventional retailers.

We can’t wait to see what 2023 will bring.

Want to get a sneak peek? Then head to our Instagram to see how you can join our 2023 Reuseolutions pledge.