Stella has a Baby: giving pre-loved maternity wear a new life
A range of clothing for pregnancy and nursing is showcased at Stella has a Baby's sister store, Use-Ta!, in Thornbury. Stella has a Baby was born in 2019 from the desire to help mums and mums-to-be find clothing that matches their ethos to be socially and environmentally conscious while looking fabulous.
A woman-owned Melbourne business, Stella provides an online platform and instore experience to both purchase and onsell gently loved maternity and nursing clothing in a way that is more convenient for customers.
Maternity and breastfeeding clothing is often costly to purchase and is needed for only a short period of time. This makes the cost per wear for each item high. Customer accessibility to a clothing share model meets demand for good quality garments during a short, but highly specific and individualised clothing life stage.
Providing an opportunity for people to purchase and onsell their clothing items creates an affordable market for high-cost clothing. This clothing model eases the environmental impact of the fashion and textile industry by reducing the consumption of raw materials used in the making of new clothing and reduces the landfill contribution of clothing items worn only a few times.
Challenges and insights
Stella has a Baby feel that because the business model for selling and buying high-quality second hand clothing online is still not particularly common in Australia, finding and creating a market for it has been challenging. Educating consumers on how this business model works is another challenge. From their point of view, they are also continuously perfecting their inventory management strategies.
Competing with dominant fast fashion business models is difficult. They say that this kind of business model hinges on community building and support, so these measures must be built into the business plan.
Stella has a Baby reiterate that new business models are challenging. But they’ve found it to be worth the hard work – knowing they have made new parents feel comfortable and stylish while reducing as much textile waste as possible. And they have enjoyed meeting lots of beautiful babies too.
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Learn more
For more information or to shop, visit the Stella has a Baby website stellahasababy.com.au