When there is a new kid on the block, MFN is always eager to check them out. The latest edition to the UK fashion industry is within the ecommerce sector; friendlyfashion.co.uk and online trading and social networking platform that promotes anti-consumption and good old fashioned jumble sales! MFN spoke to Agne Jakimavciute who is heading up the new UK division of Friendly Fashion.

Can you explain a little bit about what friendlyfashion.co.uk is and how members use it?

Certainly, we are still making our first steps, but our vision is to create a great place for fashion lovers to find something original and interesting for their wardrobe. Seasonal ideas do not exist there as the site is for people who have their own style and fashion approach and want to share it with others. The main idea is to swap, sell or give away old/new clothes & accessories that members no longer want. We believe, that unwanted stuff that you want to throw to the bin could be a treasure for somebody else. We also hope to attract handcrafted items makers to promote their clothes & accessories on line. The site is really easy and fun to use: each member in our website can upload his/her own clothes photos (either used or new ones) and swap (sell or give away for free) them with another person. This is not only a trading platform for it's members, but also a social community with forums to discuss about lifestyle, fashion and trends. In this website, we try to encourage person to person communication and promote more meaningful consumption (and also save money!).

Friendlyfashion.co.uk is a new venture, how long has it been active in the UK?

The UK site is brand new; however, the idea for this project was born in Lithuania back in 2008. After its sudden membership growth and popularity,  the founders thought of project development to other countries. That's how a German site was born where members are also very active. The English version of the site was introduced about a few months ago.

How has friendlyfashion.co.uk advertised itself to the UK marketplace?

Slow but steady growth of membership proves us to be a small, however, tight community. As soon as the FF site was introduced, we asked our members in Germany and Lithuania to promote us to their friends living in UK.. Our first members were the people who'd heard about the experience in other countries and believed in our success. We also get in touch with fashion bloggers and handcrafted items makers via social media.

What can cyber sellers expect from friendlyfashion.co.uk that they will not find from other online auction and selling sites?

I believe, the whole user experience is very different on the Friendly Fashion site. Firstly, FF has a very narrow category of items – just clothes and accessories. All items have one or more pictures and a clear description. People can also comment and vote for their favourite clothes & accessories. Obviously, all activities are free of charge on our website which is a great stimulus to promote handcrafted tems. Some similar sites are designed in auction principles that prices are always going up, while FF encourages price reductions (we promote such items).

Besides, forums section allows members communication and interesting topics development. All related to well-being and beauty, lifestyle, fashion or anything else of members' interest. Members can personally contact each other, especially when swapping or buys items. Additionally, we will hold such off-line activities as local meetings, events, workshops etc. All this creates a community and encourages personal communication which is one of our aims. For instance, our colleagues laugh that the  “addiction sickness" is quite common in Lithuania, where female members live on the website.

Does friendlyfashion.co.uk make a profit or is it a charitable/not-for-profit organisation?

The website was created by two young and enthusiastic people for non-commercial purposes. The initial idea of the project was to encourage more meaningful usage and anti-consumption. Nobody in our sites is charged for services.

Are there any friendlyfashion.co.uk public events planned for the future?

In Lithuania, our crew members have already had a number of events where members have an opportunity to meet up and swap/sell their items or attend workshops. Undoubtedly, we want to follow their example and bring our FF community off-line for a live chat, swapping and ex-changing ideas. 

You can read more of this interview at Jordan's personal blog here

Words by Jordan McDowell, images courtesy of friendlyfashion.co.uk

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