It’s just not kosher!
Pickle, a sustainable fashion brand, found itself in… a pickle… while collecting clothes to donate to victims of the LA fires — after it nixed donation of “fast fashion” brands like Zara and H&M.
The company has an app that allows people to rent clothes from other people’s closets, and it also has a brick-and-mortar spot in the West Village. The whole idea is “driven by a desire to break free from the endless cycle of fast fashion,” according to the website.
One would-be-do-gooder, who dropped by the store with some clothes to LA’s suffering residents, told Page Six that the shop denied kids’ clothes from (gasp!) Zara and H&M on Sunday.
“I asked if they considered Nike fast fashion, and [they] said it was acceptable,” they said.
The source cracked, “My response in my head was, ‘Oh yeah? I wonder if the people working in the Nike sweatshops would agree.”
Pickle remained steadfast with their “no fast fashion” policy despite the catastrophic fires in which thousands of Angelenos lost everything.
The company wrote on Instagram: “It is imperative that you only donate high quality items! We are no longer taking fast fashion brands (Zara, H&M, Edikted, etc.).” They added, “We want to make sure those affected by the fires are receiving only the best pieces to help rebuild their lives!”
The silver lining is that New Yorkers showed up. Our source told us the line was wrapped around the block with people wanting to give.
A spokesperson for Pickle told us they received four times the estimated amount of donations, forcing them to be even more selective as they collected items throughout the day.
“The overwhelming response far exceeded our expectations, and as a growing startup eager to help, but with limited resources, we eventually made the decision to prioritize items that could have the greatest long-term impact.”
Those items were “brand new and high-quality pieces designed to hold up over time as people rebuilt their lives and wardrobes,” they said.
The spokesperson told us after they stopped accepting the Zara-like items “we provided information on nearby organizations better equipped to take them.”
“As we partner with other organizations and expand our resources, we’ll adapt our approach to maximize our impact. We are deeply grateful to everyone who showed up at our store,” they said. “Our team and amazing community of volunteers in LA will be personally distributing these items at a donated retail location.”
