Lost Stock seems to provide the perfect formula for the ethical fashion consumer.  You buy some mystery clothes for half of their retail value and in turn support the factory worker who made them and their family for a week, as well as keeping unsold stock from going to landfill.

Retailers were simply not buying clothing which had already been made, clothing that has an estimated value of billions of dollars

The concept was born from the enormous volume of unsold stock piling up in factories as a result of coronavirus.  Retailers were simply not buying clothing which had already been made, clothing that has an estimated value of billions of dollars. There have been thousands of workers not paid for their labour, and multiple company owners, notably Kylie Jenner, have been called out for not paying their staff over the lockdown period.  Lost Stock is relatively little known at present, but has certainly gained traction since launching in May. Indeed, at the time of writing this article, they have sold over 117,000 boxes. Their tagline ‘Buy a Box. Support a Worker for a Week’ highlights the clear ethical benefits of purchasing through this initiative.

Lost Stock works specifically in Bangladesh, as they are partnered with the NGO SAJIDA Foundation. SAJIDA aims to support thousands of families impacted through working to replace their lost wages, bestow vouchers for food and develop social initiatives.  In Bangladesh, the clothing industry accounts for around 84% of the country’s exports and the estimated number of workers affected by recent stock cancellations is a staggering 2.28 million. A factory owner is quoted on the website, saying ‘If coronavirus doesn’t kill my workers, starvation will,’ highlighting the severity of their struggles and the urgency of their needs.

When I heard about this initiative via Instagram, I was intrigued.  It was a relatively new concept, therefore there were no existing customer reviews when I decided to purchase one of the boxes.  This made the box even more of a gamble than just receiving mystery clothes, but I decided that it can essentially be a charity donation if the clothes do not fit, and they can always be given to someone else or swapped.

If you would like to be more specific in your choice of clothing, you can go through some more options to narrow down your style

Through purchasing a box, you are promised at least three items of clothing- usually tops, as these tend to fit more sizes, for £35 plus postage, which Lost Stock say is half the retail value of the three garments. The website also gives some choice in the clothing you will be sent, including selecting your size and preference for male or female clothing. If you want to stop there, there is a ‘surprise me’ option, to get the full mystery box experience.  If you would like to be more specific in your choice of clothing, you can go through some more options to narrow down your style to include the approximate age range which the garment is designed for, colour scheme (bright or dark/neutral), and finally plain or patterned.  I went through the additional questions, choosing dark/neutral and plain as I thought this would probably be the safest option.

The package I ordered came after ten weeks, slightly later than the original 6-8 week estimation. I received three tops, all of which were fairly dressy blouses.  One was white linen with a peplum waist, the next a similar frilly, sleeveless blouse in navy blue and the last one was a plain black, spaghetti strap top with buttons down the middle. The navy and white blouses were extremely thin material, so you would have to wear something else underneath them, and they were probably worse quality than what I was expecting for the estimated retail value of £70. They were both too small for me, so I wouldn’t have been able to fit another top underneath them.  The final, black top was also too small for me.  I also noticed a rip in the middle of the white blouse, which was disappointing as it was probably my favourite of the three.

The concept of buying a mystery box of clothing will always be a gamble

I liked the three tops, but due to the sizing issues I ended up giving them away.  You can’t return lost stock items, as this defeats the sustainable aspect of the initiative, but their website states that they are currently working on sharing platforms, so that the clothes can be shared and used effectively between customers.  I ended up giving the ripped top to a clothes recycling bank, and the other two to one of my local charity shops. The concept of buying a mystery box of clothing will always be a gamble, and although it was disappointing that the clothes weren’t right, it is still better than them going into landfill.

Overall I would say that Lost Stock is a great initiative, but in practice the numerous reviews of the clothing being of poorer quality than expected may put some people off.  If their sharing platforms work well, then this could be a great solution for style or sizing issues.  The sustainability and benefits of ordering a box are undeniable, but if ultimately people are unsatisfied with the garments, this could create unnecessary stock in charity shops. I would recommend buying a lost stock box to anyone who is able to support it, however I would also warn not to set expectations too highly, as it is a mystery box after all.

 

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