Our Blog ♥

On your first visit, bring the signed last page of the welcome packet, plus your phone, email, and mailing address. We go through the bag together. Anything we can’t take goes home with you, and we’ll tell you why.

When we open your account, you choose what happens to items we can’t use on later drop-offs: donate, or call. Most people choose donate. If you choose call, you have 7 days from that call to pick the items up. After that first visit you can leave bags and go — just put your name on every bag.

The 90 days start the day an item is tagged, not the day you drop it off. Once it’s tagged, it stays. You earn 40% of the pre-tax selling price. Payouts are by request on the 15th of every other month — ask by the 10th — as a check, store credit with a 10% bonus, or both.

Every year, the fashion industry produces over 92 million tons of textile waste. That's the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes being dumped every second. Fast fashion has made it easier than ever to buy cheap clothing — but at an enormous environmental cost.

Secondhand shopping is one of the most impactful choices an individual consumer can make. When you buy pre-loved clothing, you're not just saving money — you're actively reducing demand for new production, keeping textiles out of landfills, and participating in a circular economy that benefits everyone.

The Numbers Don't Lie

The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing per year. Most of that ends up in landfills, where synthetic fabrics can take hundreds of years to decompose. By choosing to shop and consign at Used To Be Yours, you're directly reducing that number — one garment at a time.

It's Also Good for Your Wallet

Sustainable fashion doesn't have to mean expensive fashion. At Used To Be Yours, you'll find quality name-brand clothing at a fraction of retail prices. You can look great, feel good about your choices, and keep more money in your pocket.

Next time you're tempted to buy something new, consider stopping by our boutique first. You might just find exactly what you're looking for — and feel even better about the purchase.

We love when consignors bring in beautifully prepared items — it makes our job easier and means more of your items make it onto the floor. Here are our top five tips for preparing your consignment items:

1. Wash Everything, Even If It Smells Fine

Clothing can absorb odors over time that we might not notice ourselves — closet smells, perfume, smoke, or mustiness. A fresh wash ensures your items smell clean and are ready to sell. Use unscented or lightly scented detergent for best results.

2. Inspect in Good Lighting

Take each item to a well-lit area and look carefully for stains, pilling, loose threads, or missing buttons. We see a lot of items that consignors didn't realize had issues. Catching these before you come in saves everyone time.

3. Use a Lint Roller

Pet hair and lint are among the most common reasons we decline items. A quick pass with a lint roller before packing your bag makes a huge difference.

4. Think Current Styles

We look for styles that are current and in demand. If something has been sitting in your closet for more than 5 years, it may be past its prime for consignment. Focus on items you bought recently or that are timeless classics.

5. Pack Neatly

Neatly folded or hung items make a better first impression and are easier for us to review. Crumpled, disorganized bags can make even good items look less appealing.

A capsule wardrobe is a curated collection of versatile, timeless pieces that work together to create a wide variety of outfits. The concept was popularized by fashion designer Donna Karan in the 1980s, and it's more relevant than ever in today's world of fast fashion and closet overwhelm.

The good news? You don't need to spend thousands of dollars to build one. Secondhand shopping is the perfect way to assemble a quality capsule wardrobe at a fraction of the cost.

The Core Pieces

A classic capsule wardrobe typically includes:

• A well-fitted pair of dark wash jeans
• A crisp white button-down shirt
• A quality blazer or structured jacket
• A little black dress
• Neutral-colored tops in a few different styles
• A cozy, quality sweater or cardigan
• Comfortable, versatile shoes

Why Secondhand Works So Well for Capsule Wardrobes

Capsule wardrobes are built around quality over quantity — and secondhand shopping is perfectly aligned with that philosophy. You can find high-quality, well-made pieces from brands like Levi's, Banana Republic, J.Crew, and Anthropologie at Used To Be Yours for a fraction of what you'd pay new.

The Landfill Reality

Each person's discarded clothes take up 1.43 cubic yards of landfill space yearly — about the size of a standard refrigerator. Nationwide, that adds up to:

• 11.3 million tons of textile waste annually
• About 85% of discarded clothing is landfilled or burned rather than reused
• A garbage truck full of clothes every single second

Decomposition Timeline

Not all fabrics are created equal when it comes to breaking down:

• Wool socks: 1–5 years
• Nylon jacket: 30–40 years
• Leather shoes: 50 years
• Polyester dress: 200+ years
• Plastic buttons: 500+ years

A Single Cotton T-Shirt's Journey

Producing one cotton t-shirt requires 2,700 liters of water total:

• 800 liters to grow the cotton
• 1,500 liters for processing
• 400 liters for dyeing and finishing

How Consignment Makes a Difference

Every piece you consign with us stays out of landfills, saves thousands of liters of water, reduces demand for new production, and gives quality clothing a second life.

Last Month's Impact

Our consignment community helped save 665 pieces from landfills, conserve thousands of liters of water, give 246 items new homes, and support sustainable fashion choices right here in Douglas, Wyoming.

Visit us Tuesday–Friday 11am–6pm or Saturday 12pm–4pm to consign your items in excellent condition. Your quality clothing deserves a second chapter — and our planet deserves a break from fast fashion waste.

— Janna, UTBY Boutique

The Shocking Numbers

Fast fashion has transformed the clothing industry into an environmental problem on a global scale. Depending on who is counting, the fashion industry is responsible for somewhere between 2% and 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the Apparel Impact Institute put the industry’s 2023 total at 944 million tonnes of CO₂ — up 7.5% in a single year, and still climbing.

Water Consumption: A Thirst That Can't Be Quenched

2,700 liters of water are needed to produce a single cotton t-shirt — equivalent to one person's drinking water for 2.5 years. The fashion industry consumes an estimated 93 billion cubic meters of water a year, and many of the regions most stressed for water are the very places textiles are grown and made.

Textile Waste: A Landfill Nightmare

About 85% of discarded textiles are landfilled or burned. One garbage truck of clothes is burned or dumped every second. The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing a year. Synthetic fibers can take up to 200 years to decompose, releasing methane — a potent greenhouse gas — while toxic chemicals leach from discarded clothing into soil and groundwater.

Carbon Emissions: The Invisible Threat

Manufacturing one kilogram of fabric generates roughly 10–20 kg of CO₂, and synthetic fabrics like polyester are made from fossil fuels in the first place — so every polyester top starts its life as oil.

The Human Cost

It's not just about the environment — it's about people. The International Labour Organization estimates about 160 million children are in child labour worldwide, and the garment supply chain — cotton fields, spinning mills, sewing floors — is one of the places they end up. Adult garment workers in the biggest producing countries often earn only a few dollars a day, with minimal protections.

Used To Be Yours: Your Sustainable Fashion Partner

We're not just a store — we're a movement. Every piece we sell prevents clothing from reaching landfills, reduces demand for new production, and supports a circular fashion economy right here in Douglas, Wyoming. Our carefully curated secondhand collection is our commitment to sustainable fashion and our community.

Fast fashion isn't just a clothing issue — it's an environmental crisis. Every purchase is a choice. Every garment has a story. What story will you choose to support?

— Written by Used To Be Yours Boutique | Sustainable Fashion, Real Change

The Ultra-Fast Fashion Production Model

The math behind a $5 dress only works when every possible cost is cut to the bone:

• Design Theft: AI software scans social media for trending styles, creating copies in hours — no original design costs, no quality testing, no fit reviews
• Mass Production: Orders start at 50,000+ identical pieces to achieve rock-bottom unit costs
• Exploitative Labor: Workers have been reported earning as little as a few cents per garment, working 12–16 hour shifts with no bathroom breaks, no overtime pay, no benefits, and exposure to toxic chemicals
• Cheap Materials: Synthetic fabrics that cost as little as $0.50 per yard, single-layer construction, minimal quality control
• Zero Quality Testing: Skipping durability and safety tests saves $3–5 per garment
• Direct Shipping: Eliminating retail markup by shipping straight from factories saves $8–12 per piece

The Synthetic Fiber Crisis

When you wash clothes made from synthetic materials, the damage continues long after purchase:

• One load releases up to 700,000 microplastic fibers
• These fibers are smaller than 5mm — too tiny for water treatment to catch
• Each synthetic garment sheds approximately 1,900 fibers per wash
• Textiles contribute to 35% of ocean microplastics and 14 million tons on the ocean floor
• Microplastics are now found in 83% of global drinking water and have entered the human food chain

How Consignment Fights Back

At Used To Be Yours, we offer quality pieces that last, natural fiber options, fair price points, and transparent practices. Every piece you consign helps break the cycle of cheap, harmful clothing — and keeps quality fashion in circulation where it belongs.

Visit us Tuesday–Friday 11am–6pm or Saturday 12pm–4pm to consign your quality pieces. Let's give fashion the lifespan it deserves.

— Shop Smart, Shop Secondhand  |  Used To Be Yours Boutique

Meet Mai. She isn't one real person — she's a composite, built from worker interviews and investigations into ultra-fast fashion factories. But nothing in her day is invented for effect; every piece of it has been documented somewhere. Her story is not unique — it's the standard.

A Day in Mai's Life

6:00 AM: Mai's day begins. She lives in a cramped dormitory with 8 other workers, an hour from the factory. There's no running water before 7 AM.

7:30 AM: Arrives at factory. Already 30 workers lined up at the single bathroom. Being late means wage deductions, so she skips it.

7:45 AM: Daily quota announced: 400 dresses. That's one dress every 72 seconds for the next 12 hours.

8:00 AM – 8:00 PM: Temperature reaches 95°F with no air conditioning. One 15-minute break allowed. Must raise hand for bathroom permission. Paid $0.03 per dress. Mistakes result in wage deductions. No water breaks during quotas.

The Human Cost in Numbers

• Monthly salary: $85
• Living wage needed in her city: $350
• Hours worked monthly: 288
• Days off per month: 2–3
• Health issues developing: back pain, eye strain
• Healthcare provided: none

The Next Time You See a $5 Dress

Remember the rough math: fabric and production under a dollar, a few cents to the person who sewed it, and the rest split between the factory and the brand. The price tag at checkout never tells the whole story.

Choosing secondhand isn't just an environmental decision — it's a human one. Every quality piece you consign or purchase at Used To Be Yours is a vote against this system.

— Used To Be Yours Boutique | Sustainable Fashion, Real Change

Design to Factory: 24–48 Hours

A trend is spotted on Instagram. AI copies the design instantly and sends a digital file to an overseas factory. No design team, no quality planning, no durability testing. A sample is approved in hours.

Production: 3–5 Days

Raw materials are pulled from factory stock. 500–1,000 pieces are cut at once. Workers rush to meet quotas, sewing each piece in 8–10 minutes. Basic quality checks are skipped. Each piece is immediately bagged in plastic and packed for shipping.

The Shipping Nightmare

Here's where the carbon cost explodes:

• Standard sea shipping: 0.16 kg CO₂ per item
• Express air shipping: roughly 8 kg CO₂ per item — around 50x more emissions for "fast delivery"
• Shein and Temu together ship more than a million packages a day to the U.S. alone — enough, by one industry estimate, to fill around 88 cargo flights every day

Each package also arrives wrapped in individual plastic bags, cardboard boxes, plastic tape, shipping labels, and marketing inserts.

The Return Crisis

Online clothing return rates run around 20–30%, and most returns are never resold: they're destroyed because restocking costs more than the item's value, items arrive damaged, trends have already changed, and storage costs exceed the item's worth. Every return doubles the carbon footprint of that garment.

How Consignment Makes a Difference

At Used To Be Yours, clothes travel blocks — not continents. No overseas shipping, minimal packaging, no return destruction. Quality pieces find new local homes right here in Douglas, Wyoming, with a carbon footprint that's a tiny fraction of anything shipped from overseas.

— Shop Local, Think Global  |  Used To Be Yours Boutique

Day 1: Shanghai, China

9:00 AM — AI software spots a top trending on TikTok. By 10:00 AM the design is copied and sent to a factory. By 11:00 AM an order is placed for 50,000 pieces. The factory air is thick with polyester particles as workers begin their 12-hour shift.

Days 2–4: Production Rush

50,000 identical tops are cut at once. Each worker makes 300–400 pieces daily. Every top is individually bagged in plastic, packed in boxes of 200, with no time for quality checks.

Day 5: The Journey Begins

250 boxes are loaded onto trucks for a 3-hour drive to Shanghai Port. Each box contains 200 tops, 200 plastic bags, packaging materials, paper inserts, and additional plastic wrap.

Days 6–7: The Carbon Trail

By air (express): Shanghai → Los Angeles, 6,500 miles, 2,000 gallons of fuel, roughly 8 kg of CO₂ per garment, 14 hours.

By sea: Same route, 14–21 days, 0.16 kg of CO₂ per garment. The difference is staggering — and most fast fashion chooses speed.

Days 8–15: Distribution & Delivery

Tops are sorted, repackaged with more plastic, labeled, and shipped individually across the country — an average of another 1,500 miles, more fuel, more CO₂, more packaging waste.

The Return Journey

Somewhere between a fifth and a third will be returned. Another 6,500-mile journey. Most are never resold. Final destination: landfill. Total possible journey: 36,000 miles — for a top that may be worn once.

— Used To Be Yours Boutique | Sustainable Fashion, Real Change