The La Boussole thrift store is now open to the public

Initially exclusively accessible to members of the French-speaking organization La Boussole, the Ensemble thrift store is now open to all.

This eco-solidarity initiative aims to offer a sustainable alternative to textile consumption and to generate funds for the organization.

The money raised will help finance social actions, explains Nathalie Astruc, director of operations at La Boussole. It can be our food bank, but above all our psychological monitoring program, and then we have a whole range of actions at La Boussole which can be financed in this way.she said.

We must promote sustainable fashion and raise public awareness of the environmental impact of the textile industry, believes the program manager, Camille Escande.

[On] develops upcycling, making it possible to give a second life to these clothes. You should still know that clothing is one of the most polluting industries in the world.

Suprecycling

More and more businesses in Vancouver are adopting upcycling, a key concept in the circular economy. The principle is to improve second-hand products by making them of better quality, rather than throwing them away or recycling them, using traditional methods.

Upcycling thus offers a sustainable way to extend the life of clothes by transforming them.

I do the same for decoration, for clothes, it’s really appropriating things that have already been used and loved and re-appropriating them to make them our own.

La Boussole also offers sewing workshops to learn how to repair and personalize your clothes.

Open in full screen mode

The Ensemble thrift store is funded in part by PacifiCan, an organization managed by the British Columbia Economic Development Corporation.

Since November 2024, Ensemble has been open every Thursday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the premises of La Boussole.

La Boussole members always have the opportunity to obtain free clothing through the emergency thrift store.