I dropped some clothes off at Brand Nu for the first time on a Sunday morning and was genuinely surprised.

Firstly, after a quick check that everything was clean and in decent condition the employees were super happy to take all of the donated clothes off my hands and have promised to email me with info regarding where the items end up – I have never heard of this system before, but I look forward to knowing that someone is enjoying my un-used items.

Secondly, I was expecting a range of used goods for sale - similar to what you would find in a western op-shop, but the vast majority of products on sale at Brand Nu were up-cycled, really cool redesigned jackets, bags, and trendy hoodies. There was other stuff there too (gifts, jewlery and things), and everything on sale seemed to come with some kind of back story regarding who had made it, and how they would benefit from its sale.

Some things are quite expensive for China, like the clothes, but they have obviously been designed and made with care and if you’re doing OK over here, then you might be like me and value quality and fair trade over brand names and mass production.

Keep up the good work.