Welcome to the Style Suite with Kéla Walker, your source for fashion and style trends for power plays in the workplace. Every Tuesday and Thursday, she’ll share tips and suggestions to help maximize your style on a budget. Whether you’re the style devil in Prada or the apprentice with limited apparel, you’ll find something in the Style Suite to suit your needs.
At the top of the month, I proclaimed a retail hiatus here in the Style Suite—one of which many of you have joined me in. I’m happy to report that it’s 21 days in and I’m still going strong. The restraint hasn’t been as hard as I thought, but I’m happy it’ll be over in 10 days. Some of you have tweeted me and shared your discoveries in shopping your closet—from old clothes with new tags to pieces you forgot you even owned. However for many of you, it’s been a chance to clear out those pieces you no longer want or wear.
I typically donate my duds to the local Good Will or other organization. Making the donation process even easier and more tempting, H&M has launched a Conscious initiative which pays you for those unwanted clothes. Yes, they pay you.
No matter the brand, the quality or condition, you can drop off old clothes at H&M locations for a 15% discount on purchase of a single item of your choice. (There are limitations of course: Only clothing can be dropped off and only two shopping bags per customer—15% off voucher for each—can be redeemed per day.)
It’s all part of H&M’s mission to help reduce the environmental impact by limiting the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Overall, it’s a pretty sweet deal considering you can donate absolutely any clothing item and get a discount on something new. And in addition to H&M, instead of dumping everything in one place, you can divide the old goods among those that will benefit most like Dress for Success and the Salvation Army. It’s enough to take the idea of shopping your closet to an all new level. Check the H&M Website for more details on their conscious initiative.
Oh, and don’t forget: No real shopping until April 1.
For more fashion and style tips, visit Kéla’s Kloset and follow Kela on twitter @KelaWalker.
Kéla Walker is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated producer and TV host, who has contributed lifestyle and entertainment content for outlets including NBC’s LXTV, Getty Images, YRB Magazine, Madame Noire, and RTL Germany. She also has a passion for fashion and offers the latest in fab fashion trends and consumer deals with KelasKloset.com. Her chic style and trendsetting blog has been lauded by sites including Essence.com and Huffington Post Black Voices.