#Iamareuser Ella de Guzman - mywaste My Waste

#Iamareuser Ella de Guzman

2 Oct 2020

Ella Siopa Blog I am a Reuser

My name is Ella de Guzman and I’m the founder of Siopaella.

When I first moved to Ireland from Canada in 2010, I noticed there were no consignment stores that specialised in the resale of items, everything from high street to high-end. This is how Siopaella was born. Siopaella represents “Ella’s Shop”, but the actual Irish translation of “Siopaeile” is “Another type of shop”. I felt this fitted in perfectly with the Irish retail landscape as we were a type of retail that was different from the rest. I think it is so important to keep items in circulation and to retain their value. Since we started in 2011, we have kept over 140,000 items in circulation and we have also donated 100s of kilos of clothing to charity.

One piece of advice I have for people who want to reuse, is to take care of your things when you first get them. When it comes to handbags for example, use make-up pouches inside so you avoid costly marks and spills. Clean and dust your bags often so they maintain their value. Items that are kept in great condition will be reused over and over again and passed down through several generations of owners, keeping them beautiful and more importantly, keeping them out of the landfill.