Community is a boutique located in Athens that uses existing materials to redesign clothing and support sustainable fashion. It also addresses local textile waste produced by the fast-fashion industry and is trying to promote their business model to younger generations.
The growing business of the fast-fashion industry, which is a business model in which clothing merchandise is produced quicker and at a larger scale. According to the United Nations Economic for Commission for Europe (UNECE), which is a United Nations commission that promotes pan-European economic integration, the fast-fashion industry accounts for 20% of global wastewater. In addition to this, 85% of textiles end up in dumpsters or are incinerated, generating greenhouse gases that pollute the environment.
“So in Athens, our landfill is actually going to run out of space in about 35 years,” said Dana Theoc, who is a circularity and zero waste intern at UGA. “They currently haven’t found somewhere to put a new landfill, so maybe we’ll have to truck all of our waste to another state.”
Community was founded in 2010 by Sanni Baumgärtner with the mission of promoting sustainable clothing by trying to extend the lifespan of quality garments to keep them as far as possible from local landfills. In addition to clothing, the store offers a diverse selection of products, including jewelry and home décor, all crafted by Georgia artisans.
Sales associate Bobbi Jo Clarke shares how Baumgärtner sought to meet the different needs of the community by bringing together handmade clothing, locally crafted goods, an alteration department, and a selection of second-hand and vintage clothing — all in one place.
“There was a growing handmade clothing scene in Athens, and Sanni was a musician at the time and saw how a lot of people were struggling in their craft […] so Community was born out of that,” Clarke said.
They have managed to stay competitive in Athens’ vintage clothing market for the past 15 years.
Amy Manley is a doctoral student from the department of textile merchandising and exteriors says how Community’s customers find the store’s business model attractive, which helps for them to stay relevant in town.
Manley explained that the store offers three distinct models.
“They sell vintage clothing, and those are curated pieces that have some sort of alert to them and there’s a specific group of people who are going to seek out those items,” she said. In addition, they design original pieces using sustainable materials, which often come at a higher price.
“They also have a third model in which they repurpose clothing,” Manley added, updating vintage items to align with today’s fashion trends.
Despite Community’s unique approach to the in-town slow-fashion industry — a movement advocating for environmental and social justice in fashion — one of the most common ways this model is reflected is through repurposing clothing and selling vintage pieces. Slow fashion has also become increasingly visible through thrift shops, which have gained popularity in recent years among younger generations due to their affordability.
Sophia Martin is a mechanical engineer student at UGA who also enjoys a good thrifting store, not only for its unique findings but also the affordable prices.
“Why I enjoy thrifting is because it’s friendlier on my wallet, but is also nice knowing I’m giving a piece of clothing a second chance,” Martin said.
Despite the popular idea behind second-hand clothing stores — promoting the reuse of clothes — not everything is as picture-perfect as the industry portrays. While the intention may be good, there are still significant milestones to achieve before this option can be considered fully sustainable.
“Second-hand clothing doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not fast fashion, but it can also include fast fashion,” Manley said.
She shared how sometimes people buy clothes to wear something once at specific events and then decide to not wear them again, which means that the item could possibly also come from fast fashion.
Even with the creation of second-hand clothing stores, not all of the garments get to have a second chance to be worn. Clarke shared with us how most of these clothes still end up either in landfills, incinerated, or even in countries with developing nations.
“The last statistic I saw was that only around 20% of clothes found at thrift stores get purchased, so the 80% that doesn’t, where does that go?” Clarke explained.
Community recognizes Athens as a vibrant college town, which is why they aim to promote their business ideas to younger generations through engagement with UGA students.
“She[Sanni Baumgärtner] has taught classes at UGA and speaks frequently at UGA,” Clarke said. “She has done round tables at UGA and has spoken with environmental clubs.”
Community’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond fashion — it’s about education, awareness and changing the way people think about clothing consumption. By engaging with UGA students and promoting sustainable practices, they hope to inspire a new generation into practicing better shopping habits and contribute to a more sustainable future.
While the road to truly sustainable fashion is still evolving, Community stands as a testament to how creativity and conscious consumerism can make a difference — one garment at a time.
Luisa Velez is a journalism major at the University of Georgia.
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