About

Display Copy is a limited edition print publication and resale marketplace devoted to expertly curated vintage, thrift, and upcycled fashion.

Our mission is to disrupt how fashion is perceived and consumed on a global scale. We inspire individual and cultural shifts by presenting alternative solutions to the system of overproduction and waste within the fashion industry. Created by a growing team of contributors and featuring top-level talent from artists, designers, and curators, Display Copy is the primary resource for sustainable fashion and style.

Q + A WITH FOUNDER BRYNN HEMINWAY_

Why did you start Display Copy?

I have always loved fashion, and I always will, but after working in the fashion industry for almost 20 years the disparity between my values and my work grew to a point that was unsustainable for me.

The fashion industry produces over 150 billion garments each year. Approximately 80% of these garments sell and the remaining 20% are burned or sent to the landfill. Of the 80% that sell, the average consumer wears each garment an average of 7 times before discarding. As a result, more than 82 billion kilos of clothing are burned or sent to the landfill every year.

I founded Display Copy to disrupt how fashion is perceived and consumed and to provide a resource for people who value personal style as much as they do the planet.

What does sustainability mean?

To ‘sustain’ means to ‘maintain’ or ‘uphold’ a certain level of being. We need to do way more than that if our planet and species is to survive. We’re already past the point of being able to sustain the equilibrium on our planet. The balance has tipped and we now need to reverse course, to repair, rather than just sustain.

Nothing new is sustainable and should not be called “sustainable”. There is enough material in circulation — and we have the technology to recycle this material — to support a truly sustainable, zero waste, circular fashion economy.

What is Circular Fashion?

Let's start by explaining the linear fashion model, which characterizes the fashion industry in its current state. We extract natural resources, convert them into fibers, then textiles, then garments. Someone may or may not buy those garments, because we produce clothing in numbers vastly greater than demand or population growth. According to a 2016 Mckinsey article, “The number of garments produced annually has doubled since 2000 and exceeded 100 billion for the first time in 2014: nearly 14 items of clothing for every person on earth.” If no one buys the garment, it ends up burned and/or in a landfill. If someone buys and wears the garment, it most often ends up in a landfill, even if donated.

NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION → GARMENT → LANDFILL = LINEAR FASHION

Circular fashion does not end in a landfill; waste is seen as a design flaw. Circular fashion requires designing apparel intended for a complementary regenerative system that keeps garments in use via repair, resale, or recycling, or that allows them to return to earth as compost. There is no “end”. Circular fashion is part of a larger system you may have heard of called the "circular economy".

How do you define “new”?

It’s abstract when you think about it… Is something that was produced today still new tomorrow? Will Display Copy feature something next year from this season’s runway collections? We probably will... We can’t keep new items from being produced but we can keep them in circulation and in use longer by making the idea of re-use more appealing.

Ultimately, the concept of “new” applies to anything you invite into your life, regardless of its age. And the responsibility that comes with bringing a new thing into your life is to treasure and use that thing for many years to come.

Why are vintage edits important?

As the fashion industry grows, so does its carbon impact, regardless of the number of sustainable initiatives we introduce. In order to prevent irreversible damage that will make much of the earth uninhabitable, the fashion ecosystem must value and use what already exists and mitigate its carbon emissions.

Display Copy’s aim is to inspire people to think about style differently. When people change their buying habits, prioritize pre-owned items in their wardrobes, and value what already exists, we can individually and collectively reduce our impact on the planet by activating a circular economy.

Display Copy takes into consideration what’s happening in fashion at the moment and curates vintage and upcycled product assortments that are relevant and timely. We do the heavy lifting so you can support the circular fashion economy seamlessly.

What is the most challenging part of curating vintage items?

There’s an embarrassment of riches in terms of both the number of pre-owned items on the market and the number of platforms that make these items available. It takes time and an eye to scour all of these resources. This is ultimately our mission and the thing that makes Display Copy special. Most of us are interested in shopping more responsibly but very few of us have the time to plan out our style and consider what we’re trying to accomplish with the pieces we bring into our lives and then to source those pieces. It is our pleasure to do this for our community.

Can you wear vintage and still be on trend?

Yes! Over 90% of human communication is non-verbal. How we dress and adorn ourselves as humans is part of that 90%. Trends (at their best) are a form of collective consciousness and a way of mirroring and connecting with each other. One of the aims of Display Copy is to show people how they can participate in the latest trend without participating in fast fashion. Another is to encourage people to develop a lasting relationship with the items they invite into their lives. It’s about finding that authentic balance between exploring new ideas and being true to yourself and your values.

Does Display Copy focus on a specific era or time frame for items you feature?

We don’t focus on a specific timeframe or era. As long as an item already exists in the world it’s fair game for us to explore. We take pride in covering the breadth and depth of fashion history, rather than on the finite number of items produced in a single runway season at any given time.

How do you personally try to be more conscious in terms of your fashion choices?

Research suggests that if the average number of times a garment is worn were doubled, greenhouse gas emissions from the textiles industry would be 44% lower.

I’m not immune to the desire for newness but I really try to be conscious of the items I invite into my life and wear them longer. We are so accustomed — in this fast fashion era — to think, “buy what might work and no big deal if it doesn’t,” that we have to relearn how to shop. I find that this impulse is just as strong when I’m buying vintage or pre-owned items because the garments are one-of-a-kind and I don’t want to miss out. I’m as guilty as the next person for buying things I never end up wearing and buying vintage or pre-owned doesn’t make this habit ok.

One way I try to be more conscious of what I buy is to take advantage of the “wishlist” feature on resale platforms. I add any and all items that speak to me to my wishlist and then step away. The things I still love after a bit of time and distance are the things I seriously consider inviting into my life.

Another way I try to be more conscious of my footprint is to be really intentional about where garments and materials go when I’m ready to release them from my life. I remember reading Marie Kondo and being both appalled and relieved when she advises her audience to take all the items they no longer want, thank those items for their service, and then throw them in garbage bags. Her justification was that otherwise you’ll never get through the process of clearing out. I was relieved because I’ve definitely done this and appalled because it’s not ok and there is another way! Companies like Retold make it incredibly easy. For a small fee Retold sends you a biodegradable, bag marked with pre-paid postage. You fill the bag with any unwanted items. After Retold receives your package in the mail, their team of experts meticulously sorts through each item and decides whether it will be donated to a thrift store, charity, upcycling designer, or, if unsalvageable, their recycling partner. Unsalvageable items will be broken down to create a pulp-like fibrous consistency called “shoddy” that will be used as an eco-friendly alternative for pillows, punching bags, car seats, insulation, and more. This process ensures a zero-landfill outcome and guarantees that all of your unwanted textiles are either reclaimed or repurposed.

Do you think fashion can be a force for good?

We don’t exist in a vacuum in the fashion industry. What we create in this space reverberates beyond our industry, because we’re all connected. Fashion exists at the intersection of culture, society, environment and economy. It’s a powerful art form and communication tool, and we would be remiss not to say that we believe the industry can do better to use its position within society for greater good. Specifically, we want to see the industry take significant action towards collective net-zero emissions. Waste elimination should be considered from the beginning and not just at the end of the production line, ideals that young designers everywhere are proving can be both creative and scalable. There needs to be legislation, accountability and restitution for garment workers to be protected from modern day slavery practices. We need to invest in a new generation of talent where we prioritize communities that have faced systemic racism from the industry. We need to incentivize independent thinkers, brands and magazines as the catalysts for change that they are. We need to transition our global economy from one of exponential growth to abundance and wellbeing for all.

How does Display Copy help fight climate change?

Reducing the effects of climate change cannot happen without the fashion industry completely changing the way we currently know it. Display Copy’s role is to inspire people to think about style differently. When people change their buying habits and incorporate more pre-owned items into their wardrobe at any scale we are putting into motion a more circular economy and making way for a healthier planet.

What about your take on body positivity and inclusivity?

I’ve spent 20 years being told by middle-aged white men in corporate boardrooms to make my work “more white,” “less urban,” “less fat” (verbatim) .... And all this in order to convince people to buy things they don’t need so that said middle-aged white man can get a fat bonus at the end of the year. These experiences left me completely broken, disillusioned and resentful of the industry. Display Copy is a platform where I get to celebrate everyone as they deserve to be celebrated. Every human is beautiful and worthy.

How do you reconcile the fact that your magazine is printed?

Unfortunately, distributing information widely is never sustainable. Even the enormous servers that keep the internet running and fuel our media outlets are causing harm to our planet. We chose to publish in print because part of our mission is to shift the conversation from the inside out, top down. By collaborating with top talent in the fashion industry we are elevating vintage to its rightful place in the bigger fashion conversation and for many artists print is still king. The magazine is printed in limited quantity, on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper with vegetable-based inks. The packaging is compostable and the magazine is secured with a band rather than glue. We have designed it in a way that we hope people will cherish and look to as inspiration for years to come, rather than to consume and discard it.

What is your take on cultural appreciation vs. cultural appropriation debate as it relates to fashion?

That’s a very important and difficult question. Humans communicate through the way we adorn ourselves and I believe it’s natural that how we adorn ourselves resonates with other human beings. I think the breakdown happens when people have a fundamental lack of curiosity and respect for other cultures; when we are only consuming the other culture, rather than truly appreciating it or learning about it and from it. The Fashion And Race Database, founded by scholar Kimberly Jenkins is an amazing resource for understanding the various ways that cultures have been appropriated into fashion and I think that resource is a great starting point for gaining true appreciation.

What does the future of fashion look like?

The future of fashion is pre-owned, recycled and upcycled. My hope is that vintage and upcycled garments become the new luxury, thrift becomes the new streetwear and garments made from recycled fibers become the new fast fashion. Research suggests that the purchase of 100 second-hand garments can displace the production of 85 new garments. Currently less than 1% of textile waste is recycled into new fibers for clothing. Recycling technologies exist and are ready to be scaled commercially and have the potential to drive 80% circularity in the fashion industry if fully scaled.. The options to update a wardrobe and look great buying only vintage are endless, and there is more than enough existing raw material in the world to be upcycled, recycled and reimagined ad infinitum.