Category Archives: ethical fashion

Upcycled with love from Sonia Jasmine

Sonia Jasmine is a Geneva based atelier that creates hand-made jackets. Each piece is unique. They entirely up/recycled with high-quality denim. They are then trimmed and customised with silk scarves from luxury brands. They are then finished with upcycled buttons in 925 silver, gold-plate or for that special touch, silver with diamonds. The core of […]

Second-hand September! Est-ce que ca marche?

What should second-hand be about? Until recently, second-hand was seen in many cultures as degrading. What? Wear someone else’s hand-me-downs? It was seen as admitting that you were poor. After the second-world war however, in Europe and countries that had fought in the war, few had a choice and in fact, most people were skilled […]

What is sustainability in fashion ? The perspective of a luxury consignment CEO

Photo: Giji Gya at the Luxury Innovation Summit, October 2022. Photo by Matthew Croisier. Sapere Aude Associates interviews DOWNTOWN UPTOWN’s CEO, Giji Gya. Giji, you have been directing Geneva’s largest luxury consignment and ethical fashion boutique for almost 9 years and you come from a background in CSR/ESG and human security including with Fairwear in […]

Une vie durable…

Spearheading the slow fashion movement in Geneva with our international team, we are now featured in MySwitzerland and Ge-Reutilise. “Dans la ville la plus internationale de Suisse, le design et l’innovation sont appréciés et donnent de l’espace aux produits durables qui ont du style.” Our clients from around the world appreciate our curated second-hand style, […]

Geneva’s Sustainable Clothing Scene

The Quest to Mend Geneva’s Sustainable Clothing Scene By Sarah Zeines Tuesday, December 7, 2021 This post is an on-site edited version of The Geneva Observer’s SUSTAINED – The SDGs Decoded bimonthly newsletter, December 6 2021 edition. Below is an extract from the article: “Giji Gya, co-founder with her partner Christophe Obradovic, of the Geneva […]

In the luxury consignment world, we wish to touch, try and hear the story

Photo: Christophe Obradovic and Giji Gya, from Downtown Uptown Genève. © Enrico Gastaldello By Frédéric Thomasset, TDG. (Read the original article in French here.) In their boutique dedicated to the resale of luxury fashion, on rue De-Monthoux in Pâquis, Giji Gya and Christophe Obradovic have decided to take their time – a little bit. Around […]

Farah ethical menswear now in store!

In 2014 we began…. and we have had ethical new designer brands next to our curated second-hand pieces ever since. 7 years on, we are pleased to bring back Farah menswear to our boutique for SS 2021. In their words: The Farah core basics are made with 100% organic cotton, independently certified by the Organic […]

Second-hand style in action!

It’s #spring and time to style your closet. From our Genève boutique, we did just that for the gorgeous Izabela at #fashionweek – see the video below! We have thousands of #designer items from #vintagestyle to latest season. Perfect for shopping or back to work. Second hand designer is the best way to update your […]

Challenges & solutions for sustainable fashion

Quels défis et quelles solutions pour une mode durable? Avec la Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève (MEG). Votre placard est plein mais vous n’avez rien à porter ? Ce défi typique auquel nous sommes confronté-e-s pour la plupart reflète une augmentation importante, près du double, de la consommation de vêtements au cours de ces vingt dernières […]

Fair Friday, sustainable fashion & correct prices

Sales, soldes, discount! Did you know that it is primarily a psychological phenomena? Marketers are EXPERT in making you think you are getting more for less. It is a scam. Each season there is a business is caught out raising prices before “lowering” them for a sale. There is even a component of some business […]

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