apparelxchange

What apparelxchange does

ApparelXchange CIC is a Glasgow-based Community Interest Company (social enterprise) founded in 2018 by Izzie Eriksen that sells quality-checked, cleaned preloved children's and teens' clothing — including a specialist second-hand school uniform category — through a Shopify-powered e-commerce store shipping UK-wide and a physical Warehouse Wardrobe in Glasgow city centre, supplemented by a click-and-collect partnership with Seamster Vintage in Glasgow's Southside. The company serves two principal segments: UK families seeking affordable, sustainable children's clothing, and Glasgow families experiencing clothing poverty, the latter served via free clothing packages funded by grants and retail revenue. Secondary engagement runs through Glasgow school partnerships for uniform reuse and pop-up sales.

The product surface spans school uniform, casualwear, sportswear, swimwear, loungewear, and a football/team merchandise collection, with inventory sourced primarily from public donations and processed through manual quality control. Technology is commodity: a Shopify storefront with Shop Pay, Stripe, and PayPal payment processing, Royal Mail tracked delivery, and Vinted as a parallel marketplace channel. There is no proprietary technology, no mobile app, and no AI/ML systems in evidence.

Pricing is unit-based (range £1 clearance to £10+ branded pieces), with tiered postage from £3.75 to £7.95 and free delivery over £50. Revenue from retail sales funds core operations including wages, rent, and utilities and is reinvested into the social mission rather than distributed to shareholders, as required by the CIC asset lock. The company operates with a small core team (~5 staff) plus board directors and a volunteer programme, and has not raised external equity capital beyond early-stage grants from First Port and the Climate KIC Business Accelerator.

Name

apparelxchange

Legal name

ApparelXchange C.I.C

Website

https://apparelxchange.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ApparelXchange CIC is a Glasgow-based social enterprise selling quality-checked preloved children's clothing and school uniforms online and via a city-centre Warehouse Wardrobe, serving UK families and providing free clothing packages to Glasgow families in need.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Second-hand Children's Apparel Retail

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110)

SIC

Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651)

akta.pro primary industry

Kids Apparel (5–12) (CRAAAHAC)

Keywords

• Second-hand kids clothing
• Preloved school uniform
• Children's resale apparel
• Sustainable kids fashion
• Social enterprise clothing

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail sales of second-hand kids clothing: Sale of quality-checked, cleaned pre-loved kids clothing and school uniform through online store and physical shop. Items sourced from donations. Revenue covers operational costs including wages, rent, and utilities.
2. Clothing package service: Free clothing packages for Glasgow families in need, subsidised by public and private funding and revenue from retail sales. Available to families, organisations, charities, and schools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ApparelXchange CIC sells quality-checked, cleaned pre-loved children's and teenagers' clothing, school uniforms, casualwear, sportswear, swimwear, loungewear, and football merchandise through a Shopify-powered online store and a physical Warehouse Wardrobe in Glasgow city centre. The company operates a social enterprise model, reinvesting retail revenue and grant funding to provide free clothing packages to Glasgow families experiencing financial hardship.

Product overview

ApparelXchange CIC operates as a social enterprise e-commerce platform and physical retail business selling pre-loved children's clothing and school uniforms. The core offering consists of second-hand kids fashion products organized across multiple categories: Second-Hand School Uniform (their flagship category featuring jumpers, shirts, trousers, skirts, pinafores, jackets, and blazers), Second-Hand Casual Wear, Second-Hand Kids Sportswear, Second-Hand Kids Swimwear, Second-Hand Kids Loungewear, and a Football Store. Products are sold through their Shopify-powered online store (apparelxchange.co.uk) and physical Warehouse Wardrobe in Glasgow City Centre. The company also operates a social mission arm providing Free Clothing Packages for families in need in Glasgow, funded by public/private grants and sales revenue. Gift cards are available for both online and in-store purchases. The business model combines retail operations with community impact, reinvesting profits into their social mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Second-Hand Kids Fashion Pre-loved children's and teens' clothing sold online and in-store, ranging from ages 4 years to adult sizes. Items are quality-checked, cleaned, and prepared for resale.
• Second-Hand School Uniform Specialized category of pre-worn school uniforms including jumpers, shirts, trousers, skirts, pinafores, jackets, fleeces, blazers, and PE kits for various Glasgow schools.
• Second-Hand Casual Wear Pre-loved everyday kids clothing including tops, bottoms, outerwear, and general fashion items for children and teens.
• Second-Hand Kids Sportswear Pre-loved activewear for kids and teens including sports tops, leggings, shorts, joggers, and team merchandise such as Castore Rangers FC items.
• Second-Hand Kids Swimwear Pre-loved swimwear for children and teens for beach and pool use.
• Second-Hand Kids Loungewear Pre-loved loungewear including pyjamas, dressing gowns, onesies, and comfortable home clothing for children.
• Football Store Specialized collection featuring football-themed clothing and team merchandise for kids, including club jackets and sports apparel.
• Free Clothing Packages Service Social mission initiative providing free clothing packages for Glasgow families in need, including school uniform packages and casualwear packages, subsidized by public and private funding and revenue from retail sales. Available to families, organisations, charities, and schools.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available for purchase, with separate cards for online store and physical shop use.
• Warehouse Wardrobe (Physical Shop) Main warehouse location in Glasgow City Centre (51 Cadogan Street) where customers can shop in person, with appointments available throughout the week. Offers try-before-you-buy for school uniform.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Merry-Go-Round GlasgowminorOthersReferral partner for donations. ApparelXchange recommends Merry-Go-Round directly for baby clothes and toys donations, redirecting donors to appropriate organisations based on item type.
• Seamster VintagecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClick and collect partnership in Glasgow's Southside. Customers can collect online orders from Seamster Vintage location at 674 Pollokshaws Road. Orders prepared and delivered for collection on Wednesdays.
• Partner charities and social enterprisesminorOthersNetwork of partner organisations that receive usable items ApparelXchange cannot use. Items deemed as waste are passed to textile recycling. Unusable items go to other charities and social enterprises.
• Royal MailcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivery partner for all UK-wide shipping. Orders shipped via Royal Mail 48h tracked service. Postage costs include Royal Mail fees plus packaging and processing.
• Stripe and PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment processing providers. Stripe and PayPal handle all credit/debit card payment transactions. ApparelXchange does not directly process or store card data.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vinted: Vinted is a UK-active peer-to-peer resale marketplace with a strong women's and kids' clothing category. It competes directly for the same secondhand-apparel demand and audience as ApparelXchange, though via a marketplace model rather than curated retail.
• Depop: Depop is a peer-to-peer fashion resale marketplace with significant kids' and teens' category traffic. It targets a comparable audience seeking affordable, preloved apparel, competing for the same consumer wallet as ApparelXchange.
• Oxfam Online Shop: Oxfam's online shop sells curated second-hand clothing including kids' items and operates under a charity/social-enterprise ethos. It mirrors ApparelXchange's donation-sourced, mission-driven model and competes for similar price-sensitive, sustainability-minded UK shoppers.
• British Heart Foundation Shops: BHF runs a UK-wide network of charity shops selling donated second-hand clothing, including significant kids' categories. It competes for both donated inventory supply and price-conscious family shoppers in the same second-hand kids' apparel segment.
• Barnardo's: Barnardo's operates UK charity shops that sell second-hand children's clothing and supports vulnerable children, aligning both the donation-supply model and the social-impact mission with ApparelXchange's positioning.

Broad incumbents

• eBay UK: eBay is the largest general online resale marketplace in the UK and absorbs demand for used kids' clothing and school uniform. While broader and non-specialist, it is a default alternative for the same customer need.
• ThredUp: ThredUp is a large US-headquartered online resale operator for women's and kids' apparel. Although US-focused, it represents the scaled resale model that defines the competitive trajectory ApparelXchange operates against.

Emerging players

• Vestiaire Collective: Vestiaire Collective is a global peer-to-peer luxury and premium resale platform that is expanding into kids' and lifestyle categories. It is a partial competitor in the secondhand-apparel space and a leading indicator of where the resale category is evolving.

Regional players

• School Uniform Direct: School Uniform Direct is a UK specialist retailer of new school uniform and accessories, serving UK schools and families. It competes with ApparelXchange's school-uniform category on convenience and breadth, though it sells new rather than preloved items.

Others

• The Children's Society: The Children's Society runs charity retail and fundraising programmes supporting vulnerable children in the UK, with donation-supply and social-mission elements comparable to ApparelXchange's CIC structure. It does not directly compete in kids' apparel retail but is adjacent in the donation-recycling ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebooken-gb.facebook.com/apparelxchangeCIC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apparelxchange
• Instagraminstagram.com/apparelxchange/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@apparelxchange?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about apparelxchange