With fashion’s negative impact on the environment, shopping, especially for clothing, has gone from a common pastime to an environmental crisis. However, Circular Fashion Hawaii is working to help people reduce their carbon footprint and look good while doing it! We talked to founder and owner Layla Kilolu about sustainable fashion, how it creates community, and how you can get involved.
Kilolu at the Sunshine People Market.
Fashionable entry point
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste and pollution by circulating products and materials, circular fashion is a sustainable model where apparel, footwear, and accessories are designed, manufactured, used, and then recycled or repurposed to minimize waste and help lower the fashion industry’s environmental impact.
With a professional background in climate change, renewable energy, and circular economy research and policy, as well as a lifelong love of fashion, starting a business specializing in sustainable fashion was the perfect way for Kilolu to blend her skills and passion. Her career gave her insight into how interconnected systems like energy production and clothing manufacturing were. “While tackling the climate crisis can be daunting, I realized that fashion could be an accessible entry point for people to engage with sustainability. It’s tangible, creative, and cultural,” she says. “I wanted to make sustainability feel joyful and local, rooted in Hawaii’s own traditions of reuse, repair, and aloha aina.”
Cultivating community
The community plays a big part in Circular Fashion Hawaii’s success. “Everything we do is community-driven,” Kilolu says. “We partner with organizations to host clothing swaps, pop-ups, and educational events that promote reusing, sharing, and circular economy values. It brings people together across generations and cultures.”
A highlight for Kilolu was hosting a community clothing swap and sewing workshop with the student body association at Leeward Community College for Earth Day in April. “Students experienced a clothing swap firsthand and learned how to mend their own clothes with Stitch Studio,” she says. “We also recently hosted a Halloween costume swap at The Savon House, where folks brought their old costumes and swapped them out for new ones!”
Leeward Community College students participating in the Earth Day clothing swap.
Additional events include:
Secondhand markets, popup shops, and collaborations.
- Art and Flea: A popular urban market with monthly events that showcase independent artists, vintage goods, and more.
- Eastside Underground Hawaii: Secondhand fashion, records, and other vintage items.
- Harbors Vintage: Organizes community garage sales where participants can sell clothes, collectables, household goods, and more.
- Hawaii Opera Theatre’s ACT II: A volunteer-run resale shop that sells new and gently used apparel and accessories. All proceeds go to Hawaii Opera Theatre productions and educational programs.
- Katt’s Closet: Vintage clothing and goods from the ‘40s-‘80s.
- Sunshine People Market: A curated market by Here, a store specializing in elevated and mindful clothing for island living.
- Wiki Wiki One Day Vintage Show: Vintage goods and antiques such as toys, books, and furniture.
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You never know what you’ll find at a clothing swap! Photo courtesy Soulful Fotos
The Sustainable Stylist
Kilolu’s eye for fashion and knack for pairing or transforming pre-loved and vintage pieces has earned her the nickname the Sustainable Stylist. “I like to push people a little past their comfort zones when it comes to fashion,” she says. “Someone will find something in my collection that they like, but will hesitate and say, ‘But I have nowhere to wear it!’ I tell them to try it on anyway, and sure enough, they often feel fabulous! If we all wore something that made us feel fabulous, wouldn’t we wear it more? That feeling of helping someone feel fabulous is so rewarding.”
Kilolu is sustainable and stylish. Photo courtesy Pauline May Photography
Join the movement
Circular Fashion Hawaii believes in embracing what’s already here and keeping it in circulation. “We’re about shifting from fast to forever. Sustainability isn’t about perfection; it’s about participation,” Kilolu says. “I want people to know that sustainable fashion isn’t just a trend — it’s a way to honor our resources, our cultural values, and our communities. We’re building a movement that centers on care, creativity, and community over consumption.”
To get involved in the movement, Kilolu suggests donating quality clothing, volunteering at events, and following Circular Fashion Hawaii on social media to stay updated on upcoming events. “Every time someone chooses to swap, upcycle, or buy vintage instead of new, that’s a small act of climate action. And collective action adds up!” she says.
“My community partners include EPIC Ohana, Residential Youth Services & Empowerment (RYSE), and Palama Settlement, but there are so many organizations that could use your donations. Sustainable fashion in Hawaii is about more than just clothing. It’s about culture, community, and caring for place. When you're ready to rotate to something new, consider buying used and, in turn, donating your pre-loved clothing to organizations that serve young people in need.”
Kilolu with bags of donations ready for new homes!
Feeling thrifty?
Check out our other posts featuring sustainable shopping and the buy-nothing movement:
buy nothing day in hawaii
Shopping on Black Friday is practically a national pastime. But what if instead of spending money, we spend our time and energy on meaningful experiences? That’s what Buy Nothing Day, the day after Thanksgiving, is all about. Hear from members of the Buy Nothing Oahu 2.0 Facebook group about alternative ways to spend Black Friday and why it’s a good idea to observe Buy Nothing Day instead.
hawaii’s buy nothing community
Buy Nothing Oahu 2.0 is so much more than a Facebook group. For some, it’s a way to gift extra items. For others, it’s a fun place to interact with a variety of interesting people. But for these three members, the group came through when items were needed and fostered a sense of community.
one year of #nonewclothes
Even though shopping is Kahea Sugimoto’s favorite hobby, she decided to take the #nonewclothes challenge. She wanted to see if she could survive an entire year without buying any clothes, new or secondhand. See what Sugimoto learned from the challenge, how it improved her financial well-being, and how you can take the challenge, too!
thrifting: a community treasure
Thrifting is good for the environment and your wallet. Fewer things are thrown away while you save money buying secondhand goods. We talked to the folks at Odds & Ends: A Kuakini Thrift Shop to see what it’s like to run a small thrift shop, who benefits from their proceeds, and how you can shop and donate, too.
thrifting in hawaii
Who doesn’t love a good bargain? And there are plenty of bargains to be found at Hawaii thrift stores. You just have to get out there and find them. Meet two thrifters who revel in the hunt. Their bargain shopping tips can help you save money while giving back to the community.
Photos courtesy Circular Fashion Hawaii
