Up Close with Jad Robitaille, Founder of Mini-Cycle

Early in this journey, I was fortunate to connect with Jad Robitaille, founder and CEO of the online shop Mini-Cycle, based in Montreal. Jad got her Master’s in Environmental Studies and even taught Strategies in Sustainability at McGill University. She was an early sounding board and supporter of what we were doing at Meer and not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. After originally focusing on green energy and building, Jad found herself at an impasse once her children were born; trying to make sense of how the circular economy related (or didn’t rather) to kids clothing. Mini-Cycle was created with this model at it’s core.

Not only do they offer new (pre-cycle) clothes and accessories, they also have a preloved section (re-cycle) where you can shop almost new to gently used. Mini-Cycle doesn’t focus on just ethical brands, but also durable brands. Jad is a big believer that for a brand to be truly sustainable, it has to last and wear well. Her company literally follows that motto, standing behind their brands and buying back anything they’ve sold within two years. Yes, ANYTHING they’ve sold, including preloved.

Their goal is for the same piece of clothing to come back to the shop 4-5 times to cancel out its ecological footprint. By creating a closed loop system, they’re offering people more value for quality clothing they buy and hopefully an appreciation for repurposing durable goods.

We love this shop not only for what it stands for, but it also has an impressive roster of brands, including Sem Label, Petits Vilains, Konges Slojd, Illoura, Fin & Vince, Go Gently Nation, KidWild, Les Petites Natures and Summer & Storm. They also offer free shipping to both US & Canada for purchases over $50. Meer Guide recently had a chance to interview Jad about her company, life, sustainability and her favorite brands.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT MINI-CYCLE?

Mini-Cycle is a for profit social enterprise. It’s a company that sells new and preloved durable kids clothes and guarantees to buy back everything once kids have outgrown their clothes. On top of selling and re-selling clothes, our goal is to value people and the environment while maintaining a viable business model. We want to use Mini-Cycle as a force for change - educate people on the impact of fast fashion on our precious planet and use Mini-Cycle as a business case for more circular types of business models.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST THING YOU’VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY THAT’S INFLUENCED YOUR BUSINESS?

There is no such thing as a green business. There are greener businesses, but that is the extent of it. When thinking about sustainability, we need to consider to which extent we can be net green in every facet of our operations. As a start-up, this is extremely hard as many solutions are expensive and not necessarily available to smaller scale businesses. Hence, my decisions involve a lot of trade-offs, which sometimes I wish I didn’t have to do.

For instance, in order to be as zero waste as possible, we ship all our orders in compostable bags, with compostable shipping labels. Not only these are much more costly, but they cannot be branded, which is not ideal for brand visibility. This is just an example, but trade-offs as such are a daily part of decision making at Mini-Cycle.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE BRANDS FOR THE SHOP?

We do research, find the brands that have timeless styles and then do more research on the fabrics that they use and the process they use to produce the clothes. Through our research, we have learned that no company is perfect and answer fully to our criteria. We have to do trade offs, but our number one priority is durability.

When clothes come back to us in our second hand section, and they are in good condition, we know a brand is a good candidate. There is no point in producing organic clothes or ethical clothes if those clothes do not last through time. Our ultimate goal is to first decrease the amount of new clothes produced.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PROCESS OF BUYING BACK AND WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE YOU RESELL?

Customers that want to sell back their clothes send us an email. We then ship then a prepaid shipping label. Once we receive the clothes we send a confirmation email and then 1-2 weeks later send a receipt with a list of the pieces, their original retail value, the condition, the resale value and the amount going to the seller. We then send a store credit or PayPal transfer to the seller depending on what they wish to receive. (Store credit gives 10% more in value)

OKAY, SO YOU BUY BACK EVERYTHING YOU SELL, DO YOU EVER GET ITEMS BACK THAT YOU CAN’T RESELL? WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM?

Yes, we guarantee to buy back everything. Sometimes we get items that we can’t resell. We want to value every single piece because we know a lot of resources went into making them. We also know that the fabric is good even if there is a stain or hole in it. That goes without saying that the more time and effort we need to put into making clothes look great again, the less we can give back to our sellers. We will wash, de-stain, upcycle the clothes depending on what is required.

IF SOMEONE IS NEW TO SUSTAINABILITY, WHAT CHANGE(S) CAN THEY BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

I think there is a lot of environmental folklore out there (something that is perceived green, but that is actually more detrimental to the environment). Hence, no one change could really be applicable at large. I would say that acting more sustainably is very close to being more analytical of our daily decisions. When we put something in the garbage, it is not going away, it is simply going somewhere else.

So, my suggestion is always to be analytical and reflect about the whole life cycle of a service or a product or a practice and then make the best decision with the information available to us. This may mean for one person to stop over consuming fast fashion and for someone else this may mean to have only one family car instead of two.

AS A WORKING MOM/FOUNDER, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU’VE COME UP AGAINST?

Keeping a work-life balance that does not make me feel guilty. As a business owner of a start-up, I want to work all the time to push Mini-Cycle to achieve its goals - which means being on my phone more than I want or working late or during weekends. As a mom, I want to be in the present moment with my daughters to not miss important moments and to soak up on their “I love you mom” and “you’re the best mom”. Time goes by too quickly!

How would you describe your personal style?

Classic, minimalist and vintage (sometimes)

What are your favorite clothing/accessory brands to shop for yourself?

I mainly shop at consignment stores (or dont shop at all), one of my favourite here in Montreal is Deuxieme Édition.

For basics I have been trying Pact, but I still need to try other brands such as Organic Basics.

I just recently purchased All Birds shoes (love them!)

What are your 3 wardrobe essentials you couldn’t live without?

Jeans, knitwear, plain tee.

The one purchase you’ve never regretted.

Many many preloved pieces and my Faire Child Raincoat.

What are your favorite brands to shop for your kids?

Petits Vilains, Fini the Label, Petit Bateau.

What are the 3 items in your kids wardrobes you couldn’t live without?

To make them happy: Spinning dresses
For practical reasons: Faire Child Outerwear
For protection: Winter or summer hats