Another man’s treasure: Used clothes making Eid all the brighter

Underprivileged families able to buy garments at one-third the price of new ones

PESHAWAR: Handing over a pack of clothes to his five-year-old son, Akbar Khan tells a small white lie. “Look; these are new clothes and are already pressed,” the 35-year-old resident of Peshawar says to his son.

The tiny falsehood could well make the boy’s Eid all the merrier as he will probably be teeming with excitement as he puts on his latest outfit for the occasion. Akbar has bought a pack with three suits for children aged between 5 and 8. The cost; an affordable Rs150.

Like hundreds of others from underprivileged families, Akbar is doing his Eid shopping at Peshawar’s Firdous Railway Phatak. The stalls may be selling used clothes, but garments discarded by some are a treasure for others in this case.

Akbar, who works as a labourer in Peshawar, tells The Express Tribune he has bought used clothes for himself, his wife and four children from the same stall.

“I buy them every year, ahead of Eid, for my family,” Akbar says as he wipes a bead of sweat from his brow. The father says he has been a repeat customer at such markets for many years.

“What’s wrong with buying used clothes?” he asks. “They look new, neat and clean.” He highlights two main reasons why families like to visit such stalls.

Pointing towards the outfits, he says these used clothes are one-third the price of brand new ones. He adds a single suit for an adult is between Rs250 and 300, while children’s clothes can be bought for between Rs150 and 200. He says cloth is also expensive and costs up to Rs1,00o with tailoring expenses adding another Rs800. “How can a poor man bear such heavy costs, especially with a large family?”

The used clothes business seeks a surge ahead of Eid in the provincial capital. Vendors say sales hit a peak in the last week of Ramazan and they sell out entire stocks. There are at least 40 vendors of used clothes in a single spot of Firdous Railway Phatak.

They mainly sell shalwar qameez and not western attire like pants, jeans and shirts. Akbar says those clothes are available at other used-clothes bazaars. Also, people prefer to dress more traditionally for Eid.

Talking about used clothes that make it to the market, Samad Jan, a vendor, tells The Express Tribune he has been affiliated with the business for the last 10 years. He adds various people roam the streets and collect used clothes from households in exchange for goods. He says six new drinking glasses and a jug may be offered for clothes if they are in good condition. On the other hand, those that are torn can be obtained for just three or four glasses.”

He explains these clothes are later purchased from these collectors by businessmen involved in used clothes’ business. Hundreds of people earn their livelihood through the sale of these garments. The clothes go for alteration if need be or stitching in case of a tear.

After this process, the vendor says these clothes are sent for a press which costs Rs30 per suit. Another vendor, Muhammad Sher, who has a stall next to Jan’s, says, the business is a kind of humble service for poor people.

“We take care of our customers. Whenever we notice one cannot afford to buy even the used clothes, we sell it to them for very reasonable prices which are as low as Rs100 per suit,” he says.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2016.