Fashion app Pickle has left a sour taste with a neighboring small business in New York City after allegedly “dumping” unwanted donations from their Los Angeles wildfire relief drive onto them. The sustainable clothing start-up, known for its anti-fast fashion stance, reportedly turned away donations from brands like Zara and H&M at its West Village location, opting instead for higher-end clothing items to send to wildfire victims.
However, according to a local business owner, Pickle redirected a large volume of these less-desirable items to their small fitness business without prior notice. The owner, whose clothing drive was only advertised to a limited audience, including clients and 1,800 social media followers, was overwhelmed by the unexpected influx of donations. “We were not prepared for the amount of donations we received. Our community is much smaller, and the drive wasn’t widely advertised,” the owner told Page Six.
Pickle, which prides itself on breaking free from the fast-fashion cycle, defended its decision to reject the fast-fashion donations. A spokesperson explained that the company had received “four times the estimated amount of donations” and chose to prioritize “brand new and high-quality pieces” to ensure long-term impact for people rebuilding after the fires. They added that they had informed donors of nearby organizations better equipped to handle the overflow.
However, the “nearby organizations” turned out to be the small fitness business, which was unprepared for such a large volume of non-designer items. “We had no idea what was happening. We received eight times more donations than we were ready for,” the source said. It wasn’t until one donor mentioned that Pickle had rejected their clothes due to their lack of designer labels that the mystery was solved.
The fitness business, despite lacking space, accepted all donations, including an unworn suit from Barney’s that Pickle had declined. “One guy had a suit from Barney’s, and they wouldn’t accept it. We took everything,” the source said.
Pickle’s representatives have since said that they plan to adapt their donation strategy to maximize their impact as they grow and collaborate with other organizations. They clarified that they had directed donors to alternative local drives, and when the fitness business contacted them with concerns about the overwhelming volume of donations, Pickle acted quickly to assist. This included sending volunteers to help sort and pack donations and partnering with shipping services to send them to Los Angeles.
Pickle’s spokesperson also noted that when the fitness business reached out about needing to pause its donations, the company immediately stopped directing people to their location. “We took immediate steps to support them,” the rep said, continuing to work closely with the business to ensure they felt supported throughout the process.
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