Inspired after watching an ABC program about fast fashion and its damage to the environment, Alison Swanston was determined not to buy any mass produced clothing. 

What started as a year long test in 2017 has now become a way of life and a business opportunity. 

"Watching ABC's War on Waste highlighted the crazy fashion industry, like fashion being one of the world's biggest polluters that is only second to the oil industry," Mrs Swanston said. 

"The industry is also keeping millions of people in poverty, with the average garment worker only earning 36 cents an hour.

"My year long pledge to not buying new clothes led my friend and I to undertake more research into the harmful effects of the fashion industry." 

Mrs Swanston said the challenging aspect during her test was finding genuine sustainable clothing that she liked. 

"It went really well and I'm still not buying any fast fashion, which is mass produced clothes from big chains or anywhere that you can't tell where the clothes are made," she said. 

"But I found myself spending a lot of time researching brands that were sustainable and ethical and it was hard to find brands that were doing the right thing." 

From her experience and her friend Libby's experience in the fashion industry, the women wanted to provide a "one-stop shop" to the Temora community and nationally through an online site. 

"Instead of going to 20 different websites, our store will save time and offer a solution to pave the way for a better fashion future," Mrs Swanston said. 

"Our store is called Kindly, Darling and it's mainly online based and we want to be Australia's biggest ethical retailer, like The Iconic. 

"We want to offer something that is vibrant fun and fashionable, while doing good for the environment." 

Outland Denim is one of the ethical brands which will be featured on Kindly, Darling, which offers ethical employment and training to women rescued from human trafficking and exploitation in Cambodia. 

There will also be local labels, such as Smitten Ink and active wear from Dharma Bums. 

"If you added up all the fast fashion purchases that have fallen apart within one to two weeks, spending more money on buying cheaper, inferior products compared to actually thinking about what you need; that will last you a lot more years and be cheaper in the long run," Mrs Swanston said. 

"It's about changing the perspective, which will be better in the long run." 

Kindly, Darling will open its doors in Temora on March 21 at 6pm and will be live online from 9am the following day. 

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