#67 A new chapter with less waste and more style.
Reflections on where we've been and what comes next.
Hi friends,
When we started Beni, the idea was simple: make secondhand shopping easier. We built tools to help people search across resale sites faster, shop smarter, and hopefully waste less. And in a lot of ways, we’ve done that. (Check out our iOS app and browser extension if you haven’t already).
But here’s the truth: if we keep clicking add to cart—even if it’s preloved, even if it’s “sustainable”—without asking why we’re buying in the first place, we’re not actually changing the system. We’re just dressing it up in thrifted denim and calling it progress.
This past year, since stepping into the role of CEO, I’ve been asking some big, slightly uncomfortable questions: What problem are we really solving? What does a less wasteful, more stylish life actually look like? And why is it so hard to figure out what’s worth keeping—in our closets, in our carts, in our lives?
That’s where this newsletter comes in. Less Waste, More Style is our next chapter—a weekly(ish) space where we zoom out from just “shopping secondhand” and dig into a deeper mindset shift. It’s about resisting the impulse to buy just to scratch an itch. It’s about refining our personal style so we can stop impulse-purchasing clothes that look great on someone else’s Pinterest board but never quite work IRL.
I’ll be honest: I’m still in this process myself.
Case in point: I’m moving to New York (yes! Beni has some exciting things in the works that I can’t wait to share soon), and I used the move as an excuse to finally tackle my closet. Five ThredUp bags later, I had a realization: I have been slowly drowning in Madewell. No offense to them—it’s been a reliable standby—but at 33, working in fashion tech and trying to step into a more intentional version of myself, I realized my wardrobe was stuck in a past season of my life.
The problem wasn’t that I didn’t have enough. The problem was that I kept buying things that weren’t actually me.
And honestly? Figuring out what is me is still very much a work in progress. I don’t have a bottomless budget or infinite time, and I certainly don’t have it all figured out. But I’m learning that great style doesn’t come from buying more—it comes from knowing yourself better.
So this newsletter isn’t about perfection, or even minimalism. It’s about finding your way back to your own taste. It’s about making style feel less overwhelming and more aligned. We’ll talk frameworks from stylists we love, closet experiments, high-low investments, and yes—plenty of secondhand wins. But above all, this is about doing things differently.
Let’s stop chasing the next thing and start building something that lasts.
I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s find what’s worth it—together.
xx,
Kate
CEO, Beni
We’re living in a moment of whiplash-fast change. AI is reshaping the way we shop, search, and style ourselves. Everything is getting faster, easier, more personalized—and also, let’s be honest, more overwhelming. That’s why we’re taking a pause to ask: what do you actually need?
We just launched a big survey to better understand how people are shopping right now—what’s working, what’s frustrating, and where the real pain points are. Whether you shop secondhand daily or you’re just curious about doing things differently, we’d love to hear from you.
👉 Take the survey here — it takes 10-15 minutes and will require a bit of honest reflection but your answers will help shape the future of Beni and I am deeply grateful for your thoughts.