Second Hand September, Spread The Pre-Loved Around

It’s not just for the sake of a good campaign. The joy of finding a hidden treasure at the market or the local charity shop and fantasise about the previous owner will be always a great reason for shopping pre-loved clothes. And these days, with the quality of second-hand items being so good, there is plenty of choices out there. Of course, knowing we are also helping reduce the number of clothes that end up in landfill, make us feel even better.

Now we have one reason more for doing that.

Second Hand September is a campaign encouraging people to avoid buying new clothing for the entire 30 days of the month. The campaign, organised by the charity Oxfam, aims to raise awareness of the environmental impact of fashion. Currently, almost 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon emissions are produced by the fashion industry and 11 million items of clothing are sent to landfill every week in the UK.

Are you still wondering why you should buy second-hand clothes?

The bottom line is shopping second hand can allow us to use our own style, reinventing clothing in our own way but it’s also a chance to show to the next generation how to less care about which new stylish item they need to buy and how more important is to create a personal style with meaning.

By shopping second hand you will often find you have more choice available for our colours and body shape – Victoria Lochhead personal stylist and author of the book ‘In the Jumble: The joys of finding, buying and wearing second-hand clothes’ says-. You might also find that you dress in a more individual way. There’s nothing worse than heading to a party and finding you’re wearing the exact same dress as someone else. Buying second-hand also means the cost per wear comes right down. If you start buying most of your clothes second hand you can save a small fortune in the course of a year.    

Where you can shop online for pre-loved clothes 

As well as shopping around your town for thrift or vintage options you can find great deals online through Instagram, Etsy, and smaller boutiques. Not convinced, yet? Check these online platforms:

Poshmark: an online market place designed for individuals to sell items from their closet for cash. Create an account and either purchase or sell directly from their app!

thredUP: it is the world’s largest online thrift store where you can buy and sell high-quality secondhand clothes with over 35k brands—from Gap to Gucci—at up to 90% off retail prices.

Swap: it helps you find affordable, quality secondhand apparel for the whole family. Easily shop brands you love up to 90% off on our online thrift store.

Vinted: a way to sell the clothes that have more to give and shop for items you won’t find on the high street. You only need a profile to experience this amazing community marketplace firsthand!