If you had asked me a year ago if I went charity shopping you would have been met with a resounding ‘No’.
Ok, so I did occasionally go in them but never with any real intent to buy anything, certainly not clothes. I think I may have bought a vintage teacup for 50p once when I was going through a ‘kitsch’ stage but that’s about it.
The truth is, I was a bit snobby about clothes. Generally I like them new, brand new and completely unworn by any other human. In addition to this I rather like them to presented to me in a neat and orderly fashion (excuse the pun), I hate having to rifle through the random, wade through the unwanted, sift through the sad and saggy. And then, there is the smell, I’m sure the world over that charity shops have that very distinct charity shop smell.
But you know what? I was wrong. They’re really not as bad as the picture I have just painted, in fact there is joy to be found. Yes, actual joy, because although they do take a bit of effort, when you unearth a hidden gem the satisfaction is by far greater than walking into a high street store and grabbing the first thing that catches your eye.
So what inspired this change of heart? Well, the environment obviously. I watched Stacey Dooley’s Fashion’s Dirty Secrets and actually cried. Seriously, the fashion industry is the world second biggest polluter, second only to the oil industry. I won’t go into all the ins and outs, you can read more about it in this article if you like, but essentially my eyes were opened and I made a pledge to massively re-assess what I bought and where I bought it from.
I took a look back at all the clothing (including shoes, bags and underwear), which I bought in 2018 and made a list of everything. It came to 21 items. To be fair, I did but maternity clothes last year so it was maybe a little different from the norm. Now, I’m not sure whether this amount is considered to be a lot or not. I guess to some people, yes and to others, not at all. But it gave me an idea of how much fashion I was consuming and a target to improve upon. It’s now April 2019 and (for myself)* I have bought absolutely nothing new. Instead I’ve bought 6 items all second hand from charity shops and it feels pretty good. I’ve got myself some great new (to me) clothes, a pair of black French Connection leggings, a denim Gap shirt, Holister jeans, a top from Topshop, a Marks and Sparks cardi and some Zara jeans. It’s cost me under £20 for the lot and I’ve potentially saved a few items from landfill and made a small contribution to charity in the process. So yes, a bit of charity shopping joy right there. I felt like I had cleverly unearthed some hidden gems.
Now I consider myself a complete novice when it comes to charity shopping but non-the-less I shall endeavour to share my top tips:
Make the time to search and don’ be disappointed or dispirited if you don’t find anything straight away.
Look for labels or brands you know produce better quality items as they are likely to last longer. Personally, I would avoid buying cheaper branded clothing, as it just doesn’t last or wear as well.
Inspect and examine the items closely, look out for areas of damage. If the garment does have a rip or a button missing, is this something you might repair or is it beyond saving?
Try it on before you buy. Most charity shops do have a changing room, so give it a whirl before you part with your cash.
As with anything; ask yourself if you really do need it and will you really wear it? There’s no point in buying something just because it only cost £3 if it’s just going to sit in the bottom of your drawer collecting dust.
Enjoy the process, take delight in not feeding the fast fashion industry, find the joy from consuming less and caring for the planet.
Are you a fan of charity shopping? Had an amazing finds? I’d love to hear about your experiences. Drop me a line in the comments below.
