Charity Shops: The Benefits of Shopping Secondhand on the High Street
Zoë Dodds explores the benefits of supporting charity shops on you local high street.
As sustainable fashion awareness and the popularity of more vintage styles have grown (who doesn’t love a bit of Y2K?), shopping in charity shops for many has been a great choice. Second-hand clothing shopping through the likes of Depop and eBay is arguably at the height of its popularity, but charity shops shouldn’t be forgotten. So, without further ado, here are some of the wonderful benefits that come with getting your sustainable fashion fix on the local high street.
Charity: it’s in the name!
Although it may seem glaringly obvious, many of us forget that by shopping at the local charity shop we are not only rehoming a funky style and keeping our shopping habit sustainable. Rather, one’s money is going towards a great cause; popular charity shops in the UK include Cancer Research, the Salvation Army, Oxfam and the Red Cross to name but a few. These charities do vital work for extremely important causes and vulnerable people. For example, the Red Cross do amazing work both in the UK and globally in disaster zones and for individuals and communities in crisis. This is a fab direction in which to send your money and a stark contrast to exploitation propelled by the fast fashion industry.
Individuality
Moving onto the actual fashion side of the experience, sifting through the rails of preloved goods can help you discover new styles and encourages you to try pieces you wouldn’t normally find yourself reaching for. Instead of ordering that trending pair of trousers or crop top from a fast fashion brand - leaving yourself with an identical wardrobe to every other girl in town - charity shops often have hidden gems that can help you develop your own personal style. You’ll be boycotting the short-term trends fast fashion brands thrive upon; instead you’ll invest in pieces you truly love in no time. This process can be as creative as you like – think back to Wild Child and channel your inner Poppy Moore with a few of your friends (this can be a great way to encourage your friends struggling to delete the ASOS app) and get creative with the preloved garms your local charity shop has to offer! You may well end up with stunning AND unique outfits whilst having a laugh. The likelihood is that you’ll be even more pleased when everyone asks you where your £2.99 vintage scarf is from – what a flex.
Perfect that wardrobe
Some charity shops can be an emporium of vintage gems; however, most have a much smaller range of stock. Be prepared to not always find something amazing every time. This is a blessing in disguise as it can help you realise what is missing in your wardrobe – allowing you to fine tune what you actually need versus trending pieces you think you need. This helps you nurture sustainable shopping practices as the ease of buying anything you could ever want at the click of a button is not an option in the charity shop. You have to keep looking regularly, but it is so much more rewarding when you find exactly what you were looking for! Your wardrobe will end up being much more wearable with timeless pieces you can jazz up, rather than 20 tops from PLT that you won’t wear next season. You’ll be saving clothes from reaching the landfill rather than adding to it.
Upcycle away
A sustainable fashion practice that more and more people are getting stuck into these days is upcycling old pieces into something fresh. The charity shop is the perfect place to scout out clothes that you wouldn’t wear as they are but that you could refashion into a new style.
YouTube is home to countless tutorials on how to upcycle an oversized shirt into skirts, dresses and tops, or baggy tees into cute crop tops! I would recommend Jess Dang's tutorials as a great place to start. You may find some trousers that could be made into shorts or a maxi skirt that could transform into a dress! It’s good to keep an open mind in the charity shop as the potential to revamp something from drab to fab is in there if you’re prepared to dust off the sewing machine.
The price
Lastly, we bring to you one of the best beauties of buying from the charity shop: the incredible bargains. Sustainable fashion can often seem unattainable due to higher prices when compared to the immorally low-price tags normalised by fast fashion sites. Even Depop can be overpriced whilst eBay bidding can leave you spending more than originally intended. The charity shop will leave your bank balance largely undamaged with the steals you can get, with most tops being under a fiver and no postage and packaging costs (hello eco-friendly ☺). That said, we still need to be conscious of how much we are buying: overconsumption is a huge issue that plagues all of the fashion industry.
At the end of the day, sustainable shopping really is just around the corner from most people and truly can help you develop a creative unique style - all without breaking the bank or adding to the toxic social and environmental impacts of the fast fashion industry. All in all, charity shopping has got to be a win-win. Go in with an open mind, see what you can come out with and let us know your favourite finds by tagging us @refashionthefuture on IG!