-
Charity Shops and Hand-Me-Downs are Important
Charity shops have always been at the heart of the high street. And, for as long as anyone can remember, people have passed on their clothes to siblings, friends, and even their parents. Meanwhile, many still throw their clothes and other textiles away, sending them to landfills where they will ultimately lay for more than 200 years. Globally, it has been estimated that over 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created each year. Fashion alone accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Things are starting to change, though. With the use of the Circular Economy and a global effort, waste can be reduced. But for a long time…
-
5 Things to Do With Your Unwanted Clothes
Instead of throwing them away! Throw-away culture or fast fashion is the cycle of constantly making and consuming new clothes in order to keep up with the latest trends. It is extremely harmful for the environment, with hundreds of items of clothing disposed of when it is no longer in fashion. E – retailers and fast fashion giants with low prices along with social media have worsened the issue. Can we ever throw away throw – away culture? Or is it enough to just make an effort to be environmentally conscious in our fashion choices? Before binning the clothes you no longer wear, help combat throw-away culture and try these…
-
Sustainable fashion: The community you want to be a part of
2020 has been a chaotic year; politics has become so polarised, the world has gone into lockdown, and our climate is descending into madness. But in reality, this could be our future if we don’t act now. 2020 was the year to save our planet and to hold the big industries accountable. 2020 was the year to redeem ourselves, but the pandemic has diverted our gaze to the immediate threats we’re facing. It’s time to make our consumption sustainable. Climate crisis Environmental activists have been flooding the media with statements trying to draw the world’s attention to our planet’s cry for help. We are rapidly depleting our resources and most…
-
The Horror Story of the Fashion World
Simply put, we are killing the planet. And one of the big contributors to this is the fashion industry. It is the third biggest pollutant on the planet and it continues to rip through our natural resources on a daily basis. We have the solution right under our noses, yet we still do nothing. We, as consumers, need to become more aware of the impact this industry is having. Our money is single-handedly funding our planet’s demise and the majority of us have no idea how. The life cycle of fashion The life cycle of your typical fashion garment is probably a bit of a mystery to most – other…
-
Ambiguous Vintage
‘Vintage’ can mean different things to different people and clever marketing has given it a rise in popularity in the last twenty years. Nowadays, you can find ‘second-hand’ clothes for 99p while a ‘vintage’ tag can push it towards £99. Did we trade in value for cool points when ‘vintage’ became a desirable look? When I first moved to London a few years ago, I was excited to discover events called Vintage Kilo Sales. The idea behind these events was quite simple – a local hall is filled with pre-loved items and the price of the clothes is determined by their weight. A kilo of clothes thus has a set…
-
Bricks and Mortar
While online-only brands like ASOS, Boohoo and Missguided chip away at our formerly fashionable high streets, is the same true when it comes to second-hand? Do charity shops, vintage boutiques and thrift stores suffer at the hands of online marketplaces such as eBay and Depop? In 2015 the used textile market was worth close to €4 billion. Today, the volume of used or second-hand clothing is enormous and growing. And increasingly, this volume isn’t just coming from more economically developed countries, but from countries around the world. For example, 60% of Chinese consumers now admit to owning more clothes than they need, with the average number of wears per item…
-
Vintage Love Don’t Cost a Thing
‘Vintage’ can mean different things to different people and clever marketing has given it a rise in popularity in the last twenty years. Nowadays, you can find ‘second-hand’ clothes for 99p while a ‘vintage’ tag can push it towards £99. Did we trade in value for cool points when ‘vintage’ became a desirable look? In November 2018, a sheer, svelte cream dress, adorned with thousands of tiny crystals sold for 4.8 million USD. This coveted vintage garment was worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. It holds the record for the most expensive dress sold at an auction.   What’s the most…
-
Falling into the Cracks: The Second-Hand Struggle
Second-hand clothes are wardrobe treasures passed on from one person to the next and each unique item tells a story – yet they seem to get a mixed review among shoppers. Does using the term ‘vintage’ free you from the stigma or does buying second-hand clothes make you feel like a second-class citizen? Let’s get it out of the way. A bulk of the stigma around second-hand clothes exists along class lines. For many people who are living from pay cheque to pay cheque, second-hand clothes are the only viable option to dress themselves and their families. Declaring that they shop vintage doesn’t change their everyday reality nor does it suddenly remove the obstacles they face as…
-
Vintage Fashion: Sustainable Style
I used to walk past high street shops and fill to the brim with excitement. There is no doubt that the feeling got my adrenaline pumping. As a British girl living on the continent, my options for shopping were limited in my eyes. I took trips to London just to go to the Oxford Street Primark. My friends and I would go mad in that shop, buying all the latest bright-coloured trendy tops. Although Primark was my favourite store, as a thirteen-year old I could easily be dragged into any famous high street shop. The whole experience was thrilling to me. A shopping trip never ended in disappointment. I was…
-
Once Upon A Frock – The Green Silk Dress
There’s something magical about shopping for second hand clothes; it’s a treasure hunt for a hidden gem and when you find something, you cherish it forever. Tell us about your favourite vintage buy and how you came to fall in love with it! Every summer, I make the journey to the south coast of England to visit my great-aunt. This has been a tradition for many years. I first started going with my grandma as a child but now, being in my twenties, I travel down by myself. For a few days, we enjoy going to cafes, relaxing at her beach hut and doing arts and crafts. Last summer, I…
