'We buy everything second hand - even our underwear is from charity shops' (2024)

These shopaholics take second hand shopping extremely seriously, admitting all of their clothes, shoes and accessories come from charity and thrift shops across the UK.

It’s not just the start of meteorological autumn, for bargain hunters keen to use their purchasing power to save the planet, September 1 is time to shop secondhand!

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.

And it’s got to stop, according to campaigners at Oxfam, who have been running Second Hand September - a 30-day awareness raising exercise, encouraging people to shop preloved for the whole month - since 2019.

Emily Vass, a product developer for Oxfam, certainly practises what she preaches.

All her clothes, shoes and accessories come from charity and thrift shops - giving her hours of fun, a highly original wardrobe and saving her thousands of pounds.

She says: “I grew up shopping in charity shops because we couldn’t afford much else, but I fell in love with them.”

She is not alone.

Global sales of pre-owned clothes surged by 18% in 2023 and there are now 10,200 charity shops dotted along our high streets.

According to experts at Ethical Consumer, this is thanks to social media.

“The boom in pre-loved clothes has largely been driven by generation Z, known to be more sensitive to the issue of climate change,” says a spokesperson.

Emily, 27, agrees that a trend for thrift shopping has emerged on platforms like TikTok in the past few years, adding: “When I was in school, people used to mock me for wearing ‘dead people’s clothes!’

“Now, it’s seen as cool and trendy to shop in charity shops and buy second hand.”

Growing up in Cambridgeshire, Emily started going to charity shops after her parents split-up when she was eight and family finances became tight.

Her dad would take her on a Sunday to buy second hand toys, while her mum would shop there for clothes.

Soon she loved the individual look she acquired, thanks to charity shop chic.

“I got into buying second hand because it was more unique and cheap,” says Emily. “I’d go to the posher areas in Cambridgeshire to get the best bargains. I got stick for ‘wearing my grandma’s clothes’ but I became addicted to it.”

With the love of a good rummage in her blood, thanks to her granddad running market stalls in London, from the age of 16, she wore “top to toe second hand.”

“The ethos has stayed with me ever since,” she admits. “I’ve saved thousands by not shopping brand new. I also tend to re-donate items that I stop wearing, so sustainability is a key element.”

She even wears charity shop undies - but only when she’s found them brand new!

With fashion production responsible for 10% of total global carbon emissions, according to an analysis by Business Insider, Emily hopes more people will follow her example.

Kellyann Saunders, 51, has done a complete about turn when it comes to shopping.

Designer labels mad, until she had a revelation in a charity shop after moving from Trinidad to London’s East End in 1994, she says she has never looked back.

“I was shopping on Bond Street weekly,” says the mum-of-one. “I was buying designer handbags, shoes, accessories, and it took me a while to realise what a waste it was.

“Then, I started going to my local charity shop, looking for vintage jewellery, and was finding the most amazing things.

“I found this one handbag that I had seen weeks before at the Fashion and Design Museum. The designer had been showcasing some of her new work and I found it for £6.99 brand new with the tags still on!

“That bag was £150 brand new. That’s when I realised you could find some incredible pieces at such affordable prices.”

Describing herself as a “connoisseur of charity shopping,” she started volunteering at her local Oxfam shop and is now store manager near her home in Bethnal Green.

“Ninety eight per cent of my wardrobe is second hand,” she says. “I have so many fabulous pieces that I have collected.

“One is this silk kimono, it’s hand painted with gold leaves. It’s really big, long and luxurious. I paid £40 for it in a charity shop, I threw money at it and I ran. If it was brand new, it would’ve gone for £500 second hand.

“The fact everyone is now into sustainability and we are all trying to help in some way with the rise of climate change and how people are being treated is great.

“People are being more mindful and we have a different breed of people shopping. People are now embracing charity shops. You can find all these amazing pieces at a bargain price.”

To get involved in Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign or find out more, please visit: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/second-hand-september/”