SECONDHAND SEPTEMBER

Happy September!!! It definitely feels like the start of the autumn months now and what a great way to kick-start than with a secondhand movement

Secondhand September is a movement that was launched by Oxfam in 2019 with the idea being that for the entire month of September, participants commit to purchasing only secondhand clothing, accessories, home decor, and everything in between as a way to create sustainable shopping habits.

There is a particular focus on secondhand fashion as we all know the fast fashion industry is hugely damaging to the environment, being responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, rapid production of cheap quality clothing, energy-intensive processes, microplastics in fibres, and lack of ethics in production. Garments are being thrown out twice as fast and 1 in 6 influencers admit that they only wear outfits once if it has already been shown on social media!! This is a huge issue that we can address together in a way which is just as stylish.

Conscious consumption is about slowing down, being aware of trends but not falling into their trap immediately, and shopping small. The pyramid below was created by me as a step-by-step method to quitting fast fashion, and Secondhand September is the PERFECT time to start if you want a boost in moving away from this.

Where Can I Shop Secondhand?

It can be a bit daunting to completely stop what you know (and potentially love) but here is a quick list of some places I love to shop secondhand. This list is great for clothes or other items!

• Vinted and Depop of course!!

• Gumtree

• Facebook Marketplace

• Swap.com

• Gullygarms Vintage

• Deadstock Vintage

• COW vintage

• Poshmark

• eBay (I am very partial to a bidding war..! )

• Charity shops – usually charity shops have a wider size range than Vinted (at least in my experience) so this could be a great place to look

• Hire Street, By Rotation, Hurr Collective, Nivel – you can find gorgeous gowns to rent at a very reasonable price!

• Sometimes places like Selfridges and John Lewis do renting schemes for dresses/fancy clothing if that's something you're specifically looking for!

Having a little clear out of your wardrobe is a great place to start, participating in clothes swaps with your friends or universities or selling them on something like Vinted to get credit which you can spend on other secondhand goodies (basically free!).

Secondhand September is a great place to start as we can work together to combat old habits of buying fast fashion! AND don't forget to use #IStand4Secondhand in your posts so Sam and I can see them!