Second Hand September 2024

Here we are again. Set up in 2019 by OXFAM, Second Hand September is growing in popularity and establishing its stance against the rise of fast fashion.

For my part, buying and selling second hand has been a way of life for over thirty years now and a business just over twenty. With campaigns like No New Clothes For a Year, ditching the High Street and wearing only what you have or preloved clothing is becoming a lifestyle choice. Has it however grown out of proportion and are people consuming just as many second-hand clothes as they were new, whether they need them or not?

This has been a question raised by industry experts with second-hand growing at a consistently higher rate than the new apparel market. Let's face it, second-hand is nothing new, it has been offered for sale for decades but now the thrift stores have developed an expertise meaning some items can be sold on for extortionate prices. This skill has of course filtered through to those looking to donate who sort out the best goods to sell on marketplaces like Vinted and Depop so that charity shop contributions are far less appealing to store browsers. The sought after labels are becoming like gold dust, literally.

My business is primarily about saving the goods that are no longer fit for sale. Clothing that has survived near on 100 years in some cases and deserves that second chance. Garments that still have wear but show moth damage, broken zippers, missing buttons and irremovable stains. When all options to save an item are exhausted I will reuse as much of the textiles as possible in new designs and refashioned vintage.

It has long been a labour of love and not a business set to make a fortune. The nature of the clothing I receive is so varied that I can't offer consistency of style or design. Fashion also dictates what will be consumed and I rarely find crimped polyester in garish shades and bold prints is the latest look! However, I will persevere in repairing, restoring and reworking these age old garments in order to keep as much of it in circulation as possible.

Each piece that I save tells its own story, whether through the name tag stitched carefully in a collar, the expertly hand finished seams or the stray cigarette burns that I reinvent. Sending them back out into the world is an achievement I never fail to feel pride in.

So this second-hand September, dig deeper into that pile of old clothes, try every rail and browse the second-hand sellers offering a one-off opportunity to discover a hidden treasure. If you make one purchase, make it a keepsake, something that can be passed on and cared for. If the clothing pile is your own then think twice before discarding your own keepsakes, replace the button, patch the stain and secure the seams so that it can live on and on.

If you need help with keeping your clothing alive, let me know - I have a second-hand survival kit :-)