Second Hand September is a challenge to shop and manage your wardrobe in a more sustainable way โ and throughout the month youโve been inspiring us with your incredible second hand finds, your passion and your commitment.
Itโs impossible to choose from the 50,000 (eek!) incredible posts celebrating Second Hand September, but weโve had a go at choosing our top looks to keep you going on your second-hand journey beyond the month of September.
Gorgeous Summer Finds
These preloved outfits were made for the sun. From stunning florals to light floaty combinations and bright colours, you made the most of that last bit of sunshine in September.
Considering that it would take 13 years to drink the water that goes into making a new shirt and pair of jeans, thrifting second hand denim is a win for the environment and for keeping clothes out of landfill.
Finally, we saw stunning photos of brides choosing preloved dresses on their big day, but Bophanieโs story was particularly touching for her family experiences with Oxfam.
Thank you to everyone who took part in Second Hand September 2020. Whether you had conversations with friends and family, bought some second-hand items or donated clothes to keep them from landfill โ youโve made a difference.
eBayโs Head of Pre Loved, Emma Grant, on Oxfamโs Second Hand September. Image: eBay
Celebrating Second Hand September with Oxfam is a great opportunity to keep the green recovery front of mind and ensure that we all play our part to reduce fast fashion where possible.
At eBay, we saw that lockdown sped up the transition to a greater sustainability-conscious society, as we witnessed more pre-loved listings and sales post-lockdown with 30% more second-hand sales made in June 2020, compared to March. With peopleโs wallets becoming tighter, an uneasiness about going out shopping, and after some time away from the materialism of day-to-day normality, it seems that we are all more in tune than ever with charities, small businesses and caring for the planet.
Weโre so excited to be supporting Oxfamโs Second Hand September this year by hosting aย joint auction of curated vintage and Oxfam pieces, which launched today and will run until 12pm on 20th September. There are some incredible luxury items, so make sure to place a bid so you donโt miss out! All of the funds will go towards Oxfam and the incredible work they do reducing poverty worldwide.
If you miss out, fear not, you can always get your hands on a second-hand steal on eBay this September by following these simple steps. And remember to donate to Oxfam at checkout when you do!
1. Commit some time
The nature of vintage clothing is that youโll need to have a good scroll before that one-of-a-kind gem catches your eye.
2. Be specific with your search terms
If youโre looking for a particular item, be specific in your search. Naming brands or eras that are associated with the style youโre looking to emulate will help you narrow down the search to the most relevant items. For instance, if youโre looking for the perfect vintage rain mac for Autumn, try including Burberry or 70s trench in your search.
3. Focus on timeliness trends
To get the most wear out of second-hand fashion and to get the best bang for your buck, look for timeless, stylish pieces that will always look โmodernโ. Coats, boots and handbags are sure-fire investment pieces.
4. Avoid anything too fancy dress
Think about how a vintage piece will fit in with your daily wardrobe – can you wear it with your new handbag or favourite jeans? Stay away from anything too โfancy dressโ.
5. Be flexible with sizes
The fits and cuts of vintage and pre-owned fashion can differ hugely from what weโre used to seeing on the high street, so donโt expect your usual size to fit you perfectly. You may have to size up or down to get the fit that works for you, so always check the specific measurements.
6. The tailor is your friend
Shortening hemlines and streamlining waistlines are all easy and relatively inexpensive at your local dry cleaner, meaning you can achieve the perfect fit and modernise any vintage piece.
7. Donโt be put off by a little wear and tear
A few buttons missing shouldnโt put you off investing in great quality vintage or pre-owned fashion. Think of it as an opportunity to personalise and upcycle a classic piece โ giving it your own style touch! If youโre not confident with a needle and thread your local dry cleaners will sow on buttons, accessories or fabric patches for a minimal cost.
8. Stay away from significant damage
Donโt risk your money on items that are fraying, holed and stained. That kind of damage likely canโt be fixed, not matter how beautiful the piece.
9. Donโt be afraid to ask questions
Not sure how a particular item will look on you? No need to panic. The beauty of shopping through a platform means you have a direct line to the seller where you can ask any question under the sun โ from an itemsโ โrealโ sizing to the best description of its colour, condition and material feel.
10. If you like it buy it
Vintage fashion is so often one-of-a-kind pieces. Donโt let it be the one that got away that keeps you up at night!
Weโre also encouraging our customers selling their own second-hand items to donate a percentage of their proceeds to support Oxfam’s work around the world; the equivalent percentage in fees will be waived by eBay for Charity, or if you arenโt up for a wardrobe clear-out donate at checkout where weโre hosting Oxfam all month. If youโre in the mood to Marie Kondo your wardrobe, follow these simple tips to donate to Oxfam:
1. When you create your listing on eBay, look for our charity ribbon and check the box that says โDonate a portion to charityโ
2. Select โOxfamโ and the percentage you want to donate
3. List the item and start raising money for a cause you care about!
In Batley, Yorkshire, there’s a magical place. It’s called Wastesaver and it takes the unsold second hand treasures donated to Oxfam shops and puts them to good use.
At the heart of this recycling centre is a vibrant hub. Here, a team of passionate volunteers take preloved clothes, shoes, accessories and more โ and list them on theย Oxfam Online Shop. Magic.
Take a tour with Holly, the Manager of the Oxfam Online Shop, in the video below or read on for a behind-the-scenes look and our top tips for browsing. Thereโs also a treat at the end of this blog for your next shop!
The Oxfam Online Shop lists 100,000 donated items for you to shop from. An online version of hunting through your local high street charity shops for those unbelievable finds.
And just like when you shop in our Oxfam high street shops, the income raised through our Online Shop all goes towards a fairer world for the poorest people.
Behind-the-scenes clothes rails and accessory shelves all listed on the online shop.
Where do the donations come from?
The donations come from all over the country.
Most likely, theyโre items that havenโt managed to find a new home at their local Oxfam shop. And because we have to regularly make way for fresh donations, unsold items are sent on to our Batley recycling centre and Online Shop. There they have a second chance at selling to a worldwide audience.
When items are put into the donation banks (for example, at your local supermarket), those items are sometimes brought directly to Batley. And even fashion retailers send their excess stock here for us to sell!
They are all put in the entrance of the recycling centre and sorted on huge conveyor belts to decide whatโs best to do with the items.
From sorting to rail โ Oxfam experts work out whether items are right for Oxfamโs Online Shop.
If the items arenโt right for the online shop customer, they could be saved to go to festivals in the summer with our Festival Shop team. Or sent out to a different Oxfam high street shop better suited to selling that item. If the item canโt be resold, it gets recycled and turned into things like mattress filler.
No textiles donated to Oxfam end up in landfill and this recycling centre alone saves 12,000 tonnes of textiles from going to landfill every year. This is in addition to the 2000 tonnes of donated clothing sold through the shops.
What happens once theyโve been chosen for selling online?
This is where the dedicated team of volunteers start the process by giving each piece a little bit of TLC. We steam, iron and even repair garments on-site. Then itโs off to a photography booth to take fabulous photos of them for the website. Finally, pieces are researched, described and priced before going live and available to buy.
Volunteers photographing the donations and doing a mini photoshoot for social media before listing online.
Top Tips for finding those gems
As with a high street shop, searching for second hand gems online can take patience, skill and a willingness to look at plenty of things that arenโt your style.
Here are the top 3 tips in finding those gems:
1. Filtering
Whether by size, brand, price or more. You can select multiple by clicking on, for example โSize 14โ, and then also choosing โSize 16โ once the initial results have loaded. It will add your filters together.
2. Using the search bar
When you have a particular item or brand in mind, searching for it will pull up every result relevant to that term. It might take a minute to get those results up, but you can then browse a big range of the type of thing youโre looking for.
3. Browsing โview allโ at the bottom of each category
This will show you all the latest listings, regardless of size, brand etc. It means you can see a huge range of new items on the shop and spot things that might be in sizes you wouldnโt typically shop. Another great tip is to do this for both womenโs and menโs. Items like trainers, jumpers and bags can sometimes be listed in one or the other so you might find something you love in an unexpected place!
Fee Gilfeather is Oxfamโs sustainability expert and is a lifetime second hand addict. Here is her round-up of what to expect from SecondHandSeptember 2020.
In June 2019, we launched Second Hand September at Download festival to ask you to be part of the fight against fast fashion.
We even hung a giant washing line up at Glastonbury Festival using unsold clothes from our shops. And shared messages about the impact of fashion on the planet and garment workers.
Since then, Second Hand September has taken on a life of its own, with over 50,000 uses of #SecondHandSeptember. Influencers, celebrities, companies and shoppers all over the world have pledged to change their approach to fashion.
This year has thrown us all into the unknown and given us pause. It has included, for many of us, a look at how we shop and enjoy fashion in a more conscious way. One of the few positives to come out of this pandemic is the opportunity to break old habits and build a fairer and more sustainable future.
Choosing second hand is one way that we can all play a part in shifting to more sustainable consumption. Helping to build back better after the past few months. So weโre asking you to join us again – to only buy second hand clothes for the month of September. Share your pledge using #SecondHandSeptember and tag @OxfamGB.
This could be challenging yourself for the 30 days of September to only buy second handโฆor even a whole year! If you need some inspiration, check out Zaraโs blog on her year of no new.
This year our campaign is even bigger and better than ever. Our shops will be showcasing the very best of second hand throughout the month. And you can choose from over 100,000 items on the Oxfam Online Shop 24 hours a day. Weโll be sharing lots of tips and stories on our social media and blogs, so make sure you give us a follow.
Weโre delighted to have lots of new partners celebrating second hand with us throughout the month. Read on to find out what to expect from Second Hand September 2020.
The Face of Second Hand September
Weโre incredibly excited that BAFTA award-winning actor, director, screenwriter, producer, playwright and poet Michaela Coel is launching Second Hand September 2020!
We are very grateful to her for donating her time to fight throwaway fashion by starring in a photoshoot in donated second hand clothes from Oxfamโs Online Shop. These amazing photos will feature in the windows of more than 500 Oxfam shops nationwide. On top of that โ youโll be able to buy the outfits in a pioneering pop-up shop in Selfridges.
Opening on 7th September, this pop-up shop was conceived as part of Project Earth, Selfridges sustainability initiative. It aims to change the way Selfridges does business. And the way customers shop in the next five years. Weโre very excited to be a part of it! The shop in Selfridges London Designer Galleries will be open for four weeks. It will stock some epic outfits, including an iconic 90s Gaultier PVC red suit as worn by Michaela, Ossie Clarke dresses, original leather flying jackets, and 90s sportswear.
eBay
On 10th September, eBay is celebrating second hand with a joint auction of over 100 fabulous items of curated vintage and Oxfam pieces, selected by stylist Lucy Tempest Walker. Youโll also be encouraged to donate a portion of your proceeds when selling your own second hand items on eBay to support Oxfam’s work around the world; the equivalent percentage in fees will be waived by eBay for charity, or you can donate at checkout where Oxfam will be hosted all September.
Vestiaire Collective
Pre-owned premium retailer, Vestiaire Collective is running the Oxfam pledge to shop second hand and is hosting a charity sale of celebrity donated designer pieces on 16th September with all proceeds going to support vital projects run by Oxfam.
Depop
Make sure to look up the Oxfam Festival Shop on Depop for our first ever Depop x Oxfam shop launching on 1st September, stocked with gorgeous second hand finds from the Oxfam Festival Shop that we were due to sell at festivals this summer โ weโll be adding new items throughout the month.
Liverpool Fashion Summit
Weโre ready for Liverpool Fashion Summit 9th -11th September where weโre speaking on issues of modern slavery and the circular economy in relation to the fashion industry. Itโs free to join and thereโs a huge range of exciting speakers over the three days.
Volunteer with us
Another way you can support Oxfam besides taking part in #SecondHandSeptember is to volunteer in one of our shops. Following the pandemic, some volunteers have been unable to return to their positions because they are shielding and we really need your help to keep our shops running โ and what better way to share your passion for second-hand than sorting through donations to find treasures to put out on our rails, or curating an exciting new window display or managing a shopโs Instagram account to showcase the best of Oxfam fashion.
Why is Second Hand September important to us?
The average lifespan for an item of clothing is 3.3 years. A whopping 336,000 tonnes of used clothing are sent to landfill every year in the UK. By choosing second hand clothes, youโre giving clothes a longer life and keeping them from landfill.
And then to keep prices low, garment workers are often not paid a living wage โ these are people from the poorest communities around the world, and this unfair treatment makes it impossible for them to work their way out of poverty. By joining Oxfamโs Second Hand September movement, collectively we can send a message to retailers asking them to change their business models to better protect the people who make our clothes and the planet we all share.
By shopping with Oxfam, youโre reinvesting your money into vital work around the world supporting the poorest people on the planet to build sustainable livelihoods and beat poverty – including helping vulnerable communities deal with the consequences of coronavirus around the world.
We hope that even more people will choose second hand this month, for people and planet.
How I customised a regular high street beach dress into a unique wedding for less than ยฃ300
The thought of a 4 digit price tag for a dress freaked me out and hunting for the prefect wedding dress takes too long. Having a wedding dress made from scratch was very pricey but buying a dress that fits me and changing the top part was the killing idea.
For my wedding I wanted a dress that makes me feel unique and represents my values. I am not the kind of person who would spend hundreds or thousands of pounds on an outfit! Itโs so not meโฆIโve never done thatโฆwhy would I do so for my wedding knowing that I would never wear this dress again?
I started to look at second hand dresses. The hunt for it can be difficult and very time consuming. So I quickly switched to the idea of making my own wedding dress, or shall I say I found a dress maker that could make it for me, I am totally hopeless when it comes to using a sewing machine!
1. Find a dress maker
Quick search online for โDress maker near meโ and I called the first 2 that were listed. Turns out making a dress from scratch will be quite expensive too but one of them suggested that I bought any white beach dress that fitted me and to only worry about how the bottom part looked.
Hereโs the secret: what takes the longest to make (and the priciest) is the overall fabric, the shape and the fitting. The top part can be adjusted or replaced.
2. Find a cheap beach dress
I wanted an A-line style dress. So, I was looking for long, tulle, maxi dresses in my size. Try to ignore the horrible top part, the extra sleeve you donโt want or the weird keyhole opening at the front. The dress maker will be able to make a new front, exactly like you want. Just focus on the length, the colour and the fabric.
When you try it on and itโs a little bit transparent, donโt worry, your dress maker will be able to add a liner fabric underneath.
I found bought mine online, during sale for ยฃ49!
3. Buy some nice lace
I wanted my wedding dress to have lace on the front and at the back. I went to a specialist shop and bought 1m of very fine and good quality lace. This was the most expensive part, ยฃ100. (I still have some left).
I also bought silk ribbon to make fake buttons for the back.
4. From a regular beach dress to my unique wedding dress
Et voila the result! She made a Cache Coeur style front, with a layer of lace on top, made some shoulder sleeves with the lace running throughout the back and sheโd hidden the back zip with a range of silk buttons.
I paid ยฃ150 for her work and along with my pre-loved beach dress, I managed to wear my dream wedding dress for less than ยฃ300, unique and made for me.
Are you planning for your big day? Become the sustainable bride by finding your perfect dress with Oxfam along with bridal accessories and shoes.
Keep your clothes in your wardrobe and out of landfill with these nifty stain-shifting home remedies, shared by our friends at Love Your Clothes
Stains. Theyโre one of the biggest reasons great clothes get binned. But no longer will that chocolate smudge force you to say farewell to your beloved t-shirt. Never again will a splosh of coffee come between you and your suit. And, if youโve just dropped a forkful of jalfrezi down your favourite jumper, donโt fret โ itโll be sorted in no time. All thanks to these simple guides, courtesy of Love Your Clothes.
1. Remove grass stains withโฆ hand sanitiser
Yes, even unsightly green marks can be tackled if you know how. Apparently, all you need to do is to squirt some hand sanitiser directly onto the grass stain, rub in and leave for a few minutes, before washing on a normal wash โ about 30 degrees โ with ordinary washing detergent.
Whoโd have thought full-fat could be so useful? Using a bowl, simply pour the milk onto the chocolate splodge and leave soaking for 2-3 hours. The chocolate should then lift off the fabric. Wash on a normal wash and, if thereโs still a slight mark, put it straight back in the washer for another cycle.
Yes, egg. Crack into a bowl and beat with a fork, then apply to the stain using kitchen towel, rubbing in well. Then just wash on a 30 degree cycle. See you later latte. Farewell flat white. Adios espresso etc.
4.Remove sun cream withโฆ white vinegar and washing up liquid
Top ruined by yellowy sun cream stains? Apply some neat washing up liquid and rub in. Rinse in cold water, gently squeeze out the excess, then soak in a solution of half cold water, half white vinegar, for about an hour. Wash according to the care label and, if thereโs still a bit of staining, repeat the process.
5. Remove curry spills withโฆ washing up liquid and lemon
Madras mishap? First, remove as much curry as possible using a blunt knife or napkin. Rinse in cold water, pat dry, then apply some neat washing up liquid and rub in. Rinse in clean cold water and pat dry again. Finally, take half a lemon and squeeze liberally onto the stain, leave for half an hour then wash according to the care label. If thereโs still a mark, simply repeat the steps again.
Yes, random one this, but apparently it works! Place the stain face down on a paper towel, take a moisturising lip balm and simply rub it on โ this should start lifting the oil onto the paper. Repeat a few times, then wash at about 30 degrees but, instead of detergent, pour a bottle of cola in the drum!
Behind-the-scenes clothes rails and accessory shelves all listed on the online shop.
From sorting to rail โ Oxfam experts work out whether items are right for Oxfamโs Online Shop.
Volunteers photographing the donations and doing a mini photoshoot for social media before listing online.
