EmmyDuring lock down most of us embraced not shopping for clothes. I mean what did we really need when all we were doing was pottering about the house and going for the odd walk?
However with people returning to work and restrictions easing, seasons changing, people are starting to want new clothes. But are new clothes really a good idea? Fashion is one of the biggest contributors to global warming and a host of other environmental and humanitarian issues are caused by this industry.
Shopping for ethical fashion can be more expensive than the high street brands we are used to buying. I mean leggings picked up with your grocery shop probably cost you £7 vs £24+ to buy them from an ethical brand. And while I encourage people to shop ethically when they buy brand new, I understand that we work hard for our money and the price bracket isn’t something we all can or want to spend from our budgets. So what other option is there? Well, as the heading suggests – second hand is a great solution.
Second hand doesn’t mean old and grubby, it isn’t something to look down on. In fact, the second hand market is growing year on year as we all embrace vintage clothing and slower fashion. You will also quickly learn that second hand doesn’t always mean the clothes have been worn much if at all by anyone else. Most items for sale in your local charity shops are in excellent condition and many still have the tags from the original shop attached! The reason for this is that in the UK our wardrobes currently have £10 BILLION of unworn clothes hanging in them. Just madness right?
With lots of charity shops still closed due to lack of volunteers and concerns over the pandemic, how do we get our hands on these second hand clothes? Ah-ha, for that my friends I have made you a list. Well known and trusted websites you can use to find you next fashion fix with less guilt so you need hunt no further.
ReFashion
Did you know 99% of the charities in the UK can’t afford to have a shop on the high street to fundraise? ReFashion bridge that gap and have given charity shops an online location to sell clothes and accessories in order to raise much needed funds.
Their site is easy to use and packed with clothes so the odds of finding something you like on here are high.
Second Closet
This website is a bit like a vintage pop up shop meeting a curated wardrobe. They only sell items in perfect condition that are from collections under 3 years old. Quite likely the best site I have stumbled on for ease of putting together some very current looks. They are a smaller company based in London so although not a charitable site, I do love the idea of supporting a small business working hard to keep fashion sustainable.
Thrift
Thrift are another charitable online second hand store. I love that when shopping with them you can click between looking at high street and designer to easily keep everything you’re looking at in line with what you want. If you want to donate clothes to them and nominate a charity for the funds to go to, you can also arrange to do so. Clever.
ASOS
Yes, you read that right, I am suggesting ASOS but now how you think. I’m not a fan of shopping with ASOS directly however they have an awesome marketplace where you can shop for vintage clothing with lots of smaller boutiques. It’s a great way to shop small with the security of going through a very well known brand name.
Depop
This brand started out as a way to buy items you had seen in a magazine but now everyone can join in to buy and sell their own clothing. They not only have a website but an app for your phone to make using their platform super easy. The social aspect of Depop means you can see what your friends are buying and selling too. A real community for fashion lovers.
Vinted
Another one with an dedicated app to shop through, Vinted have over 25 million members buying and selling second hand fashion. That’s a whole lot of folk loving the second hand fashion market and makes for a great range of products available to browse through.
Ebay
Where would we be without good old Ebay? This auction website is one most of us will know and have used before. It is no doubt the most well known platform for buying and selling second hand fashion and personally I find it amazing for buying kids clothes. I love that I can save my searches for when I am after something specific and that they will email me when a match has been listed so I can check it out. I have a great post teaching you how to set these search alerts – check it out if you aren’t sure how to do it.
How to set up an Ebay alert and never miss those hard to find items!
Oxfam
Shopping online for second hand clothes doesn’t mean forgetting your favourite charity shops. My personal favourite charity shop on the high street is Oxfam and you can find they (and lots of other larger charity shops) have an online store worthy of checking out.
So there we have it, a whole host of second hand retail options you can shop right from your sofa. As we are in the middle of Slow Fashion Season, next time you need to buy a new item of clothing why not come back to this list and check them first before opting for brand new – you can also find the list here on Instagram if you would rather save it there for convenience to find again.
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I love this. Thank you so much for sharing this info. I can’t wear a mask for long due to my anxiety and I love thrift shopping. I miss it so much
Thanks for sharing this! I want to be able to shop more ethically and sustainably, so I’ll definitely take a look at these sites. Hope we also have some local ones here in Canada.
Thanks for sharing this! Second hand is the way too go 😊
This is a great list! I’m always trying to be more conscious of my footprint. I had no clue ASOS had second hand clothing. I’ll have to check it out next time I’m shopping!