Sustainable Fashion: My Spring Collection

I have decided to finally revive my blog today. What with a spirited toddler, a busy social life (toddler-related) and a slightly more demanding job (no longer slacking), there is very little time to do anything creative. But I thought I might give this space a do-over just because it's springtime and I am feeling a bit cheerful. And so for my first post for 2015, I've decided to do a fashion blog.

Beware though, I am not a fashionista. I don't exactly have any fashion advice to give. I don't remember the last time I have ever been inside a high street fashion retail shop nor ordered anything online. But I have deep passion for recycling and sustainable living. And one way of embracing that lifestyle is by channelling my shopping energy around the charity shops in Hillsborough and we have quite a few. Why spend a fortune on clothes when you can have them at a massive bargain second hand? One man's trash is indeed another's treasure (mine at least!) And once it's time to make room for something new, I just give it back to the shop to help them do their good deeds. This is fashion with a purpose: if you can't afford to go green (ethical and organic), you can do the next best thing and recycle someone else's unwanted items.



And in case you're interested, these items are from the usual high street brands sold at £1.50 for two when Barnardo's (a charity that looks after vulnerable children) had a sale. Look them up too, they are an amazing charity, amongst others to support. 

Unexpected Treasures

When John came home on Thursday evening, I had a guilty look on my face. Before I could even explain, his gaze fell into the object sitting on the dining room table and he laughed. 

"If I was the one who found it, I would have bought it for you too," he said. He knows me too well to understand that there are temptations I couldn't resist. 

I was on my way to an early morning appointment with the dentist when I happened to pass a charity shop in Middlewood Road which specialises on vintage items. I went in and voila! The most beautiful object of my fancy happened to be on display: an old treasure chest in amazing condition there was no way I could have left without it! 

It's always fascinating what one can find in charity shops, how one person's scrap is another's treasure. This is the beauty of upcycling and it is rather popular in the Western world. 

The danger of course is that one could get carried away. A recent example was my shopping spree on Saturday morning where I discovered some lovely fabrics, threads and buttons which prompted my soon-to-be next hobby: sewing (which means that baking has now become an old subject). For a tenth of their original price, I was very tempted to buy them all. I stopped short just in time, thanks to financial constraints and space issues. It was rather difficult but there is of course that comforting thought that there will be another day for shopping. 

Shop and Change Lives

Nothing beats a good dose of retail therapy and I get my fix by hitting the charity shops!

Nowhere else can I leave £10 poorer with a big happy smile on my face, the look of a shopper who has just purchased 5 pieces of branded items that would have cost me ten times more from a high street retail giant. But more than clothes, I get my books from there too, loads of them (some already shipped home while the rest still sits in the shelves waiting to be read). Occasionally I would find some treasures like Miss Piggy Wiggy who grows chunkier with every coin we feed her and Mr Elephant who keeps our books in tact.  

The charity shops are a unique British institution and the public loves them, with half the population having purchased something from among the 5,500 shops across the country since June last year. Like the Filipino 'ukay-ukay', they sell second hand items but the British twist is that the merchandise on offer are donated unwanted clothes and household goods, a perfect example of reuse and recycle. The staff are mainly unpaid volunteers, usually students during the summer period and pensioners with a bit of time to spare. The proceeds are then used to fund charitable works not only in the UK but throughout the world. 

The first charity shop in the UK, Oxfam, has in fact been working in the Philippines since 1987, focusing on increasing opportunities for women dealing with disasters and lobbying for change. It would be very interesting to read about the work they have been doing in the country and the amount of people they have been able to help in developing a sustainable way of making a living. 

So the benefits of charity shopping is quite profound. Not only do I get retail therapy, I am also saving the planet through recycling and reusing items. But most importantly, I have also indirectly been able to help my countrymen in a more sustainable way.