By now most folk understand the issues surrounding fast fashion and the broader problems with over consumption in general. A few years ago I decided to challenge myself and try and stop buying new clothes (aside from underwear!). Although I was a bit worried at first the “challenge” has become a complete gamechanger for how I view fashion and live my life.
Here are some of the ways I stock my wardrobe without resorting to new…
My favourite day out…
One of my favourite things to do is to spend a day wandering between charity shops and picking up bargains.
Glasgow is well known for its charity shop scene on Byres Road but my favourite area is just round the corner in Partick.
Partick offers a wide variety of options ranging from the traditional rummage situation where you can pick items up for as little as a pound, to the more curated shops with luxury brands and unworn clothes still with original labels that are a little more pricey.
Start on Dumbarton Road at the Thornwood end with the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland shop – I recommend fortifying yourself first at Meadow Road Coffee – and work your way back towards town. As well as clothes focused charity shops, there are also second hand furniture shops and higher end retro homeware places.
Some of the treasures I have got over the years:
- Rab hoodie – £7
- Tommy Hilfiger jumper – £10
- A very bright handknitted turquoise, yellow and red geometric jumper – £6
- Abercrombie and Fitch denim shirt – £1
- Vintage faux fur coat that I wore till the arm fell off – £15
DETOUR: up the Crow Road to the Cat’s Protection League shop. It seems cat people have lots of nice things. They do some cracking re-purposed earrings made from broken jewellery, displayed on the counter where you pay.
Once you get to the cross where Dumbarton Road meets Byres Road you can turn and make your way up Byres Road (don’t miss Dowanside Lane). By the time you have worked your way up Byres Road if you still have time and any money left there are also a couple of good vintage spots a short sashay away: West Vintage and Retro. Or…
DETOUR: if you have time I recommend using the very exciting new Govan Footbridge and crossing over the Clyde. There are a handful of shops in Govan but my favourite is the Magpie’s Eye where all my dreams came true and I got two Babycham glasses a few years back.
Some other good places I have found for charity shop shopping:
- Stockbridge in Edinburgh: this is where to go if you want to pick up high end or designery stuff but not cheap!
- Morningside Road in Edinburgh: a good mix of clothing and some furniture stores too.
- Troon: another town with a good number of charity shops, don’t miss the ones in the car park up towards Barassie Street.
- Saltcoats: LOADS of charity shops with everything you could imagine. I have bagged labelled “nice” brand goodies here as well as my beloved high vis coat for not getting run over when I walk the dog as well as a lovely vintage blanket. There’s also a cracking Nepalese/Indian restaurant.
Clothes Swap
A few years ago a friend was bemoaning that she didn’t have any clothes to wear to go on her holidays so a few of us cleared out our wardrobes and did a clothes swap at someone’s house. We had a great night and all came away with some lovely “new” clothes.
These clothes swaps have now grown from three of us to a whatsapp group of 15 (bear in mind I live in a rural location) who meet every few months.
It’s a great opportunity to try some styles that you might not normally. Items often get taken by someone, are worn a few times, and then come back to the next swap and someone else takes them.
Whatever is left we take to our local charity shop – these boots were ours! And these ones too!
Jumble sale
Jumble sales are a bit of a blast from the past and you don’t see too many happening now but they make for a great event!
In our community we have a Jumble Sale once a year, usually in February for a post-Christmas clear-out/very early spring clean.
Not only is this a chance to pick up some new things but also to raise money for our local village hall which is so important to our community.
There is a small entry fee and then people can make a further donation on a donate-what-you-feel basis depending on whatever treasures they take home!
Buy online
If you are looking for something specific you can often find them on Vinted or Depop, for example, I needed new trainers and managed to get a brand new boxed pair for £20. They arrived with the receipt showing the retail price of £60. The person had not returned them within the exchange period.
I have also used Vinted to get specific branded clothes that I know I like and the sizes that typically fit me and also dresses to wear to weddings.
Whereas charity shops are much more the luck of the draw, Vinted and other online spaces are a great option if you know what you are looking for. You can also save searches and they will notify you when items you are looking for come up. I am also a fan of bundles – where you get a discount if you buy more than one item from a seller.
Give it a try
All in all I’ve not bought any brand new clothes in the last two years. I thought it would be difficult but it’s honestly been amazing and it’s given me much more than a way to avoid buying new clothes.
I don’t care about fashion so that maybe helps but I have found clothes I genuinely love. Plus by buying clothes in charity shops it means my conservative budget feels huge. I don’t have guilt about spending a large chunk of money (especially if that item doesn’t get worn). I’ve also become a lot freer and experimental with the styles and colour of what I wear.
It’s a small change that has saved me money, made getting dressed more fun and helped me rethink what I actually need from my clothes. Plus it gives existing clothes a longer lifespan, supports charities rather than nasty corporates and means I’m not contributing to a toxic consumerist industry. What started as a bit of an experiment has become something I will definitely not give up.