Hello lovelies,

Have you ever been second hand shopping? Believe it or not before this month I never have!

Why? Simply put,  I had some pre-conceived ideas about second hand shopping that fundamentally held me back.

They were;

1. If you can afford to buy, why would you second hand shop?
2. Trailing through rows of jumbled up old clothes wasn’t cool and put me off.
3. I’d never find what I was looking for.

Have you ever felt like that?

Well scroll onto 2021, we’ve been dealing with life under Covid and we’ve been locked down so much so, that the novelty of online shopping started to wear off for me and I came to the realisation pretty quickly, shopping for shopping sake was just not sustainable. More importantly there were so many other styles of clothes that I wanted to try from other decades that I just wasn’t getting.

In addition to that, my age has played a massive part. I’m older than when my pre-conceived ideas were formed and the need to be on the hamster wheel of being on trend just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Everything has a place and I love to know what’s on trend to help clients and myself, and if there are pieces that I like that will work well with what I have then great. But I am well out of my teens and finding my style is no longer dictated directly by a magazine but is now about what I love and what works for me.

So I was super excited to receive an email about a clothes swapping event, where you could take unwanted pieces from your wardrobe and swap them with someone else’s pre loved ones. My video below goes into the whole experience so do take the time to watch here  and let me know in the comments how you found it. But I would like to leave you with some tips/ food for thought on why I now feel second hand shopping is definitely the way to go based on the following;

 

1. Shopping second hand is ultimately the most sustainable way to shop because you’re giving a new lease of life to a pre-loved garment. This prevents unloved clothing from going to waste and joining the 11 million items of clothing that end up in UK landfill every week.  It is estimated that extending the average lifespan of our clothes by just three months would lead to a 5 to 10 percent reduction in each item’s carbon, water and waste footprints.

 

2. It cost me just £20 to swap and browse for items with a Prosecco in my hand and 90 minutes of shopping time. My finds cost more than my entry and I got at least eight items which will add real value to my wardrobe, without the expensive price tag.  More importantly though my act won’t directly fund the fast fashion industry or its exploitative practices. Plus, charity shopping allows you to direct your money where you want it and support a good cause of your choice.

 

3. Second hand clothes shopping usually come with heavily discounted price tag. One of the biggest obstacles to sustainable fashion is its price point but second hand shopping is budget friendly for students, working families and the frugal at heart. So, it’s the perfect way to kickstart your sustainability journey.

 

4. When you buy a second hand item you know that wherever you go no one is wearing that same item, and to me that is priceless. Second hand shopping is a great way to experiment with clothes and create your own looks rather than others and develop your own style in much much more affordable way. For those of you who are keen this is a great opportunity for you to find pieces to transform through up cycling too.

 

5. Finally, everyone likes to bargain hunt and finding a piece that has saved you money is very satisfying. Shopping second hand is admittedly somewhat of a treasure hunt. You can leave loads of stores empty-handed but then strike gold with a designer piece. It’s moments like these that make the entire trip worth while. It’s a moment of sheer joy that you simply cannot replicate on the high street.

Tip of the day: Why not try online second-hand or vintage shopping as a genuine alternative to fast fashion. It’s a real opportunity to inject personality and passion back into your wardrobe.

If you like these tips but you might not have the time to shop vintage or second hand, lets have a chat to see how I can help here.  If however, you are ready to sort out your wardrobe, which for me is the foundation to finding your style, why not take advantage of a special offer I have for the month of May 2021 and work with me. I am offering a discount for my virtual or in person wardrobe detox service, which would normally be £250 and has now been reduced to £200 with GET50OFF at the checkout for a limited time only. Have a look here.

Finally if you like what you read and want to be a part of my Style community why not download my free outfit planner here.

I hope you have found this post helpful. Let me know in the comments whether you shop second hand, would like to and any thoughts you may have?

Until next time xx

 

 

#slowfashion #secondhandfashion #thriftstorefinds #secondhandclothing #London #thriftedfashion #seconhandshopping #mumslife #sustainablefashion #secondhandfinds #secondhandswap #thriftshop #secondhandfirst #thrifted #preloved #prelovedfinds #secondhandstyle #secondhandshop #personalstylistlondon #outfitideas  #womensfashion #fashionista #shoppingsecondhand #secondhandclothesshopping