Charity shopping – cheap and chic?

Joanne Kelly looks at the trends in second hand clothes shopping.

''An increasing number of charity shops are now marketing their donations in more attractive ways.'' ''When discussing my choice of dress for a recent summer ball I was amazed at the wide range of responses I received before I had even worn it.'' ''Charity shops are no longer full of bobbled cardigans, but can be the place to go for that one-off item no one else is going to get their hands on.''

When discussing my choice of dress for a recent summer ball I was amazed at the wide range of responses I received before I had even worn it. Some people congratulated me, impressed by my defiance against high street or designer shopping, some looked at me with a puzzled expression, whilst others openly stated: ‘Oh, you’re one of those people’.

All these responses were generated from my announcement that my ball dress cost £8 from a charity shop. Whilst celebrities are setting a trend for the vintage look, whether through shopping for vintage pieces in Topshop or entering specialist vintage shops recommended by fashion magazines, they are yet to set foot in charity shops. Vintage clothing can encompass a wide array of eras so defining it is difficult and means that unique second-hand clothing in general could, quite rightly, fit into this category. So why is charity shopping still disregarded by so many?

A general fear that many have about charity shops is that there will not be anything suitable and that it takes ages to find anything that fits or looks good. But an increasing number of charity shops are now marketing their donations in more attractive ways to appeal to those very customers who have these doubts. Oxfam Originals is an example of this, taking a leaf out of vintage shops’ books by creating boutique-style shops, and most charity shops now identifying their best donations as the key essentials to be displayed on the shop floor.

Crucially charity shops, whilst having increased their prices over the years, are still undeniably cheaper than their vintage counterparts. Their reliance on donations means that there is always going to be greater opportunities for the shopper to acquire something much more original than from a specialist vintage shop focusing on a more narrow range of styles and looks.

A charity shopper may still be identified as ‘one of those people’, but this is slowly beginning to change. This stems from charity shops becoming wiser to their customers, whilst shoppers are beginning to scrutinise more carefully the ethics behind high street shopping.

Even if people are buying vintage clothing from Topshop, they are showing that they care less about the fact that their clothes are second hand, which can only be a good thing. Charity shops need to further key into this market and show that they can also be high street contenders: that they are no longer full of bobbled cardigans, but can be the place to go for that one-off item no one else is going to get their hands on.