WilliamVintage - Oxfam Fashion Patron

Oxfam and WilliamVintage are launching a year long partnership to change the way people buy and wear second-hand fashion. The partnership will bring together the expert eye of WilliamVintage founder, William Banks-Blaney and Oxfam's decades of experience on the British high street as the charity celebrates its 70th anniversary.

WilliamVintage, the iconic company specialising in the world's finest vintage clothing and haute couture, regularly draws the attention of celebrities and creative directors of the world's leading fashion houses. William Banks-Blaney, founder of WilliamVintage and now Oxfam Fashion Patron, said: "I am delighted to be the Oxfam Fashion Patron for 2013 and excited to work with Oxfam, showcasing their amazing selection of clothes and the great work this global charity carries out."

William has spent the past six months visiting Oxfam shops and warehouses to select his favourite pieces from donations and in 2012/13 visitors to Oxfam's online shop will be able to view and purchase from 'The Edit', his special monthly pick of fashion from across the UK. There will also be monthly Masterclasses from William talking about second-hand fashion, from the last season to the last century, and the art of mixing and matching with high street and high end. The first Edits and Masterclasses by WilliamVintage were available from the 3-14th December 2012 on vogue.co.uk as part of Vogue Online Fashion Week. An 'edit' of handpicked clothing was also available to buy on the online shop from 3-14 December 2012.

Oxfam's 700 high street and online shops raise millions of pounds each year to support its life-saving work around the world. Sarah Farquhar, head of retail brand at Oxfam, said: "Oxfam has been a much-loved face on the British high street for many years, but it's vital that we keep reinventing ourselves to meet the needs of our customers. William has a fantastic knowledge of fashion history and an incredible ability to unearth sartorial gems in minutes. We hope that seeing Oxfam fashion through his eyes will inspire women to feel confident experimenting with second-hand clothing. The added bonus being that every single item bought in an Oxfam shop contributes to work which helps millions of people living in poverty every year.

The beautiful WilliamVintage store holds Dior New Look LBDs, long-lost Courreges masterpieces, Chanel suits hand-stitched by Coco herself, and several hundred pieces that change continuously as they find new homes with women who want a unique service and a unique piece.

Celebrity fashion stylist Rachel Zoe refers to WilliamVintage as "the best store in London". Brian Atwood says he is "obsessed" with WilliamVintage. TimeOut refers to WilliamVintage as "one of the 101 best things about London".

William has been profiled in Vogue, Tatler, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, InStyle, You Magazine and The Sunday Times Style. WilliamVintage pieces have been featured on Jacquetta Wheeler, Karlie Kloss, Anja Rubik and Isabeli Fontana, amongst other celebrated models. Devotees include Lana Del Rey, Rihanna, Eva Green, Nigella Lawson and Gillian Anderson.

William, says: "Beauty is available to everyone and can be found everywhere". From discovering a rare Dior to lecturing at The Victoria and Albert Museum, he's fast becoming the man we all want to have met.