Hello everyone and welcome back. I hope you are all having a great week so far and are looking forward to the weekend ahead. Today I thought I would talk to you all about second hand clothes. Whether that be from a charity shop, a selling sight or even recycling your friends and families old clothes it's all going to be in this post. Firstly, I want to start off by saying I am a huge lover of buying second hand clothing. You just get a sense of pride from recycling pre-loved clothes. I always find that I get the best items second hand and you can really search for unique and interesting items. So today I thought I would go through: who, what, where, when and why we should reuse, recycle and re-love old clothing. Enjoy...
Who...
Who should be recycling? You! You and everyone around you. If we all put our minds together and stick to what's best (recycling of course) then we could easily reduce the amount of waste by the masses and all live in a safer and healthier environment. Especially if you are a lover of fast fashion (which is the whole reason why were are having issues in the first place) then you should be thinking about a great way to recycle your old clothing. Check out my old blog post explaining 'The Truth Behind Fast Fashion'. It can be hard (I know) to restrain yourself from buying clothes when you are such a fashion lover but it really is important to take a minute and think about the damage it is really causing. Maybe you could get a group of friends, family or even strangers together and work towards being more eco friendly when it comes to fashion. If that doesn't sound like something you would want to do, why not simply encourage your family to work with you to take more pride in donating old clothes instead of chucking them away.
What...
Pretty much anything that is made from a fabric material can be donated or recycled. Shoes, bags, clothes, jewellery and accessories. They can all be rehomed to someone that can show them some love. When ever you find you find yourself ignoring items in your wardrobe simply sell or donate it to give it a better home.
Where...
In terms of selling old clothes I love to use selling sights such as Ebay, Vinted or Facebook Marketplace. This offers other second hand lovers a chance to browse the sights like they would a normal store. I love to sell my newer, better quality items on these sights, meaning I can make a bit of money out of my old clothing as well as giving them a better home. This also means that you haven't wasted all your money on the items (especially if they are brand new. Equally I love shopping on these sights as you get a sense of mystery each time you shop as you don't know what sort of things you will find.
Another great place I love to shop and also donate my older and more worn items is charity shops. Again you get the sense of shopping in a store but I find it so much more enjoyable as you don't know what amazing things you can find. As there is only one of each item you feel like you find unique pieces that no one else will have. I love to stand out and be original with my fashion so finding unique pieces is a great way to do this without breaking the bank. You will also save money in the long run by buying one or two items here and there instead of a bunch of clothing all at once (like in mainline stores). Another benefit is the prices are so much cheaper! In terms of donating to charity shops I tend to only really donate the clothes that are a bit more worn or not very 'on trend' at the time. This way other people can shop them in store instead and give them a better home.
Another great way to donate old clothing is to give it to friends and family. If you have a younger sibling or cousin you could give them your old clothing. I know this was a popular thing to do in my house when I was growing up. As I would grow out of clothes I would pass them down to my younger sister. Anything she didn't want we would then give to the charity shop. Equally, I would get old clothes from older friends as they grew out of there's which meant we were always recycling clothing as we grew up.
Finally the last place to donate your clothes to is the clothing bank. Most towns have at least one clothing bank, usually with the glass and bottle recycling bank. If you have any clothes that aren't in good enough condition to sell, donate or give to someone else then recycle them in the clothing bank instead. Look for items that have stains or holes in them and simply pop them into the clothing bank. This will then either be recycled into a new piece of clothing or it will be sent to a developing country to give to the less fortunate people who can't afford to buy clothing new. Either way you are doing a great job at recycling your old pre-loved clothing.
When...
At the start and end of each season I love to go through my wardrobe and clear out everything that I don't wear or want any more. It's a great way to refresh your wardrobe for the new season and get rid of anything that your can't see yourself loving the following year. For instance I recently cleared out my winter clothing to make room for all my summer items. As I only have a small wardrobe I fill it with seasonal items and keep the rest of my clothes in vacuum packed bags under my bed. For example, when it's winter I have all my winter clothing in my wardrobe and my summer clothing stored away under my bed. This keeps my wardrobe tidy and makes it easier to see what clothing I actually have. However, before putting my summer clothing into my wardrobe I went through all of last years pieces and got rid of anything that I don't love anymore. I also tend to have another clear out half way through the season to see what I'm still loving and what I'm not likely to wear again. This also gives others chance to reuse my old clothing while it's still in season.
Why...
Now you may actually be wondering why it is so important to recycle old clothing. Well, you may or may not be aware of the amount of clothing that gets chucked away and thrown into the landfills every year. The amount is staggering! These clothes will take millions of year to dissolve fully into the earth meaning we are running out of room in the landfills. As the clothes rot they also give off a toxic waste gas that is polluting the air and causing harmful diseases such a cancer! All we have to do is reduce this waste by recycling our old clothing instead of throwing it away. It is also important to think about the less fortunate human beings on this planet that don't have enough money to buy clothing. By simply putting your old clothes into the clothing bank, it means that someone lucky will get your old pieces of clothing and treasure them like they are new. Just because something has a stain or hole doesn't mean it has to be thrown away. That item can be given a new home with someone that is less fortune (and fussy) than us.
Another great reason to sell old clothing is to make money. I mean your never going to get enough to quit your job unfortunately but it gives you chance to make a bit of money back on your clothing. Also buying second hand, whether from a selling sight or from a charity shop, helps you save money in the long run. The items tend to be a lot cheaper than they would be in a store and you tend to only buy one or two items at once. I also find I tend to think about the items I'm buying a bit more and whether I really love them and want to spend my money on them.
Vintage lovers will become obsessed with buying second hand as you can get truly amazing vintage pieces on sights such as Ebay and in some vintage charity shops. You can spend hours flicking through authentic pieces to add to your collection. I'm not a huge fan of vintage items as I don't feel like they fit my style but I love the aspect of it. If you love to go for the vintage look then you can only really get these items second hand.
So that's all I have for you all today. After reading this post I hope you are more open to buying second hand clothing. There is nothing wrong or disgusting about it so I really hope you consider it if you haven't already. I hope you enjoyed this post today and found it interesting and helpful. If you want to read about more fashion topics then make sure you head back to my blog every Friday for more. Also make sure you head back every Wednesday for outfit inspired posts as well. I hope to see you all back here again soon...
Emma Victoria
