Secondhand September: How can you help?

Have you heard of Secondhand September? Or if you have, do you know how it works and how you can make a difference by getting involved?

Originating in 2019, Oxfam, a charitable British organisation, created an initiative called Secondhand September. This month-long event focuses on the positive impact of recycling clothes, not buying brand new, reducing consumption levels and raising money towards poverty and climate change. It encourages people to only purchase from secondhand providers for the whole 30 days with the hopes to continue for months after!

Secondhand September aims to shed light on the impact of fast fashion, clothes produced in high volume and sold at low cost, and just how much it is affecting the climate crisis. Because of fast fashion, the carbon footprint of fashion itself is estimated to produce 92 million tonnes of waste a year. Now I don’t know about you, but that is a huge reality check. This month helps reduce that number by reminding people brand new isn't always the way to go and why not join the ever growing pre-loved community.

Here at Designer Exchange, we don’t just do Second Hand for the month of September, but it is our mission month by month to provide customers with pre-loved goods as we strongly believe that this should be the future of fashion, in an effort to dress and live more sustainably.

Try these ideas in the month of September:

1. Reselling your items or donating to charities
2. Purchasing only secondhand items
3. Care for your clothing and repair items you already own
4. Buy smartly and look out for eco-friendly fabrics, this way your clothing will last longer
5. Wash your clothes less frequently and on a lower heat and also air dry
6. Clothes swap with other friends to source new outfits!
7. Get creative and upcycle some pieces you already own, think maxi dress made into a mini or a top!

We pledge to say YES to less, how about you? #secondhandseptember