At the start of the summer I was delighted to present to delegates at the Charity Retail Association’s annual conference in Harrogate. I told them they were the preloved pioneers and should be talking about it more as that particular term becomes ever more popular.
In the immediate aftermath I posted as much on LinkedIn, in particular saying I thought eBay was being a bit cheeky describing itself as a preloved pioneer. My point – as it was at the conference – was charity retailers are the original preloved players and have been involved in what modern parlance labels as “recommerce” since day one.
It was not meant as a slight at eBay, which has done a great job in helping keep goods from landfill by encouraging peer to peer trading. It is also part of a modern cohort of retail businesses really raising the message about the environmental and economic benefits of perpetuating a second-hand economy.
There were a few eBay defenders who got in touch with me as well after my comments. But I stand by them for what they were – a call to action for charity retailers to own the preloved space and, hopefully, help increase their levels of trade by attaching themselves to the environmental agenda using the modern terminology.
Oxfam x Vinted
With all that in mind, it is encouraging Oxfam has announced a new partnership with another modern preloved giant, Vinted.
The online marketplace, which helps people sell their unwanted goods to other consumers and this year announced an annual profit for the first time to underline the strength of the market, is a key collaborator for Oxfam’s Second Hand September 2024.
It will support Oxfam’s star-studded fashion show at London Fashion Week on 12 September, which is dubbed Style for Change and will feature an array of famous faces extolling the virtues of and showcasing preloved clothing.
All outfits on the catwalk will be styled by preloved expert Bay Garnett, and they will also be made available for purchase on Vinted through Oxfam’s online wardrobe shop. Vinted will be supporting Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign throughout the month.
Kehinde Brown, Oxfam’s strategic communications lead, said: “Together, we are on a mission to make second-hand fashion mainstream, so it is a wonderful and authentic pairing.
“Our fashion show will be the ultimate display of sustainable fashion, which we hope will inspire people to discover the joys of second-hand clothing. Vinted has captured the mainstream and championed pre-loved fashion like no other online marketplace has, so we can’t think of anyone better to be partnering with to help prove that second-hand does not mean second best and that by embracing pre-loved clothing, individuals can express their personal style while contributing to a larger cause.”
Marianne Gybels, Vinted’s senior director of sustainability, described the tie-up as “a fantastic opportunity to advance our shared mission”.
“Together, we can collectively champion the tremendous potential of pre-loved fashion and inspire people to embrace second-hand choices, fostering a shift towards more circular behaviours,” she added.
I think it’s a great example of a charity retailer seizing the opportunity to talk up its preloved pioneer status, and become front and central to the sustainability conversation.
Charity retail in the news
Indeed, since talking in Harrogate I’ve engaged with the charity retail sector in more depth than ever before – and I’ve found several great examples of organisations using their established sustainability position to help promote wider retail’s green agenda.
In the last few weeks, we’ve covered news of furniture and homewares retailer Dunelm partnering with The Salvation Army to launch an online textile takeback scheme aimed at tackling fabric waste.
Consumers can generate a free shipping label online, and select a courier and a convenient place to drop off their used home textiles, with Dunelm suggesting the initiative will accept anything from bedding and cushions, to throws and blankets – as well as unwanted clothing.
All textiles are sent to The Salvation Army to be resold or recycled.
Meanwhile, Oxfam opened its second “superstore” in July – this time in Manchester. The launch of a multi-storey superstore is evidence of the charity acting like a traditional retailer and creating a preloved destination for consumers.
And the way the retail team have marketed it is evidence the charity retailer is talking in modern terms about its offering and elevating its messaging compared to just another charity shop opening.
And just this week we covered homelessness charity Crisis collaborating with the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) to trial a new approach to clothing recycling.
The pilot scheme which is currently running in two south London stores is helping its customers recycle their clothes while also educating consumers on how they need to think about donations. Often unaware about what is ‘wearable’ and ‘unwearable’, consumers will donate clothes to charities without making the distinction, but if they think about this in more detail and sort their donations appropriately they can better ensure materials don’t end up in landfill.
It’s an important message Crisis is taking on.
Anyway, those are my ramblings for this month. Key message is: charity retailers should start owning the preloved space and not let the high street and online retailers pretend they are revolutionaries in the second-hand movement.
Judging by recent events, that seems to be happening anyway. Good on the charity retailers. they are the original preloved and recommerce organisations.
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Ben Sillitoe, editor, Green Retail World (@bsillitoe)
[Main image credit: Charity Retail Association annual conference official pics]
