Back for its fourth year, #SecondHandSeptember is all about shunning the new and embracing the old, the preloved, the repurposed, the upcycled, the retro, the vintage – whatever you choose to call it, you could call it the antithesis of fast fashion. Whether you are coming to it with the environment or the cost of living in mind, we’ve chosen some of our favourite shops and apps to inspire you to give it a go this month.
Please note, all pieces featured may well have gone by the time you click the link but that’s the joy of secondhand. As well as knowing that you’re shopping for a better planet, you also get the thrill of finding that one perfect thing that no-one else will be wearing.
One Scoop Store was founded n 2017. It started life on Instagram, and a physical store in East London followed a couple of years later. Loved by the fashion press, in 2020 they collaborated with Selfridges for a month-long pop-up as part of the Planet Earth campaign. Labels range from Ganni and Mango to Burberry and Isabel Marant, with plenty of rare, vintage finds.
Depop was one of the first to combine buying and selling with social interaction in a virtual space (the app is best, but you can also register and shop at their website). Find your style through finding your favourite sellers and you’re set.
Fashion insiders love Reluxe which has an enviable choice of perfectly presented pre-loved clothing and accessories – there’s a whole section dedicated to Chanel – and also offers shoppers the chance to scour the archives of designers including Bella Freud, Preen and Simone Rocha. Model, Photographer and Vogue Contributing Editor comments: “Reluxe is the dream. I can search my favourite brands and discover archive gems”.
Toast are a true high-street heroes when it comes to sustainability. Their commitment to the environment is thorough and we are delighted that they, too, offer a secondhand section, Toast Renewed. These pieces have been made fresh again with creative mending which honly adds to their appeal. A new selection launches online this month.
Rental has become increasingly commonplace in the fashion industry, and the concept really comes into its own when you’re sourcing occasion wear like this stunning embellished midi-dress which would cost £155 new or you can rent from just £30.
Ganni’s inclusive approach to fashion doesn’t just stop at their sizing. They, too, offer a rental service allowing you to hire from their current collection direct from Copenhagen.
GR London offers ‘Pret-a-Couture’ designed by Gotal Ryam, a timeless collection of elegant modernity,
available to rent at mywardrobehq.com
PO.P specialise in sustainable children’s clothes and have an impressive second hand section which rates offerings from ‘like new’ to gently and well worn
Fashion-forward clothing rental, powered by its customers. Like Depop or Vinted, but for rental rather than purchasing. With regular events including Swap Shops, they should be firmly on your fashion radar.
Download the app direct from loanhood.com
If you can’t get to your local chazza shop, pop online to browse Oxfam’s online store which is packed with seasonal bargains and vintage finds.
Lovely’s Vintage is one of our favourite online boutiques for their fabulous curation of vintage and retro pieces. You never quite know what you might find in their eclectic collections. We were torn between a frankly fantastic, crocheted cape with hood and these pastel paint-splattered jeans.
Cow Vintage has hand-picked items from across the decades sorted into categories including men, women, curve and premium. We love their Reworked pieces; outdated stock transformed into one-off trend-led new styles.
