Shelter is on a mission to encourage more people to discover the joys of shopping second-hand and extending the life of clothes this September with our ‘Resale Therapy’ campaign. Not only does this mean helping the environment, but also finding stylish looks, and in doing so, supporting Shelter in the fight for home where new government figures show record numbers of households are facing homelessness.
The total CO2 footprint of clothing in the UK in 2016 was 26.2 million tonnes, with 921,000 tonnes of textiles ending up in household residual waste in 2017. However, by doubling the life of clothes, greenhouse gas emissions can be lowered by 44%. To help you make more conscious fashion choices this September, we’ve teamed up with a host of content creators and makers to share tips and tricks to get the best out of charity shopping and are running a programme of clinic events to help shoppers upcycle, mend or alter clothes to prolong their life.
Upcycling clinics
Drop by with your unloved outfits or pick up a secondhand treasure from our rails and learn how to restyle, customise and alter to breathe new life into old favourites.
Saturday 9th September
King's Cross Boutique at Coal Drops Yard, Unit EV8, 1st Floor, London
11am – 3pm
Hosted by Dani Dawkins
@isitdanidawks
Sign up here
Saturday 16th September
Motherwell shop, Unit 18 Brandon Parade, South Motherwell, Scotland
11am - 3pm
Hosted by Conor Blessing and Ros Williams
Sign up here
Sunday 10th September
Primrose Hill Community Shop, 158 Regents Park Road, London
11am – 3pm
Hosted by Susanna Mensah
Semsah
Sign up here
Saturday 23rd September
Hampstead Heath Boutique, 57 South End Road, London
11am – 3pm
Hosted by Penny Salman
@threadsforapenny
Sign up here
Whenever you shop with Shelter, all profits support essential work to defend the right to a safe home and fight the devastating impact the housing emergency has on people and society. New government figures show 79,840 households faced homelessness in England between January and March 2023 – the highest number on record. By donating to and shopping at our charity shops, you can support frontline services to continue providing free and expert help to anyone facing homelessness, as well as helping to campaign for lasting change.
References:
In England, 79,840 households were owed a prevention or relief duty between January and March 2023. These figures are available at DLUHC, Statutory Homelessness Live tables, Table A1. This is the highest number in a single quarter on record. Records began in 2018 when statutory homelessness duties changed. For more details, see Households facing homelessness highest since records began, 25th July 2023.
On September 30th 2022 there were 28,944 live homelessness cases in Scotland. This is the highest number on record in Scotland and up 11% compared to the previous year.
Sources of statistics quoted in marketing materials:
Doubling the life of clothes can lower greenhouse gas emissions by 44%: A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future, Ellen MacArthur foundation, 2017
An estimated 164,000 tonnes of clothing was discarded that could be reused in 2021: The Role of Reuse in Helping Families through the Cost-of-Living Crisis | WRAP report 2022
If half of UK clothing was worn another nine months carbon, water and waste footprints would reduce by up to 10%: Textiles 2030 Circular Design Toolkit: An introduction to design for circularity
25% of our clothes in our wardrobe haven’t been worn in a year: Citizen Insights: Clothing Longevity and Circular Business Models Receptivity in the UK | WRAP report 2022
Repairing clothing extends an item's lifespan by a further 1.3 years: Citizen Insights: Clothing Longevity and Circular Business Models Receptivity in the UK | WRAP report 2022
Up to 8% of the world’s greenhouse gases are estimated to be created by the fashion industry: Measuring fashion: Environmental Impact of the Global Apparel and Footwear Industries Study, Quantis, 2018