WITH second-hand and sustainable fashion becoming bang on trend, charity shops are quickly becoming clothes lovers favourite place to bag a bargain.
But for one girl, stocking up on her wardrobe staples at charity shops was something she was initially “embarrassed” about.
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Hope Bailey, 18, from Manchester, admits she used to hide away while sifting through the rails in her local charity shops, as she never wanted anybody to see her picking out second-hand items.
Now, after saving thousands on her designer wardrobe, Hope is championing second-hand stores and is encouraging others to ditch fast fashion retailers for their local charity shops instead.
“I think a lot of people still have the perception of charity shops 20 years ago, especially older generations,” she said.
“But they’re not like how they used to be – they won’t sell anything that’s damaged or got stains on so it’s all really good quality.”
Proving just how good her charity shop finds can be, Hope is proudly seen boasting about her second-hand finds on TikTok and Instagram, and insists she never wears the same outfit twice, now her wardrobe is so well stocked.
In one charity shop haul alone, she picked up a pair of thigh-high cream boots for £7, a trendy colour-block blazer for £4, crop tops for £1 and a pair of silk white trousers for 33.
High-end designer items she’s bagged for a fraction of the price include Dior t-shirts, a Mulberry belt and a Burberry bag.
“When I was in high school I would buy eight things from an online fast fashion business for about £200 and now I can get 50 if not more things for about £40 from charity shops, so I’m saving hundreds a month,” she insisted.
Hope first got into shopping in charity shops when she was in sixth form and was allowed to wear her own clothes to school.
Wanting to “stand out”, she quickly discovered the only way she could afford a killer wardrobe was to buy pre-owned items.
She’s now grown accustom to a sustainable way of shopping, revealing: “Pretty much all of my clothes are from charity shops, I very rarely will shop at a fast fashion brand unless it’s something I need like underwear and pyjamas.”
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Hope says: “People are surprised when I tell them I shop in charity shops – a lot of girls message me on Instagram and ask me to send them the links to the clothes I’m wearing and I have to say sorry I don’t have a link.”
Now a professional when it comes to sourcing the best of the second-hand items on offer, Hope stops by her local charity shops every other day and even goes to car boot sales each month.
She even donates clothes herself to charity shops, sifting out the items she no longer wears and giving them to second-hand stores to pass onto the next fashion lover.
Hope has urged others to follow suit, especially if they want to “dress outside of the box”, as she championed charity shops for stocking the items everyone won’t already have.
She insists: “If you want to have your own style it’s better to shop somewhere where everyone won’t have the item.”
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Meanwhile, one woman shares ‘I’m a charity shop addict – I’ve got £15k of designer togs for £900 including a £600 Gucci for pounds, here’s my tips’.
Plus, one savvy shopper reveals ‘My wardrobe’s packed with designers like Dolce & Gabbana & Moschino which I bought for pounds, I’m a charity shop genius’.
And this woman who was a homeless single mum who couldn’t afford a loaf of bread & is now set to turnover £100k.
