Top 5 charity shops in Brighton

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Emma Waight

Continuing our Best Charity Shops series, Emma Waight heads down to Brighton to see what’s on offer by the seaside.

Oxfam Brighton

With its traditional English seafront, great restaurants and abundance of shops, Brighton makes for a great day out. The town is home to all of the high street big names, but if you are looking for something different you will be in your element with the independent shops and second-hand stores on offer. There are also some excellent charity shops worth scouting out and this top 5 list should be a good place to start.

Top 5 Brighton charity shops:

Oxfam, (146a North Street). This Oxfam shop is centrally situated in town so really worth popping in to. Far bigger than it looks from the outside, the shop is beautifully arranged by colour and size. With plenty of stock, branded names and a selection of specialist vintage it is a treasure trove for the second-hand bargain hunter. Having a separate bookshop nearby means this store is all about the fashion.

Barnado’s, (50 West Street). This is a small shop and can get crowded, but again is centrally located so a good one to know about if you find yourself in Brighton regularly. Good for bargains and basics, they had some great accessories last time I popped in which are always great value for money second-hand.

Martlet’s Hospice, (2 Church Street). A must-see for vintage lovers, the Church Street shop of this local hospice charity specialises in vintage fashion from the 1920s to 1980s. Alongside rails of gorgeous vintage clothes, hats, shoes, gloves and jewellery, you’ll also find vintage china, linen and glassware in this exciting emporium. A pop-up shop has opened in the Lanes for a limited time and the charity also have an eBay shop for more unusual donations; a couple of years ago a Hermes scarf sold for £60.

British Heart Foundation, (19-20 London Road). London Road, one of the main routes in and out of the city is a great place for a charity shopping trip. The BHF store is one of the largest and best on the street selling a good range of clothing, books, music and household items, away from the touristy centre.

Scope, (45b London Road). Staying on London Road, pop into Scope, another deceptively roomy shop filled with clothing, shoes, homeware, music and books and even musical instruments. Rummage around to find some unexpected gems.

If you are happy to go further out of the city, the streets of George Street and Blatchington Road in Hove offer a wealth of charity shops favoured by the local residents.

>> Find out about other great charity shops in your area

The Toe-Curling Truth of your Christmas Socks

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Emma Waight

Thinking of buying someone socks this Christmas? Regular contributor, Emma Waight, gives us a few lessons in the history of socks, including things to be wary of.

Socks are a perennial Christmas gift favourite, and there is nothing wrong with that. But the humble mass-market sock, which can be snapped up for next to nothing in high street stores or supermarkets, can be traced back to one person – Hong Dongyang.

Hong Dongyang was once a school teacher, but began making socks on her sewing machine in the 1970s, selling them along the roads in her home country of China. Soon enough, she began to make them on mass, calling her enterprise the Zhejiang Stocking Company.

The idea was copied by others, and now the Zhejiang province is the sock capital of the world, churning out 8 billion pairs a year. This is a third of the world’s supply! Last year, Sock City (Datang) made roughly two pairs of socks for every person on earth.

These are staggering numbers, and such stories of mass manufacture, have transformed the Chinese economy and Chinese livelihoods. China is a highly unequal nation; rural incomes are roughly a third of city incomes. For this reason there has been a Chinese rural exodus as young workers leaving their families to find work in the manufacturing sector. Arable land sits idle as those left in the rural villages are too old to tend to their land, living instead off money sent home from city-based relatives.

Rural life is particularly tough, as half a century of agricultural reforms have left farmers in poverty, using primitive farming methods and paying high taxes (local taxes are 4 to 5 times mid-90s levels). Do you blame young people for migrating to the city?

Sock City rode the recession well, but recent reports say business is slowing. The biggest sock group, Anli Sock Group, which produced 60m pairs of socks annually, went under in May leaving many people redundant.

There are environmental implications too, including the widely reported extremities of textile factory pollution in China.

Not all Chinese made socks are unethical, but you should appreciate the sheer size of this operation and think about where your socks come from. Purely ethical alternatives are hard to come by but the ethical consumer does have options.

Ethical socks
People Tree has some lovely socks, but they are the thick cosy kind rather than the everyday kind. Their Stripy Socks (£28) are worth adding to your Christmas wish list. They’re hand knitted from recycled wool yarn in Nepal.

Natural Collection has some great organic cotton stripy socks, in an assortment of colours (£12.97 online).

Marko John’s make unisex socks (if you’re a lady with fairly large feet) using traditional methods in the UK.

Photo: Natural Collection

Best vintage shops in London

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Emma Waight

Feel a bit lost with the huge number of vintage shops nowadays? Emma Waight guides us through the best of the bunch in London.

Why buy new clothes when you can buy authentic vintage pieces for the same price? Long-time vintage lovers would argue that the recent surge in interest for vintage fashion has pushed up prices, but vintage fashion still offers excellent value for money in many cases. When buying into vintage, you are getting something individual, maybe even unique, and you are almost certainly getting better quality than what you’ll find on the high street. They don’t make clothes like they used to you know.

London is a treasure trove for vintage lovers, offering fashion from all eras and all levels of quality. There’s no doubt about it, there are plenty of gems out there, the problem is knowing where to look. Vintage stores are spread out right across London. Hours of valuable shopping time can be wasted traipsing across the city. This is why it is best to start the day with a strategy and with that in mind, here are some of my personal favourite vintage London stores.

1. Absolute Vintage, Spitalfields, (15 Hanbury Street). One of London’s most famed vintage shops, Absolute Vintage is still reasonably priced for London and offers a huge range of women’s and men’s vintage style. They have the largest vintage shoe and bag collection in the UK and garments are categorised by colour and style. You can even shop online.

2. St CYR Vintage, Camden Market, (Arch 56 Camden Stables Market). Hidden in the depths of Camden Stables Market is this gem. A large shop and full to the brim with vintage lovelies, you could easily lose an hour in here. Stocking women’s fashion, organised in categories and sizes, it is a joy to browse. Alongside vintage fashion from the 1920s onwards, the store has a fantastic range of fashion and historical costume books, perfect for students and fashion lovers alike.

3. Beyond Retro, Brick Lane/Soho, (110-112 Cheshire Street/58-59 Great Marlborough Street). Another big name in the world of vintage, Beyond Retro work slightly different to other vintage stores as all of their stock is brought from charities. With sustainability at its heart, Beyond Retro stocks a wide selection of vintage fashions throughout the eras. As well as the three London stores, you can also shop in their Brighton store and online.

4. Bang Bang, Soho, (21 Goodge Street/9 Berwick Street). Bang Bang is a clothing exchange store with two locations in London. They are the place to go for pre-loved clothing and designer vintage from the 1960s to 1990s, where 80s Vivienne Westwood rubs shoulders with 90s Topshop. As a clothing exchange, you can pop in anytime with your own wardrobe rejects for the chance to make a bit of cash. Click here to find out how to sell your stuff.

5. The Gathering Goddess, Notting Hill, (219 Westbourne Park Road). If you want the best quality vintage that looks as good as it did new, head to designer vintage boutique the Gathering Goddess. They stock a carefully edited collection of vintage pieces and offer an exclusive shopper experience. An in-house seamstress is there to get the best out of the pieces and offers an alteration service.

Emma Waight is a fashion academic and also writes for clothes.org.uk.

Photo: Emma Waight

Ethical gift ideas for Father’s Day

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Emma Waight

It’s Father’s Day on Sunday. If you’re still stuck for what to buy your Dad then Emma Waight has some tips for you that are classy and ethical.

Father's Day Men are notoriously difficult to buy for as they shudder at too much money being spent on them. Having to come up with a Father’s Day present, on top of the birthday and Christmas gifts, can cause relapse to socks and chocolate offerings.

You might not feel it appropriate to give someone a second-hand gift, but for the man who doesn’t want anything scouring charity shops could be the most thoughtful thing to do. Plus they’re packed full of goodies, from clothing to retro toys, so you’re bound to find something for all different types of dads.

For the dapper dad
A cool dapper dad will love a new retro addition to his wardrobe. He’s the type of dad who would see the beauty in second-hand clothing. If you aren’t sure about sizing, play it safe with accessories: tie bars; collar bars; cuff links; hats; and belts. You can always find some fabulous ties in second-hand shops at great prices. The Oxfam Online Shop stock the cream of the crop for men’s accessories allowing you to browse from the comfort of your own home. At the time of writing they were selling a Versace tie, Barbour scarf and Italian leather wallet, and that was just on the first page!

Lyrical dad
For music loving dads take a trip to a second-hand music store such as Oxfam Music and browse for something that he used to listen to when you were young. Many people have misplaced vinyls, cassettes and CDs over the years so there is nothing wrong with restocking his collection. Some charities have eBay stores too, such as the British Heart Foundation which stocks LPs. Oxfam Music and Audio Ealing has one of the largest vintage music collections in London.

Bookworm dad
Second-hand books make great gifts. If you aren’t sure of his favourite authors, why not go for a cookery book or something which plays to his hobbies – golf, 18^th Century history, or in the case of my Dad, motorway service stations. The South Kensington Octavia Foundation store has a treasure trove of books in the basement of the store.

New dad
If you are fulfilling Father’s Day duties on behalf of a young child how can you resist a bit of ‘I made it myself’. Pop into any second-hand shop on your local high street and snap up a plain hat, plate or cup and let the child go crazy with paint and buttons (perhaps avoid the sequins and glitter). That’s really what Father’s Day is all about.

For the dad that has it all
Some dads really do have it all. So failing everything else why not check out Oxfam Unwrapped for poverty busting gifts that make a difference.

Emma Waight is a fashion academic and also writes for clothes.org.uk.

Photo: Paparutzi

Best charity shops on Winchester

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Emma Waight

Our Best Charity Shop trail continues to snake around the country. Following on from London and Exeter, we now visit Winchester, where Emma Waight tells us about the best places to go for pre-loved fashion.

Cancer Research charity shop Winchester is an historic cathedral city in Hampshire and former capital city of England. A visit to Winchester provides for a lovely day out with its carefully edited collection of shops, traditional pubs and historic buildings.

Due to the exquisite taste of the local residents, Winchester has a fine collection of charity shops all within easy access of the main High Street. On my last trip I managed to pick up a seventies Marks and Spencer cotton check dress which I immediately fell in love with. So which are the charity shops to look out for in Winchester?

Cancer Research UK, (75 Parchment Street). This shop has a fabulous range of clothes and accessories with plenty of branded and designer pieces at good prices. Garments are organised according to type and they have a particularly good collection of menswear, including quality shirts and designer ties.

Age UK, (48 St Georges Street, 84 High Street). Age UK have two small charity shops in Winchester. They are well stocked but can get crowded at weekends. Friendly and chatty staff make for an entertaining shopping trip.

Naomi House, (8 St George’s Street). Naomi House have shops scattered across Hampshire. The Winchester store is very spacious for a charity shop, and organised according to colour. They don’t get many designer names but they have plenty of well-priced basics.

Oxfam, (153 High Street). Once again Oxfam show that they are way ahead of the fashion game. This is a well presented store stocking second-hand clothes, accessories and bric-a-brac as well as Oxfam’s Fairtrade food products. The store has a designated vintage section with excellent fashion finds priced lower than the average London store. There is a separate books and music store on Parchment Street, next to Age UK.

Emma Waight is a fashion academic and also writes for clothes.org.uk.

London’s best charity shops

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Emma Waight

Charity shopping is about as sustainable and ethical as it gets. However some may be put off by the mothball ragged appearance of a lot of them. Emma Waight guides us through the best of the bunch in London.

Clothes rail I always say charity shops offer the ultimate in guilt free shopping. They fill an environmental need to recycle and reuse, an ethical desire to help others by raising money for the charity. They also fulfil a financial necessity for the shopper to save pennies.

Having said that, you do have to invest a bit of time in them to gain the best rewards. London has something to offer everyone as a shopping destination and the charity shopping is no exception. Why not make a day of it and go on a treasure hunt? You might be amazed with what you find.

Top 5 London charity shops:

British Red Cross, Victoria (85 Ebury Street). Got some time to kill while you wait for your train? Go and find this small but perfectly formed gem at the back of Victoria station. This store is packed with designer labels. Last time I was there they had bright red Louis Vuitton trainers and a black Dolce & Gabbana dress for sale.
Octavia Foundation, South Kensington (211 Brompton Road). This is a large store with separate designer and high street sections. Many pieces look barely worn, but be careful of the pricing. Last time I popped in they had a basic Primark dress ticketed at £20! One for book lovers too, wander downstairs to find a room full of second-hand and vintage reads.
Fara, Kensington (26 Gloucester Road). Fara stores are dotted all over London. This branch has a particularly gorgeous boutique feel and is very well merchandised. Full of clothes, bags, shoes and jewellery, it’s a real treasure trove. I had to tear myself away from a Chloe black playsuit, priced at around £120 (£700 new).
Oxfam, Notting Hill (245 Westbourne Grove). Oxfam were quick to make the vintage fashion trend work for them, and this store makes use of donations from its wealthy local residents. Why not combine a visit with a trip to Portobello Market?
Traid, Camden (154 Camden High Street). Traid differ from other charity shops in that the sale of second-hand clothes is their main source of funding and fundamental element of the charity, therefore they really make it count. Traid Camden is their flagship branch, offering Traid second-hand, Traid vintage and Traidremade – their very own upcycled ethical fashion label.