by It’s 5pm on a Friday night and a group of volunteers have gathered in a cold old church in Willesden, north-west London, making last-minute adjustments to rails of floaty dresses, piles of sweaters, boxes of hats, shoes and scarves. Hosted by ex Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman and novelist Zadie Smith, this is no old charity festival but a must-go event that summarizes the current trends in how people buy their clothes.
The provenance of much of the merchandise is stellar. Shulman opened her address book and Sophie Dahl and Jemima Khan donated clothes. Among the labels seen were YSL, Chanel, Jil Sander, Prada, Gucci, Manolo Blahnik, Margaret Howell and almost every other big name in luxury goods. And lots of Zara. Prices range from £10 to £200.
Once the shoppers are admitted, the shopping begins. Marina Beaumont, 40, who lives in nearby Kensal Rise and works in marketing, tells me she is ready for the melee. “I’m wearing a vest and leggings to make it easier to try things on; you have to know what to expect.” She was encouraged to come out at the end of the week because “I knew if Alexandra and Zadie put their names on it, it would be worth it”.
And for her it is. She looks stunning in a long black Bella Freud evening dress, which Shulman says is her personal favorite of everything in the sale. A recent survey found that 67% of millennials now buy second-hand, and Beaumont is no exception: “I shop on resale sites a lot; Most of my friends do too.”
Chiara Menage, who founded one such site, Menage Modern Vintage, in 2018, tells me that the trend has gone mainstream with its clear link to sustainability. “That has contributed a lot to why people are looking more favorably at second-hand and vintage. I aim to offer a really good alternative to buying new things that is as good as new, and 100% sustainable.
“It’s guilt-free shopping at a quarter or even a 10th of the price. So you can buy something like a YSL top, but not this season’s top, and you love it so much.”
Menage hadn’t heard of the “rule of five”, a popular sustainability campaign to steer fashion fans away from overconsumption by challenging them to buy no more than five new items in a year. Fashion consultant and retailer Tiffanie Darke started the campaign in 2023 based on research by think tank Hot or Cool Institute. Second-hand is not included in the total. The Co-operative’s report on Ethical Markets 2023 reveals that second-hand clothing sales have increased by almost 50%.
“Pre-loved purchases rose to £1.2bn and second-hand listings on online markets such as Depop and Vinted boomed. Meanwhile, visits to charity shops are becoming more frequent than ever, resulting in a 147% increase in sales,” the bank reported.
Talking to a group of teenagers from a local school, I hear budget and climate awareness being invoked to guide their purchasing choices. But the main reason they came, in uniform, was for entertainment. Istara Morris, 15, tells me: “Shopping in person feels better, and this feels special, because it would be fun. And it was happening in our community.”
Leah Foster-Aileru, 21, works in retail and lives in Kensal Rise. Everything she’s wearing is from a charity shop – almost all hot pink. “This is the best way to shop: you’re saving money and enjoying the hunt. I can’t resist going into charity shops, and I usually find something.”
One lady who lived down the road was happy with her black DVF dress and Mulberry calfskin purse. “I got my aunt down from Cumbria, and she’s getting this Italian handbag.”
“It’s leather, right?” asked the old woman. It was, and at £30 for a barely used bag, she was getting a bargain.
Susy Bell, 61, came because “I’m a huge fan of Zadie Smith and came across the sale after Googling author events”. A writer herself, she visits flea markets every week in Los Angeles, where she lives. In Willesden, she went for low ticket, brightly colored things, “so I’m happy”.
The sale was notable for its good value, sustainability, warm atmosphere, all ages, and was hosted by two high-profile locals with impressive individual fashion credentials. But there was one more aspect.
The reason Shulman and Smith did this was Laurence’s Larder, a food aid charity based in the church where the sale was taking place. On Thursdays, he hosts a hot lunch for up to 75 people. As the chairman, Mark Wakefield, says: “Not all of our guests are homeless by any means. We welcome anyone who wants to come, and a lot of what we’re dealing with is loneliness.” They also provide up to 120 bags of food per week.
Smith is the patron of Laurence’s Larder and, like many of the assistants at the sale, volunteers there. Shulman found the charity through Nextdoor and suggested the sale, as she had done something similar at Vogue to raise money for earthquake relief in Pakistan. Sara-Jade Hussein, the charity’s co-ordinator, liked the idea because “in some ways the vintage sale reflects what we do: upcycling food that could otherwise be thrown away”.
Smith, who was mostly on the tills, is also happy, especially knowing that it was mostly locals who went under water.
Shulman is delighted with the sale: “All that time handing out leaflets, teasing people’s clothes, to find out that people were willing to queue for an hour, and the part went away everyone is more of something.”
