Actress Sienna Miller has been unveiled as the face of Oxfam’s #SecondHandSeptember campaign which is challenging shoppers to only buy second-hand clothing for the entire month. This works alongside donating our pre-loved items too. The goal of this is to raise awareness about the harmful effects of fast fashion which can be easily dismissed by consumers getting sucked into the throwaway fashion culture.
A colossal 13 million items of clothing a week are carelessly sent to landfill with the textile industry accounting for up to 10 percent of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions. Believe it or not this is more than international aviation and shipping combined! By consumers only purchasing second-hand clothing they can help Oxfam with their work to reduce these emissions. As well you can share your finds using the hashtag ‘secondhandseptember’ and tagging Oxfam so you can do your bit and help spread the message. As if everyone partakes in altering their shopping habits these small changes can make a massive difference.
Miller has been the focal point of a stunning photoshoot which will be seen on posters in the windows of over 500 Oxfam shops. In these images she is showing off her glamorous Oxfam clothing to represent the ongoing fight with throwaway fashion. These clothing items will be available for shoppers to purchase in Oxfam’s pop-up shop in Selfridges London, so they can dress to impress too whilst contributing to a sustainable future.
Sienna Miller said “I am delighted to be the face of Oxfam’s Second Hand September to help draw attention to how choosing second-hand fashion can be kinder for our planet. These small changes can make a huge difference. And rooting around in a charity shop is like hunting for treasure. Be a magpie! #secondhandseptember”.
“Rooting around in a charity shop is like hunting for treasure.”
Sienna Miller
And she is not wrong! This campaign can be welcomed as a thrilling challenge as Oxfam’s stores have vintage gems up for grabs that can’t be found anywhere else.
Oxfam’s pop-up shop in Selfridges has been styled by the charities independent fashion advisor Bay Garnett who has included garments which will evoke nostalgia for the 1980s such as punk inspired clothing. This shop will also be selling a one-off T-shirt for the event designed by illustrator James Lacey.
Bay Garnett is a big advocate for this event as he claims, “I have always loved charity shopping – the creativity involved in putting random clothes together to make an outfit, and the independence of choosing second-hand…I love how the Selfridges pop-up shop brings Oxfam prices to Oxford Street, making it a choice that’s accessible to everyone’s pockets.”
Other brands supporting Second Hand September includes House of Baukjen who are launching their new Pre-loved scheme as they taking customers old clothing and recycling them into something new with 50% of net proceeds donated to Oxfam. Ebay, Joules and Superdry are also companies working alongside this scheme to help the cause by giving clothing a new lease of life.
There are no excuses to not take part either as this challenge is accessible to all as people can also support this campaign by shopping on the Oxfam Online Shop. And the silver lining of these purchases is that the money you spend will be put into the charities lifechanging work. For example, they aid people in coping with severe weather events such as the Cyclone Amphan in India and Bangladesh last year as well as planning for the consequences of future climate change.
It’s more important than ever to take part in this fight as Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB states “Scientists warn we have just nine years to prevent catastrophic global temperature rises so all of us – governments, companies and individuals – have a role to play in rapidly reducing carbon emissions”. So, by opting for the second-hand clothing purchase, we can leave a lighter footprint on the planet as well as showing retailers that fashion needs to be slowed down. Just because you can’t feel the effects of climate change, does not mean no one else can. That is why by donating your money to Oxfam through these second hand purchases you are helping some of the world’s poorest people cope with these climate changes.
The Oxfam x Bay Garnett pop-up shop runs from 6 September until the end of December and the money raised will go to Oxfam’s work beating poverty around the world. The charity has 70 years’ experience of championing second hand so there is no place better to spend your money. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s take part in this challenge and shop smarter for September and join Sienna Miller and many more in the battle against climate change.
Words by Josie Cooke
