The End Of The New

Change: I rarely buy new clothes – all my recent purchases have been from the charity shop, markets or swaps

This influence came in the form of a new colleague at Do The Green Thing. The wonderful Liv smiled her way into the office a few months back and brought with her her blog, The End Of The New. Liv decided that 2011 was to be a year of no new clothes. For people like my dad and my boyfriend, this challenge is not so much a challenge, more a normal year. But it’s not such an untrue stereotype to say that girls like to shop. And Liv was one such girl. But for 364 days, Liv would not hand over her money to any shop in return for brand new, never been worn clothes. I found out about this challenge after I’d met her a few times and was frankly, quite shocked. Liv is beautiful and her clothes are no different. She always looks fabulous. I’ve always popped into charity shops but other than books and the occasional jumper, I’ve never come out of them looking chic. But the more outfits I saw and the more I chatted to Liv, the more I decided that charity shops were worth another look. And boy am I glad I did. It’s taken some trial and error and plenty of pretty dismal stores but I’ve discovered a few reliable shops that have filled my wardrobe and not a landfill.

With fashion being so throw away these days and clothes not made to last, nearly 2million tons of clothing is being tossed into landfills every year in the UK alone. Not only that but they are made from unsustainable fabrics and produced in dismal conditions. With so much clothing already out there, it just needs to be found and worn again. Living in London has made this task a bit easier. The charity shops in my village at home were crammed full of cat jigsaws and horrific jumpers and good luck finding a vintage fair that wasn’t for cars or furniture. But with summer at the doorstep and a quick tube into the city, vintage fairs are coming out of my ears. Of course, with vintage comes great price tags. And beware, many ‘vintage’ stalls are just second hand highstreet clothes and more often than not you’ll find a piece of Primark’s best polyester disguised as ‘vintage’. But tacky fashion aside, I have found some cracking pieces at markets, pub jumble sales and charity shops all over the East of London from as little as £1. I haven’t bought an item of clothing from a chain store for months and I couldn’t be happier.

I wasn’t the only one to be inspired by Liv to buy new to you, not new. Another Do The Green Thing colleague, Katee, has also given up the Highstreet and decided to update her wardrobe by organising a Swish in the office. The date was set, the wine was biked in by her husband and the friends started arriving. We hung up our unloved, unworn, outgrown and just plain old mistake clothes to be found and loved by someone else. The whistle blew and we dived in, eyeing up skinny jeans, silky tops and maxi dresses. A few hours later, exhausted but satisfied, we all left to fill the recent holes in our wardrobes with our new finds. No money spent, no clothes thrown away and nothing going into the landfill.

I love the originality of my wardrobe and knowing that I won’t sit next to someone on the Jubilee line wearing the same dress as me. I love the change in my purse after I buy a jumper, a top and a silk scarf with a £10 note. I love that I’m not handing my money over to massive companies in return for clothes that fall apart quickly. I still lust after certain things and I will definitely buy something new within the year but I will make sure it is beautifully made from natural fabrics and I actually need it before handing over the cash.