Where to donate clothes following the UK's biggest ever 'Spring Clean'
For many people lockdown has prompted a huge spring clean. The desire to purge and simplify our immediate environment whilst we are unable to control outside factors (such Covid-19, the economy, our future...), means that now many of us have bags of clothes to 'give to charity'.
Whilst there are wider discussions around passing our over consumption to someone else to deal with, or even the impact our 'giving away' can have on other countries, we know that people are looking for donation options. With this in mind, we ask our friends at The Seam to let us know - if you’re not planning to use their service to breathe love back into your clothes - where and how you can donate clothes.
As non-essential stores are re-opening, charity shops are expecting a surge of donations. They’re not just anticipating three month’s worth of donations, but also many extra items that people will be donating due to the time they’ve had to clear out their wardrobes.
With strict social distancing regulations in place, these stores are run largely by volunteers and have a huge challenge to manage their back-to-business strategy. In a bid to try and ease the pressure and stagger donations fairly and responsibly, The Seam has pulled together a few tips on donating clothes over the coming months.
Key updates following Covid-19 see new safety measures in place including a 72-hour quarantine on all new donations and also a plea from stores asking people to call them before you drop-off clothes to make sure they have the staff and space available to manage the clothes.
Charity shops
British Heart Foundation: Recently launched a free postal donation service where you can safely donate smaller items such as clothes, records, toys and ornaments. Shops and stores are reopening throughout July and August.
Traid: Stores are now open and they also offer free home collections service for larger donations, for more information please see their website.
Oxfam: If you'd like to donate as a group or with your local community you can run a donation station! It’s so easy and if you collect over 20 bags Oxfam will come and pick them up for you.
Barnardos: Stores across the country have been gradually opening from 15 June onwards, see their website for more details.
iCollectClothes
iCollectClothes is a free used/unwanted clothes collections service that raises funds for charities. They collect your clothes from your home or your place of work and your used/unwanted items will help raise funds for charities. Your chosen charity will receive £200 for every tonne of clothes collected. Book a delivery slot on their website but note that this service gets booked up quite quickly. Every week they release more delivery times so best to check on a Monday morning!
Re-Fashion
Re-Fashion us an online fashion store that raises money for Breast Cancer Now by selling quality, used women’s clothing. The process is quite simple. You use their website to order a clothes donation bag, fill it with your clothes and then send it back (via DPD) for free.
Local Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace: Ideally donate a bundle of clothes of all similar sizes. Be sure to take clear photos of your clothes before creating your ad.
Nextdoor: Available on desktop or AppStore, this is a great way to connect with your local community and allows you to sell/donate items, as well as share important updates about your local area.
Little Lives UK
Little Lives UK is a London based charity who provide support and opportunities to children who are disabled or disadvantaged. Clothes that are donated are used in one of three ways:
donated to families and children who are in need of them- they work with three local councils, refugee centres and hospitals.
sold in one of their charity stores and the money raised is used to support campaigns
recycled and sent to developing countries
They offer a clothes pick up service which you can book via their website.
This list is by no means extensive but offers a few alternatives to help ease the stress on individual stores. It’s now more important than ever before to donate responsibly. The test of whether to donate something is quite simple. If you wouldn’t wear it, don’t donate it.
If you’d like to know more about where you are donating clothes, and where the money goes, you can find more information on the Government website.
Recycling clothes
For clothes that aren’t wearable, you can find your local textile recycling point using the website Recycle Now.
Have you thought about upcycling?
For clothes that need repairing or upcycling you can use The Seam. Using the simple search criteria on their website you can enter the type of job you want doing (for example a zip replacement) and your home postcode to see a list of all the makers who live local to you. Makers can come to your home and collect the clothes (and also take a fitting if necessary) and then return the clothes to you when they are completed! If you have questions or would like more information please email layla@theseam.uk
Layla Sargent, Founder The Seam. Layla’s sewing spot and Layla with her nan.
Three questions with Layla Sargent, Founder, The Seam
JMH Where did your love of sewing come from (aka your nan) and how do you feel that is relevant in today’s digital-first culture?
LS My nan's a professional seamstress and over the years has always altered my clothes. Naively, I imagined that other people also had their clothes altered to fit properly but when I recently moved to London I realised this wasn't the case. The clothing alterations industry presented itself as two very limited and polarising worlds. On one side there were Savile Row tailors that felt exclusive and expensive, and contrastingly, high street dry-cleaners that felt budget and impersonal. Such poor accessibility meant that people were often wearing clothes that don't fit them well-meaning they're less likely to have confidence in what they're wearing, not wear garments as many times as they should, throw them out sooner and not repair them if they are damaged. The digital commerce one-size-fits-all approach is, alone, not enough. In order for us to get the most out of our clothes in every respect, there needs to be an added layer of made-to-measure and since every human body is so wonderfully unique, a personal service is the only way to achieve this.
JMH You have clearly assessed there is a gap in the relationship between people who need to get clothes altered and people who can solve that problem, how did you decide that this is the gap in the market that you needed to solve, whilst having aims that are both commercial and extend beyond monetary gains?
LS I knew the solution needed to be people-driven. I knew there must be people living around me who could sew and would be happy to take on paid jobs - it was just a matter of connecting the two. Our main philosophies at The Seam are:
1. Sustainability- recycling, upcycling, vintage, second hand, made to measure and allowing our clothes to fulfil the long life they are meant to.
2. Community- on a mission to increase the number of interactions between neighbours one small alteration at a time.
3. Diversity- celebrating a world of different body shapes and styles. Good fitting clothes should be a standard, not a privilege.
4. Democracy - empowering tailors and seamstresses of all skill levels to earn a living from the comfort of their own home.
JMH Do you feel that as a nation we will become a nation of non-sewers or do you feel we will see a resurgence of craft?
LS Handmade goods and crafting have seen a renaissance over the past five years and will continue to grow in popularity. This is mainly due to the growth of two key movements; sustainability and hyper-personalisation.
We previously featured The Seam in our Future Forecast 2020 report as we believe Layla’s value-driven business leads the way for fashion’s future. To find out more sign-up to our newsletter and you’ll be sent a copy of our report.
With special thanks to Layla and The Seam.
Header image via Elle of Pandora Sykes wardrobe.
