Thrifty student saves HUNDREDS on designer deals in charity shops

Thrifty student saves HUNDREDS on designer deals in charity shops

10/13/2021

Thrifty student, 18, who ‘didn’t want to be seen twice in the same outfit’ reveals how she saves HUNDREDS by buying from charity shops where she snaps up Dior and Burberry pieces for as little as £40

  • Hope Bailey, from Manchester, used to be embarrassed of ‘smelly’ charity shops
  • The advertising student, 18, didn’t want to be seen in the same outfit twice
  • To save money she started shopping in charity shops and now saves hundreds
  • The fashion addict has found designer deals from Mulberry, Dior and Coach 

A fashion influencer who used to be ’embarrassed’ to be seen in charity shops has revealed how she saves up to £150 per shopping trip on designer hauls. 

Hope Bailey, 18, from Castlefield, Manchester, started shopping regularly at charity shops and car boot sales three years ago when she wanted to expand her wardrobe without breaking the bank.

After snapping up vintage Burberry and Coach bags and purses, a Dior t-shirt and Mulberry belt for a fraction of the original price, she now shops almost exclusively second hand – and hopes by showing off her hobby to break the ‘second hand taboo’. 

Despite feeling embarrassed by going to the second hand stores with her mum as a child, Hope now embraces the bargains she bags and insists that charity shops are not the ‘smelly’ places people think. 

Hope Bailey, 18, from Castlefield, Manchester, started shopping regularly at charity shops and car boot sales three years ago

Hope said: ‘When I was in high school I would buy eight things from an online fast fashion business for about £200 and now I can get 50 if not more things for about £40 from charity shops, so I’m saving hundreds a month. 

‘I’m quite passionate about my outfits so I buy quite a bit but it could be even cheaper for other people. 

‘I wouldn’t be able to keep up with or afford my own demand for new outfits and clothes on the websites that everyone else shops on. 

‘It’s allowed me to live more comfortably as a student in Manchester and have more days out.’ 

The advertising and brand communication student now hopes to break the stigma around charity shops and encourage more people to shop there instead of at fast fashion brands. 

She has revealed how she saves up to £150 per shopping trip on designer hauls

She snaps up vintage Burberry and Coach bags and purses, a Dior t-shirt and Mulberry belt for a fraction of the original price and now shops almost exclusively second hand

She’s gained an online following sharing her thrifty finds and uses her platform to inspire others to use the stores to help the environment and raise money for a good cause all while developing their own unique style.  

Swapping fast fashion for vintage has also meant that Hope can buy more clothes whilst spending less and extending the life of worn clothes, which could otherwise be heading to a landfill. 

In response to claims she’s going to ‘buy out’ the second shops that may be needed by people in low income households, the teen insists the stores are ‘overwhelmed’ with donations that are headed to landfill if no one buys them. 

She has admitted to feeling embarrassed by going to the second hand stores with her mum as a child

Hope now embraces the bargains she bags and insists that charity shops are not the ‘smelly’ places people think

The advertising and brand communication student now hopes to break the stigma around charity shops

Hope said: ‘I first got into it because I didn’t want to wear the same outfit twice when I started going to sixth form and you could wear your own clothes. 

‘I wanted to stand out and not wear the same things as everyone else so the only option that was affordable was charity shops. 

‘From shopping at charity shops I just got more into sustainable shopping and realised how bad the fast fashion industry is. 

The teen visits charity shops every other day and car boot sales twice a month in a bid to keep up a stylish daily appearance with a host of different, unique outfits

Despite the taboo against shopping second hand, Hope points out that it’s the same as buying an item from Depop, which seems more acceptable to most people

‘Pretty much all of my clothes are from charity shops, I very rarely will shop at a fast fashion brand unless it’s something I need like underwear and pyjamas. 

‘People are surprised when I tell them I shop in charity shops – a lot of girls message me on Instagram and ask me to send them the links to the clothes I’m wearing and I have to say sorry I don’t have a link it’s from a charity shop. 

‘I’ve had a few comments on TikTok saying I’m going to buy the shops out but if you went into their storerooms you’d see they’re just overwhelmed with donations and they have to send it to the landfill if it doesn’t sell.’ 

The teen visits charity shops every other day and car boot sales twice a month in a bid to keep up a stylish daily appearance with a host of different, unique outfits. 

She says that not only can you find great quality second hand items of clothing in charity shops, but big retailers including Pretty Little Thing and Zara also make direct donations to the stores meaning they’re often packed with brand new items as well. 

Despite the taboo against shopping second hand, Hope points out that it’s the same as buying an item from Depop, which seems more acceptable to most people. 

Once she’s worn an outfit and won’t wear something again, the fashionable student gives the clothes and accessories to her friends or re-donates them so nothing goes to waste. 

Hope said: ‘I’d gone in them occasionally with my mum when I was younger but it’s such a taboo thing I felt so embarrassed and would run in quickly if I saw someone I knew, hoping they wouldn’t see me. 

‘It’s a pride thing about not shopping second hand but there seems to be a big difference between Depop and charity shops – more people will shop on Depop than in charity shops and it just doesn’t make sense because it’s the same thing. 

‘I think a lot of people still have the perception of charity shops 20 years ago, especially older generations because my aunties always say ‘I don’t understand how you go in them’. 

Once she’s worn an outfit and won’t wear something again, the fashionable student gives the clothes and accessories to her friends or re-donates them so nothing goes to waste

The fashion conscious teen now hopes to encourage more people to shop sustainably and develop their own unique styles

She hopes by shopping second hand instead of following ‘fast fashion microtrends’ people will shop more sustainably 

‘But they’re not like how they used to be – they won’t sell anything that’s damaged or got stains on so it’s all really good quality.’  

The fashion conscious teen now hopes to encourage more people to shop sustainably and develop their own unique styles by shopping second hand instead of following ‘fast fashion microtrends’. 

Hope said: ‘Other influencers that I’ve met through Instagram have messaged me asking me to take them to charity shops and they’re now addicted to it because of me. 

‘I love that because I’ve shown them a new way to find outfits that’s helping the environment and giving money to charity. 

‘I would encourage more people to shop in charity shops especially if you want to dress outside of the box because when you see people in the same pattern or style, that’s not their own style, that’s just a fast fashion microtrend. ‘If you want to have your own style it’s better to shop somewhere where everyone won’t have the item.’

She says that not only can you find great quality second hand items of clothing in charity shops, but big retailers including Pretty Little Thing and Zara also make direct donations

Because retailers donate from the stores they’re often packed with brand new items as well

Hope said: ‘Other influencers that I’ve met through Instagram have messaged me asking me to take them to charity shops and they’re now addicted to it because of me’

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