OXFAM Ireland has partnered with local photographer Collette Creative to “change the way people think about charity shops and fast fashion”.
The charity has put together a collection of photographs from a magazine-style fashion shoot to showcase some of the festive outfits on offer in Oxfam’s newest superstore in Holywood. The aim is to promote sustainability - not only during the holiday season but all year round.
“Collette wanted to gift us a photoshoot when we first opened the superstore in May,” said Oxfam Superstore manager, Fiona Anderson.
“But because things were so busy on the run up to launch, I didn’t have time to take her up on the offer so coming up to Christmas she very kindly offered again, and we’re delighted with the results.”
Fiona said she and the team wanted the images to “shock people”.
“We wanted the clothes to look really high end and steer away from this idea that charity shop clothes can’t look and feel luxurious, and I think we did that,” she explains.
“It was shot in the Culloden Hotel and our models included singer/songwriter Travis Gilbert, TikToker Emma Thompson and Miss NI 2024 entrant Coleen Marine, so we had a lovely range of ages, gender and diversity, which was great because we wanted it to represent our customer base.”
It is estimated that £220 million is spent annually in the UK on novelty Christmas jumpers which are thrown out after one wear. Fiona hopes the photoshoot will help people rethink their approach to clothes and shopping.
“While it’s natural to want to celebrate in style, the environmental cost is staggering,” she says.
“Around 95% of Christmas jumpers are made of plastic-based materials, contributing to the microplastic pollution crisis.
“Charity shops are vital in breaking the cycle of fast fashion; through the images we’ve created we want to challenge the perceptions people have about second-hand clothing and show that you can own fabulous clothes without breaking the bank or harming the planet.
“It’s all about celebrating with creativity and conscience.”
However, she does believe there has already been a shift in attitudes towards charity shops in recent years.
A lot of young women would call themselves feminists but it’s very difficult to do that when you’re buying clothes from brands that are made by women under horrendous conditions
— Fiona Anderson
“I think it’s down to a couple of things,” she said.
“Social media is a big one - we’re talking about sustainable fashion a lot more, people are more aware of where things come from and the provenance of the things we buy, but also who’s making them.
“A lot of young women would call themselves feminists but it’s very difficult to do that when you’re buying clothes from brands that are made by women under horrendous conditions.
“We have to be more accountable, and we have to call it out and TikTok has been a big way in which people have done that.”
Fiona also credits re-sale sites like Vinted, eBay and Depop with helping to destigmatise clothing from charity shops.
“They have made it mainstream to buy second-hand clothes; they’re sponsoring the likes of Love Island and feature in many people’s day-to-day lives,” says Fiona.
“I know when I first started in Oxfam five years ago people would be really funny about being given a carrier bag in case it said Oxfam on it because there was almost a taboo about shopping in a charity shop.
“Whereas now, in our superstore, people ask why we don’t sell branded Oxfam tote bags and T-shirts because they’re proud to be shopping sustainably, which has been lovely to see.”
Additionally, Fiona is keen to point out that shopping at Oxfam doesn’t just reduce the impact the fast fashion industry is having on the environment but also helps fund the charity’s “life-changing work”, including providing clean water, empowering women and fighting poverty globally.
“Oxfam’s work is all about sustainable aid and equipping people with the tools to get themselves out of poverty,” she says.
“We also have our disaster relief fund. And we’ve been working in Palestine for a number of years and people can support our staff on the ground there through our Gaza appeal.”
Furthermore, as a Holywood native Fiona was also keen that the Oxfam superstore played a part in helping the local community.
“In addition to what we’re doing across the world we also have some initiatives that we’ve set up here in the shop to help people directly,” she says.
“We have a period poverty project where people can come and discreetly ask for a period pack if they can’t afford the products themselves.
“We also have a lot of asylum seekers and refugees who volunteer and we’ve been able to help them with school uniforms, warm clothes in the winter and just providing a support network.
“That was always the goal for the store, we wanted it to be much more than just a charity shop, we wanted to help people both on our doorstep and beyond.”
