Fast fashion’s dirty little secret is out. The latest trends from H&M and Zara are also bringing with it damage to the planet. More clothes are being discarded than ever before, all of this contributing to increased pollution – nasty gases, carbon emissions, contaminated water.
Shopping preloved has never been hotter on the agenda. We want to get the message out that you can still dress to impress with preloved fashion and without damaging the planet or your wallet. And when you shop at a Shelter charity shop, there is an added bonus of helping to raise funds for people who don’t have a place to call home.
Yes, Shelter is a housing and homelessness charity, so why care about sustainability? Well, a significant proportion of funds for the cause is raised from the charity shops. We had to encourage supporters to donate high-quality clothes while also educating them about the benefits of shopping secondhand. Because honestly, you can sometimes find some real gems hidden in these charity shops.
In collaboration with the iconic British fashion photographer, Rankin, we created a campaign that allowed Shelter preloved fashion to compete with unsustainable high-street fashion brands in a cheeky, stylish way. In the eyes of our fashion-forward audience, we hoped to position Shelter preloved fashion as the 'in' place to shop. With a 'less vs more' approach for the copy, I made the concept of adopting a sustainable lifestyle a bit easier to digest. 'Less CO2, more look at you'—there's not much that needs to be explained there now, is there?
