Back to school doesn’t have to mean back to the shops
The impact of fast fashion
Wearing my brother’s hand-me-down trousers in the 1970s, little did I think that 50 years later I’d not only willingly be wearing second-hand clothing but advocating to a wider audience the benefits and joy of ‘preloved’ styling.
The fashion industry’s impact on the environment is well-documented. Greenpeace, for example, warns that as things currently stand, the fashion industry will account for a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050. Consumers might be forgiven for seeking natural fabrics such as cotton, wool or silk in a bid to be greener. Yet standard cotton requires a shockingly large amount of water along with environmentally harmful insecticides .
Image: Bunting from old uniform, Eastfield Primary School, Hull
Greenwashing
Consumers could also be forgiven for thinking that the fashion industry has put its house in order, with brands fighting to publicise their use of recycled nylon or that they’ve replaced plastic postage bags. And whilst as a sustainability stylist and sustainable fashion consumer myself, the trajectory towards greener and more ethical practices is welcome – if not to say essential – sadly, much borders on ‘greenwashing’. This is when a company misleads or omits information in order to present itself as more environmentally friendly than it is. You might want to check the credentials of your favourite brands on the well-respected Good On You app which rates brands from ‘we avoid’ and ‘not good enough’ to ‘great’ in terms of the impact on planet, people and animals. There are of course many exciting developments in the industry and many genuinely sustainable brands. Check out the latest ways to make vegan leather: pineapples are no longer just for pizzas and pina coladas!
Second-hand alternatives
One way we as consumers can help is to engage or reengage with buying second hand. Many a 21st-century charity shop is set out as attractively and smartly as a high-street shop, with styled outfits in the window and colour-grouped organisation to catch the eye of the fashionista. And it’s easier than that: apps like Vinted and Depop mean you can grab a bargain from the comfort of your own home and clothes rental is a growing phenomenon.
Image: rail of preloved clothing giveaways, Springhead Primary School, East Yorkshire
Second-hand school uniform - local initiatives
But what about children? Are today’s children as reluctant to wear preloved as I was in the seventies? In the cost-of-living crisis, more and more families are unable to buy new uniform for their children. Luckily, schools are stepping into the breach. St Martin’s Church of England Primary School in coastal Scarborough has a welcoming and attractively laid out preloved shop in its reception area. At Eastfield Primary School in Hull everything from preloved uniform to Christmas jumpers and World Book Day outfits are collected. Parents using the shop are asked to make a donation which goes to the ‘Friends of Eastfield’ which is used to enhance learning across the school such as through school trips and visits. Springhead Primary School in East Yorkshire has a clothes rail in the foyer of freshly washed preloved uniform so parents can help themselves to what they need. Kingston Upon Hull and Haltemprice MP Emma Hardy set up RE: Uniform, a
community initiative which redistributes preloved uniforms to those that need them for free in the Hull area. Emma explains the motivation behind RE: Uniform:
"I first became aware of impact of the costs of school uniform as a member of the Education Select Committee when I heard testimony from mothers who were skipping meals to find the money. It was deeply affecting and I was determined to do something to help. That something became Re: Uniform. So much school uniform is outgrown, not worn out, and so there is a large resource available to cut costs and to cut waste. I would love to see the success of RE: Uniform in Hull and East Riding replicated elsewhere – it’s community-based, addresses child-poverty and reduces waste."
And students are doing it for themselves. As part of a Young Enterprise scheme, a group of sixth-formers at Hymers in Hull set up My School Wardrobe. This student-led company resells used school uniform to provide affordable and sustainable uniform options and to reduce textile waste in the environment. Donations of old-stock uniform have also been donated to a local Women’s Aid charity.These are just some of the initiatives in my area but which will be replicated across the country.
Image: My School Wardrobe
And finally…
I’d love to think there’s no stigma for parents opting for second-hand or for the children wearing preloved. But I’d go further: children and young people wearing second-hand uniform can wear their preloved with pride, as they are the ones paving the way for a better, more sustainable future for the planet, its people and the animals we share it with.
Look out for Oxfam’s Second-Hand September campaign, and to tie in with this I’ll be hosting a Clothes Swap event:
Clothes Swap Event
Thursday 26th September 2024
7 to 9 pm
Zion United Reformed Church, Cottingham
Fundraiser for Hull Help for Refugees
This is an extended version of an article I wrote for Fusion magazine on Instagram in April.
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