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Every September, people across the UK are given the opportunity to rethink the way they shop. Secondhand September was started by Oxfam back in 2019 as an annual campaign to encourage people to buy nothing new for 30 days. Instead, we’re challenged to find what we need pre-loved vintage, and via our wardrobes (which often already house exactly what we think we need!) It’s a movement that has grown bigger every year since, sparking some seriously important conversations about fast fashion, overproduction, and the environmental cost of what we put on our bodies.
At Reskinned, the values of Secondhand September are part of our DNA. We know that the most sustainable clothes are the ones already in circulation, which is why we’ve built our platform around takeback, resale, repair, and recycling.
By giving your clothes another life, we’re helping to reduce the 711,000 tonnes (that’s equivalent to 30,000 shipping containers) of fabric disposed of each year (WRAP). We’re working towards a fashion system that doesn’t cost us the earth. Like… literally.
But fashion’s problems don’t end with landfill. Even though millions of clothes go to waste, millions of people in the UK are still living in clothing poverty. This means not having the right clothes to stay warm, to go to school or work, or even just to feel comfortable and confident in daily life. It’s a reality that affects over 5.5 million people in the UK. That number includes refugees, survivors of trafficking, families fleeing domestic violence and those hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis.
Clothing poverty isn’t just about meeting the basics of staying warm, clean, and comfortable; it actually runs much deeper. The clothes we wear affect how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. Imagine how you feel when you’re wearing something ill-fitting, stained, or torn to an important event; it chips away at your self-esteem and confidence. Without access to the right clothes, people can end up excluded from social life and held back from opportunities in education and employment. If you’ve ever stood in front of the mirror for hours, searching for the perfect outfit for a job interview, you’ve had a glimpse, just a fraction, of the shame and struggle faced daily by those without that choice.
In short: Clothing poverty is a poverty of dignity.
Which is why we are so proud to be partnering with Give Your Best (GYB), the UK’s award-winning social enterprise and a cause very close to our hearts. Tackling clothing poverty and fashion waste, GYB runs the country’s first online platform where people who live in clothing poverty can shop for free with agency, choice and dignity.
It’s like shopping on a pre-loved platform, but every item has been donated, every “purchase” costs nothing to the people who need it the most. It’s an inclusive and empowering model which has already supported thousands of people to access clothes that make them feel good.
Together, Reskinned and Give Your Best are teaming up to keep good clothes in circulation and in the hands of people who will appreciate them the most. You can now donate clothes alongside your Reskinned takeback straight to Give Your Best, to reach the people whose lives you will have the opportunity to change. Yes, those pieces hanging unworn in your wardrobe gathering dust can, in fact, be the source of someone else’s confidence, dignity and fresh start.
This Secondhand September, we’re inviting you to join us in giving your best. The clothes you return to Reskinned can do even more. Not just protecting our beautiful planet, but changing the lives of the people living in our communities too.
Reskinned x Give Your Best - Reskinned - So what’s the Give Your Best story?
Give Your Best (GYB) is the UK’s first online platform that gives people living in clothing poverty the chance to shop for free, with the same sense of choice, agency and dignity as you or I while browsing for clothes online. Instead of just receiving whatever’s given to them, people can log on, select their style and size and have an experience that feels closer to shopping than charity. It’s secondhand shopping, but it’s also an important tool for empowerment and inclusion.
The Give Your Best story began in 2020, when a callout for clothing donations on social media turned into something a lot bigger than expected. What started as a small community initiative quickly grew into a movement that highlighted a gap in the way we think about giving. People didn’t just need any old clothes. They actually needed the dignity of being able to choose them. And out of this realisation, Give Your Best was born.
Since then, the impact has been quite frankly incredible. Thousands of people, many of whom are refugees, asylum seekers, survivors of trafficking, or families escaping domestic violence, have found not only new clothes but a renewed sense of confidence through the platform. More than 3,500 people have already been supported by Give Your Best. Each and every item donated tells its own unique story of generosity, solidarity, and the belief that everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin.
The amount of donations is growing rapidly, too, with over 45,000 items finding a new home so far through Give Your Best. Behind the scenes, there’s an amazing network of more than 350 dedicated volunteers who make sure everything runs smoothly.
In just a few years, they’ve partnered with 32 different retailers and brands that all share the vision. They were selected by the British Fashion Council as one of their Future of Fashion innovations, chosen by eBay as a winner of the Circular Fashion Fund, and supported by Innovate UK, the government’s national innovation agency. The press has also taken note, with The Guardian and Vogue both sharing about their work online.
At the heart of it all is one simple yet urgent mission: to tackle clothing poverty and fashion waste.
In a country where millions of garments end up in landfill every year, and millions of people lack the clothes they need for work, school, or just daily life, Give Your Best acts as the bridge between our excess and someone else’s need.
Why The Reskinned X Give Your Best Partnership Matters
It’s all about connection. Connecting communities who care, with the people in need, the clothes that are taking up space in our wardrobes, with the people whose wardrobes are bare.
By teaming up, we’re tackling clothing poverty and fashion waste.
Tackling clothing poverty
For many of us, it’s not something we ever have to think about. Clothing poverty can often be invisible to other people, but is felt deeply by those in need. For many people who are refugees, survivors of trafficking, struggling with the cost of living or escaping domestic violence, clothes are about more than warmth or protection.
They can mean the difference between feeling included or excluded, between stepping into school or work with confidence or staying away out of shame.. Through this partnership, we can help close that gap, making sure that the clothes sitting unworn in one person’s wardrobe become the clothes that help another rebuild their life.
Fighting fashion waste
At the same time, the UK fashion industry discards an estimated £140 million worth of clothing to landfill each year (Business Waste). These are perfectly good garments, in good condition, simply thrown in the bin. It’s not just an environmental issue at this stage; it’s a moral one.
Wasted resources, wasted energy, wasted opportunities for us to do better. Together with Give Your Best, we’re working to change the story through donation, resale, repair, recycling and keeping clothes moving through a circular system where nothing gets wasted, and everything has value.
Keeping good clothes in circulation
Every time something gets worn just one more time, every lifecycle that stretches another few months or years - it all makes a difference. When clothes are kept in circulation, fewer new ones need to be produced. That means fewer natural resources being consumed, fewer carbon emissions released and an overall lighter footprint for fashion as a whole.
It also means that fashion regains what it was always meant to have: longevity, craftsmanship, and purpose. Circular fashion isn’t abstract - it’s very much possible and something we can all take part in, simply by returning our old clothes once we’re done with them.
Your pre-loved clothes stay out of the bin, they cut emissions, they save resources (wow, they do a lot, don’t they!) But not only that. They also have the opportunity to become someone else’s new beginning. Helping a family in crisis. Supporting a woman to rebuild her confidence or offering a little boy or girl the simple dignity of wearing clothes that feel good and fit them well.
This partnership matters because it makes clear what we’ve always believed: fashion can be fairer, kinder, and more human. And with every parcel you send, you will be part of making that happen.
How It Works: Donating Through Takeback
The good news for you is that we’ve made it incredibly simple to make a difference.
Whenever you use any of our brand takeback programmes you’ll now see a new option: the chance to add any other items (they don’t have to be branded) to your parcel to donate to Give Your Best.
It’s the perfect excuse to clear out even more of your wardrobe. Admit it, it’s been waiting far too long.
Here’s how to make sure your donation can go straight to its new home:
- Good condition only: Clothes should be free from heavy damage, stains, or excessive wear. A good rule of thumb is: would you feel happy passing it on to a friend?
- Freshly cleaned: All donations should arrive ready to wear, so the recipient can use them immediately without worrying about washing or repairing.
- Fashion items only: Clothing, shoes, and accessories are welcome, but no household textiles or non-fashion items like pyjamas, underwear or uniforms, please.
- Keep it manageable: Donations can be up to 10kg per parcel, which is roughly the size of a standard takeback box or bag.
Once your parcel arrives, we’ll separate the branded items for resale, repair, or recycling, send you your discount code for your chosen brand, and pass your non-branded pieces directly to Give Your Best. From there, they’ll be added to the free shopping platform, where people living in clothing poverty can browse and select what they need and have them sent directly to them.
This simple addition to your takeback makes your impact go even further. Clothes that no longer fit your life can become someone else’s fresh start. They might help a mum get dressed for her first job interview, a child feel more confident on his first day of a new school, or a family rebuilding after leaving everything behind.
And if you’ve got more to give, or would like to donate beyond your takeback parcels, you can also support Give Your Best directly through their website. There, you’ll find even more ways to get involved and ensure your pre-loved wardrobe reaches the people who need it most.
Are you ready to help someone else step into their new chapter?