Embrace pre-loved items and support Sheffield vintage shops for Old Stuff Day

Once, perhaps, something people may be ashamed of, it is now seen as a fabulous fashion statement to wear an item of clothing that had a previous owner.

It has now become so important that there is a day especially dedicated to the appreciating the beauty of all things secondhand – Old Stuff Day, on March 2.

One of my favourite tops was once one half of my mum’s jumpsuit from the 1980s. It has since been cut by my grandma to make a top, but I love getting compliments on it and telling people that it was first worn almost 40 years ago. It is special, it has history and I’m proud of that.

The growing love of vintage clothing – and other items – is not purely based around our desire to give things a second lease of life, or even the repetitive nature of fashion trends.

People are also becoming increasingly aware of the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion and the culture that leads some items to find themselves in the bin almost as quickly as the buyer made a choice to buy them in the first place.

Shoppers, on the whole, are trying to make better choices and this is not only reflected in the popularity of our vintage shops and fairs, but also the sustainable and ethical ranges that are now commonplace in our high street stores too.

To support Old Stuff Day, there are a number of things you could do. You could go and shop in one of our vintage stores, but you could also hold a clothes swap party and invite your friends. The saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ is definitely true of clothing.

One of the shops supporting Old Stuff Day is secondhand shop Emmaus Sheffield, which supports the local homeless charity of the same name.

Kate Morgan, shop supervisor, said: “We have the environment very much at our heart as our superstore is all about recycling and repurposing household items. We sell things that might otherwise be abandoned.

“We also have a team who up-cycle pieces of furniture and create items from recycled materials that might otherwise have gone to the tip.

“All items have a new life when they come to us. We should be saving things instead of destroying them.”