Calling all those passionate about sustainable fashion! After the huge success of a London pop-up earlier this year, the UK’s first ever charity-shop department store is opening another site.
The original Charity Super.Mkt opened in the old Topshop in Brent Cross, north London, and the four-week targets for clothes sales were surpassed in only four days. It’s since opened a handful of pop-ups across the south, but this time around, it’s Manchester’s turn.
A new Charity Super.Mkt is due to open in Salford’s Quayside MediaCity on Thursday November 2 at 6pm, making the first time that national and local charities have collaborated in running a physical shop of this sort in northern England. The store will be staffed by volunteers, and given the progress made so far by the organisation, this new venture is incredibly exciting.
The organisation was co-founded by Maria Chenoweth, CEO of TRAID, a sustainable clothes charity, and Wayne Hemingway MBE, head of HemingwayDesigns.
On the opening of a store in Salford, Hemingway said: ‘Fashion is changing as are the desires of younger shoppers who are more conscious than ever of the impact their spending has on the planet. The North of England has always been strong on community support and charity so we’re incredibly proud to be opening here for the first time.’
Over the last six months, Charity Super.Mkt has sold more than 100,000 second hand items, which is estimated to have stopped around 30,000 kilograms of clothes going to landfill and prevented the emission of 260,000kg of CO2.
What’s more, the money raised has helped fund 200 days of cancer nurse support for Cancer Research UK, 3,000 hours of nursing care for Marie Curie and 15 days cover for Shelter’s emergency helplines. Have a look at the store which is helping support all these causes.
The only downside is that sustainable shoppers and bargain-baggers won’t have long to trawl the rails of vintage denim and quirky knitwear. While the organisation has said that plenty of other events are already in the diary, the Quayside location will only be open until December 13.
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