A new vintage clothing section has opened at the Julia’s House charity superstore in Creekmoor, Poole, and includes both men’s and women’s wear for all seasons.
Seventy bags of vintage donations have been collected and stored in the shop’s warehouse over the last two years, and the recent explosion of interest in retro and sustainable fashion has prompted the charity to create a dedicated vintage fashion area in store.
“We knew we had collected around 400 – 600 pieces, including coats, dresses, suits, tops, bags, shoes and accessories,” says shop manager, David Hutchings. “We’d hung on to them because we knew vintage items were a little bit more special.
“Sorting through the items was a very exciting day for us – we had a few outfits from the 1950s and 60s, and recognised some familiar styles from the 70s, 80s and 90s, too. Some 1980s designer women’s ‘Dior’ shoes were a hidden gem and also a number of original Laura Ashley dresses, St. Michael (M&S), Biba, Topshop, Adidas and other well-known brands of the time.”
The Julia’s House charity superstore in Creekmoor’s Neighbourhood Centre is much more than your typical charity shop. It’s an amazing emporium of preloved clothes, accessories, household items, furniture, books, toys and electrical goods, with thousands of items sold every year. The store receives over 4,000 donations each week and all funds from Creekmoor and the charity’s twelve other shops across Dorset and Wiltshire go towards the care of seriously ill children locally, and support for their families.
“We hope shoppers will be as excited as we are about the collection,” continues David. “We’re really keen to see how people will wear these items or blend them with other pre-loved fashions from our store – we’d love to see photos of them wearing the clothes!”
Helping the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions has been the sole purpose of Julia’s House since the charity started 18 years ago. It was the vision of children’s nurse Julia Perks, who saw the desperate need to support these families in the local community.
Through the sorting, recycling and reselling of preloved items in its shops, the charity now finds itself playing a role in the current demand for more sustainable fashion and eco-friendly living. Today’s fast-fashion industry sees large amounts of unwanted clothing discarded to landfill, but by purchasing second hand, or by donating your unwanted clothing to Julia’s House, you can help lessen the impact on the environment and make a life-changing difference to local families.