High street retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) has today launched its first ever Oxfam charity pop-up ‘shwop‘ shop at its Marble Arch flagship to encourage shoppers to pass on items of unwanted clothing.
More than 40 celebrities, including Alexa Chung, Daisy Lowe and Pixie Lott have donated garments to the drive, while items from shwopping ambassador Joanna Lumley will also be on sale.
Staffed by a number of famous faces, the store, which will be open until Friday, asks customers to hand over unwanted, old or unused clothes as their ticket to the sale.
Items will then be re-sold, re-used or recycled by Oxfam in a bid to reduce waste and raise funds for the charity.
Since its launch last April as part of M&S‘ corporate responsibility programme Plan A, some £1.8 million worth of items, or around 2.8 million garments, has been donated and Adam Elman, Head of Plan A Delivery at M&S, said: “Shwop Shop is a celebration of Shwopping.
“Fashion influencers, designers, stylists, thought-leaders and visionaries have given their sign of approval by donating their unwanted items and we hope this will inspire a new generation of shwoppers who see fashion and sustainability as one.
“The aim is to change people‘s attitudes towards clothes recycling and give unwanted garments a future.”
Last September, M&S was crowned Responsible Retailer of the Year at the World Retail Awards for delivering what the judging panel called “world class standards of best practice in corporate responsibility.”
Within the first six weeks of launching, the shwopping campaign saw over half a million items exchanged and Lumley hailed this most recent initiative as a move which will further help the environment.
“Fashion with a conscience, it is perfect isn‘t it?” she said.
“By shwopping, all we want you to do is give your unwanted items stuffed in the back of your wardrobe a future.
“Simply bring an old item back every time you buy a new outfit, shwop and shop! Come to the Shwop Shop, shwop and shop and leave with a smile – the world will then feel a better place!”
