BE the change
- Clothes swaps/jumble sales: Rummage through your
wardrobe and grab a bundle of things that you haven’t worn in the past year,
getting friends/family/neighbours to do the same. Pool everything together and
invite everyone who donated clothes + a load of other people to a huge clothes
swap event and charge a small donation upon arrival (e.g £2). You decide the
venue; it could easily be your own house. Why not make an evening of it and
have a few cheeky drinks and posh nibbles flowing too? All in aid of a good
cause, obviously.
- Rummage in your local charity shops for new
additions to your wardrobe. Much cheaper than the high street + you might
find an absolute diamond in the rough (this is also kind of my life mantra when
it comes to guys... you have to sort through the rubbish before you get to the good bits)
- Volunteer a little of your time at a nearby
charity shop. Why not? Even if you’ve only got a few hours to spare, I guarantee
you’ll feel great for doing it afterwards. You might even have such a barrel of
laughs that you find yourself wanting to do it again (you’ll also get first
pick of everything that comes through the doors, which is a great incentive)
- Donate old unwanted clothes to charity
shops/clothing banks – if you find yourself short of time to organise a clothes
swap, then just bring all your old clothes in to your nearest charity shop or clothing
bank. You’ll help someone in need AND reduce your carbon footprint just a
little bit... but as they say, every little does help.
- Upcycle your old clothes – are you (like me) a
bit of a hoarder? Well no worries, you can keep your old clothes, and get a new
wardrobe without blowing any of your pay check. GET CREATIVE! Chop things up,
sew things back in different places, add buttons, ribbons, zippers, sequins,
beading, spray paint... it does not matter, all that matters is that you have
FUN while doing it.
- Go and see your Nan. No really, I insist. And while
you’re there being fattened up with too many cakes & cookies that she
thinks you’re in need of, ask her to teach you how to knit. Or crochet. Or if
you’re feeling adventurous, both. Before you know it you’ll be a pro pearler,
and able to knit everyone a lovely cosy scarf for Christmas each year. It’ll
save you money, save the planet, and will mean that you can rock one-of-a-kind
items which no one else will ever be able to have. You could even go nuts and
make a small business out of your handmade goods, and maybe donate a portion of
the profits you receive to a charity that’s close to your heart.
- Start buying clothes/accessories from designers
& labels that ARE supporting great causes. Boycott those who aren’t. You can
find a whole host of them ON MY BLOG. And I’ll be sure to keep rolling them out,
don’t you worry.
- Promote everything on here to your family and
friends, their friends, distant relatives you rarely see, cousins twice removed
etc. Muchly appreciated Guys & Dolls :D
- Calling all fashion students: put on a class
where you teach people how to upcycle/customise old garments. You could charge
a small £5 for the class and give the profits to charity? Go on, use all those
talents for GOOD.
- Get a group of you and a couple of other
creative minds, and create some sweet t-shirt designs (perhaps relating to the idea
of fashion linking with charity) get them printed cheaply (or do the screen
printing process yourself at uni) and then organise an event/stall where you
sell them and donate the profits to charity. You could even make pieces of
jewellery, or print your design on tote bags. Your work gets out there + you
raise money for some worthy causes. What have you got to lose? Nothing, but absolutely
EVERYTHING to gain. Don’t think, JUST DO IT.
- Organise a charity fashion show – link up with
your local Oxfam? Either grab a couple of mates and stage a show in your house.
They could model clothes that you no longer want or need, which could then be
auctioned off at the end of the day. OR - let local clothes shops know about
your fundraiser and ask them to donate clothes for the show. They’ll love to
get involved as this is also great publicity for them. A bunch of fit boys
& girls + lots of pretty clothes + a great soundtrack = a night to
remember.
- Does your uni boast a monthly magazine? Is there
a fashion section? Why not speak to the editors and include info and items from
some of the labels out there who are doing a lot of good/best charity shop
finds, rather than the usual finds from Topshop?
- Hold a fancy dress ball at school/uni/workplace?
You could theme it, say... superheroes? A masquerade ball?
- Back to front day – everyone makes a small
donation, and wears their clothes the wrong way round for an entire day. Amazing.
I do it sometimes without even trying.
- Girls: an Alice in wonderland themed garden
party? Dress up in as your fave characters, put on some tea, sandwiches and
cakes – charge a small entrance donation + bucket collect later on through the
event after everyone has gotten a little merrier with the help of a few glasses
of pimms
- Dress up as a fashion victim fancy dress themed
disco/local club night/party. A chance to dig out all that fake Burberry, anything
with shoulder pads etc.
- HAVE A RAFFLE – get local shops/boutiques to
donate an item or a one off experience, which you can then raffle off at an
event which you put on, and charge a small entrance donation/ticket price. Good
promo for them + good money raising for you.
- Scavenger Fashion
Hunt - People pay to enter. They each receive a list of items they need to
scavenge (a crocheted poncho, a yellow tie, an item of underwear that's
not their own... the more embarrassing the antics the BETTER) Give a prize
to the person who brings all the items to you first. Great idea to
organise this at uni or school; the more people the better. You could even
work in teams if you have a big enough turn out.
- Underwear Party - For some
reason, people will pay good money to attend a party packed with members
of the opposite sex in their smalls. Beats me. Charge them well for this privilege
people.
- Video-a-thon: Rent a bunch
of classic stylish movies and play them back-to-back for 24 hours (think
breakfast at tiffany’s, a single man, devil wears Prada, the September
issue, Coco before Chanel). Print schedules and hand them out to your
friends and acquaintances, who'll hopefully turn up and pay to watch their
favourites. Offer a discount for those who last the whole 24 hours. Don't
skimp on the popcorn and Maltesers
- Simply
donate whatever spare change you have to an organisation that is close to your
heart.
