Northampton Oxfam back with ‘Second Hand September’ for fourth year running

Northampton’s Oxfam store is supporting the charity’s national Second Hand September campaign for the fourth year running.

The aim is to encourage more individuals to shop second hand and raise awareness of the positive impact this has on the environment.

Holding a pop-up shop at the University of Northampton on September 26 is part of this year’s campaign, and Vimal Shah, Oxfam Northampton’s store manager, looks forward to interacting with students and staff on the issue.

Vimal said: “We all love the feeling of buying new clothes, but purchasing second hand allows you to be unique and minimise your impact on the planet.

“For me, the floods in Pakistan are a wake up call to the world and its leaders – we need to do more as even the biggest defences were not enough to protect the people.

“It showed the level and scale of what we need to do, and is an eye opener – Second Hand September isn’t just a gimmick, but promotes an important message.”

Vimal wants to show how easy it is to give an item a longer lifespan, and hopes this month’s pop-up shop will do that.

It will be open from 9am until around 4pm on September 26, and there will be clothes, accessories and homeware on offer for students to get their hands on.

The Kingsthorpe store manager said: “Young people are the future and will change the world – we want to improve their lives.”

Vimal hopes to connect with the university’s fashion department about a collaboration, as he is always on the lookout for companies and organisations to work with.

On a national level, Oxfam already partners with big names like M&S, George at Asda, and Superdry.

Although having a month dedicated to raising awareness is important, Vimal said: “We need to make sure we keep up the momentum that second hand is just as good as new, all year round.”

Vimal has high hopes as he has already seen an increase in those buying second hand, and a variety of new customers in store.