September 7, 2020 |
When Oxfam’s senior fashion adviser, Bay Garnett, got the call from Selfridges to set up a charity shop inside the store’s central Atrium space, the decision was a no brainer. “I think Selfridges is really innovative in the way that the company is thinking about climate change,” she says as she talks me through the space.
And she’s right. Last month, the retailer debuted its Project Earth initiative, where Selfridges unvealed plans to work with 300 brand partners with the aim of changing the way we shop by 2025.
Located next to Miu Miu and over the way from Balenciaga, the pop-up store will take place over four weeks, part of Oxfam’s annual Secondhand September initiative. Stock will be regularly rotated from a whopping 1,500 pieces handpicked by Garnett in the lead up to the opening. There are glittery blouses from Ashish, Gaultier Jeans leather jackets and range of Ossie Clarke dresses desperate to be danced in.
Despite the shop’s fancy neighbours, Garnett was adamant that everything on sale remained at Oxfam prices, with goods starting from an outstanding £3. It’s luxury shopping without the luxury price point.
Garnett has been working with the second-hand shopping giant for over four years. From styling Oxfam’s annual Fashion Fighting Poverty catwalk at London Fashion Week, the stylist has gone on to use Oxfam’s clothes in a fashion-forward context, including a story that featured only vintage wedding dresses on the cover of 10 Magazine’s 20th Anniversary Issue.
Bay Garnett
For the charity shop, Garnett enlisted the help of Michaela Coel, the immense actress and writing talent behind I May Destroy You, who is the face of this year’s Oxfam Secondhand September. “[Coel] signifies someone of independence who is motivated to raise awareness,” Garnett explains. “This store is about shifting perception of what a charity shop can be.”
Top image: Michaela Coel, Photographed by Tom Craig and styled by Bay Garnett. Selfridges’ Oxfam Shop curated by Bay Garnett is open till October 4. All proceeds go directly to Oxfam, supporting its global work to combat poverty.
