With fast fashion flooding donation bins, Shelter is turning imperfections into opportunities for sustainability, as Ian Trotter, Shelter Retail's assistant director, explains.
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‘Make do and mend’ is a slogan our grandparents will remember, but over the last 20 years or so, fast fashion has meant, rather than mending, we’re increasingly tossing clothing aside after just a few wears, and replacing it with more of the same.

As a charity retailer, you might think that would be good news – after all, surely that means more clothes for sale in our charity shops?

Not quite. You see, low cost tends to be lower value – meaning a large number of the donations we receive are just not fit for purpose. Whether torn or frayed, missing buttons or splitting at the seams, some fashion is not built to last, and often – not good enough for us to sell.

Added to that, the cost-of-living crisis means more and more people are looking for ways to boost their income, including selling their higher-quality items online – meaning some charity shops are receiving fewer good quality donations.

This has left charity retailers like Shelter with a dilemma. Our commitment to sustainability is something that’s always been central to our work and is something we continue to be very proud of. Against a backdrop of rapidly changing consumer behaviour, how do we continue to provide a great shopping experience, while trying to cut waste and minimise our collective environmental impact? How do we navigate and deal with a throwaway fashion culture?

According to The Waste and Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) 2024 Textiles Market Situation Report, almost half of Britons’ unwanted textiles end up being thrown away, with each of us dumping an average of 35 discarded items in the bin every year.

In the past few years our shop teams have noticed a real change in the kind of items that make their way to our charity shops, with lower value stock being donated and a greater number of imperfect or slightly damaged items being given too.

These poorer quality textiles typically have a lower life expectancy than something more expensive, and there is a tendency to either put them in the bin or leave them with us when they get damaged. Often people don’t think they’re worth repairing or don’t feel confident trying to fix or upcycle them.

That’s where campaigns like Shelter’s Rescue and Repair come in.

Launched in September, it’s been designed to meet some of the sticky challenges around fashion sustainability, making it easier to save imperfect pieces from landfill by offering shoppers something unique and new.

We’re giving people the chance to buy items in need of some TLC at lower than usual prices. Each one needs only a minor mend - the kind of thing that doesn’t need specialist kit and will only take a few minutes. So a new button, a slight restitch, a small piece of embroidery etc.
Each item carries a QR code too, taking the buyer to a short ‘How To’ video, guiding them through some basic repairs, and we’re encouraging people to share their finds and handiwork on social media via #rescueandrepair.

It’s an approach we hope will chime with our shoppers - who tell us they are looking for more ethical ways to consume and create fashion - and to help us keep shifting the dial on sustainability.

There are still plenty of pre-loved gems being donated and amazing charity shop finds. And by rescuing and repairing clothes from Shelter charity shops, shoppers can help fight the sustainability crisis and raise vital funds to fight the housing emergency too.

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