Uk: Oxfam launches boutique shop in London

From charity to boutique shop. Oxfam goes upmarket, states The Guardian, presenting the boutique that the charity has opened on Westbourne Grove, London.

The new Oxfam Boutique on Westbourne Grove, London
According to English newspaper, the charity is taking its first steps towards a more fashion-conscious image: away from the slightly battered shoes and oversize floral skirts it’s known for and into the world of designer one-offs and couture accessories.

In selected “boutiques”, the donated clothes will be overhauled by young designers from the London College of Fashion. There will also be clothes and accessories from ethical fashion labels such as People Tree and Wright & Teague. To celebrate the launch, seven British designers have made one-off pieces using clothes from the charity shop which will be auctioned on eBay from today. Giles Deacon’s offering is a bright orange and green 1950s-style dress made from a pair of curtains from an Oxfam in Dalston. Stephen Jones constructed a hat made from pillowcases printed with a map of London.

Oxfam is opening three new boutiques in West London this summer – in Westbourne Grove, Shawfield St, Chelsea and Chiswick High Road – with more likely to open across the UK in 2009. They will sell sustainable fashion in five categories:

– Loved for Longer: High quality donated fashion;
– Fair Trade Fashion: Fairtrade Foundation or IFAT fashion and accessories that connect consumers and producers. Labels include People Tree, Green Knickers, Casa Copenhagen and Wright and Teague;
– Reinvented: Pieces donated to Oxfam and reworked by young designers including Defraye, Junk (Jumble) and London College of Fashion;
– Made with Love: Accessories made by volunteers;
– Good Fashion Sense: Clothes and accessories designed to make a difference – organic, recycled, made from alternative fibres or working toward Fair Trade accreditation. Labels include Junky Styling, Sea Salt and Amana

www.oxfam.org.uk