Fashion staple Marks and Spencer have teamed up with ubiquitous charity shop Oxfam to launch a temporary online Shwop Shop, selling celebrity fashion to raise funds for the charity.
The shop is stocked with ‘pre-loved’ pieces donated by a number of celebrities from the UK, including Joanna Lumley, Millie Mackintosh, Lisa Snowdon, Melvin Odoom, and Stella Tennant.
The Shwopping initiative will be hosted on the Oxfam online store, and is also selling some of the best items donated by the public to the campaign, as well as a number of M&S classic pieces.
Items available include Stella Tennant’s pink chanel suit, a steal at £1800, Olivia Wayne’s beige trench coat for £120, and many pairs of Strictly contestant Melvin Odoom’s size 6 ½ shoes, at various prices.
The money raised will go to support Oxfam’s initiatives to fight global poverty.
Since the launch of Shwopping in 2008, which allows shwoppers to donate their old clothes and swap them for vouchers to spend at M&S, Oxfam has received more than 25 million articles of clothing to be resold, reused, or recycled, worth an estimated £17million to the charity.
For the public, shwopping can be done either in Oxfam shops, where if you donate clothes or soft furnishings and any item in your donation is from M&S, you receive a ‘£5 off your next £35 M&S shop’ voucher, or at participating M&S stores, where you can donate unwanted clothing of any provenance, but without financial reward.
Mike Barry is the director of Plan A at M&S. He said, “Shwopping has been a huge success and the 25million items shwopped so far have helped us to raise over £17million for Oxfam. We know our customers’ wardrobes are full of hidden treasures, as we see Shwoppers turn up week in week out to drop off their once-loved clothes into our Shwop Drops and we are honoured to have their ongoing support.”
