An English thrift shop, once overwhelmed by heaps of donated clothing, has received a generous boost from a creative designer eager to make a positive impact.
Victoria Ford, a recent graduate in fashion and design, stepped forward to assist the shop by transforming its surplus of unwanted garments into stylish bespoke pieces that can be sold at higher prices. This initiative not only aims to enhance the shop’s offerings but also to divert waste from landfills.
The thrift shop supports Derian House Children’s Hospice located in Chorley. Unfortunately, instead of raising funds for the hospice’s vital services, the shop had become primarily a drop-off point for discarded clothing, leading to an overwhelming accumulation of items—often described as “eyewatering” amounts—left unsorted in large sacks filling the warehouse.
If not for Ford’s passion for sustainable fashion and her keen eye for potential, many of these items would have ended up in the trash. “Rather than letting things go to waste, I wanted to help Derian House by giving their unsellable clothing a new life, turning them into something that others can enjoy,” she shared.
Mick Croskery from the Derian House shop noted that Ford’s unique collection is bringing in a fresh crowd of customers. With the shop operating on “super tight margins” and facing an overwhelming number of worn-out clothing items—many with holes, stains, or burns—Croskery expressed gratitude for Ford’s ability to repurpose these materials. Previously, the shop paid 70 cents per bag for donations, but as the influx of unusable items increased, they had to drastically reduce that to just 15 cents.
Ford’s resourcefulness has been evident since she was just 10 years old, when she began finding items in thrift stores and creatively reworking them with her sewing machine. Over the years, she has redesigned countless pieces, including crafting a handbag from an inflatable mattress!
Derian House Children’s Hospice provides care for over 400 babies, toddlers, children, young people, and their families, with an operational cost exceeding £6 million (approximately $7.8 million) each year.
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