Next month, after a whopping 133 years, the iconic Fenwick store on Bond Street will be closing its doors for good. As sad as it makes us to be losing yet another central London stalwart; it does make us feel slightly better to know that the store will be being put to good use.
A second-hand department store concept, Charity Super.Mkt, will be taking over 3000 square-foot of Fenwick’s ground floor, setting up shop (temporarily) in the former handbags and accessories department, and hosting a pre-loved pop-up.
Charity Super.Mkt is the UK’s first ever multi-charity shop and is comprised of five charities: British Heart Foundation, Shelter, Shaw Trust, Havens Hospice and Traid. This will be their 15th pop-up and will feature a selection of women’s and men’s fashion pieces, curated by the five charities.
Fenwick have not only donated the space to Charity Super.Mkt, but also rails, hangers, and a number of fashion pieces to go on sale. All proceeds generated from the pop-up will go directly to the charities.
Leo Fenwick, Fenwick director of strategic partnerships, said: “Partnering with Charity Super.Mkt combines many threads of our sustainability and charitable initiatives, including helping accelerate the move to a low-waste society with the reduction in textile waste, supporting opportunities for women to thrive, and partnering with charities to improve communities and the environment.”
Conscious consumption and buying second-hand have become extremely popular in recent years. Bringing second-hand clothing to one of London’s busiest and most exclusive shopping districts and placing it between the luxurious likes of Dior and Armani is a huge step in the world of pre-loved shopping.
Wayne Hemingway, former Red or Dead designer who has helped curate the project, said: “We are on a mission to get charity fashion into spaces and places it hasn’t been before. Bond Street with all the big brands and dresses for £2,000 is going to be a major experiment. Will people come who have a very different background to most charity shoppers and who maybe have never been in a charity shop before?”
Charity Super.Mkt currently have locations in Shepherd’s Bush and Greater Manchester, and have had previous successful stores in Kent, Glasgow, Oxford and Reading. Each of the pre-loved pop-ups are run by a group of volunteers.
So far, Charity Super.Mkt has raised almost £1.6 million for various charities. They’ve sold over 180,000 items, thereby saving roughly 53 tonnes of clothing from going to landfill. And if all that wasn’t enough to make you want to pay a visit; they’ll also be hosting weekend DJ events. Pop in for a shop, and stay for a bop? That’s got a nice ring to it, you know…
The Charity Super.Mkt pop-up will be taking place from February 9 – February 22 at 63 New Bond Street, W1S 1RQ. Find out more about Charity Super.Mkt here.
