大象传媒

The UK has more than 10,000 charity shops. For some, the thrill of rummaging for unexpected bargains is infinitely more rewarding than predictable curated displays of the bland new clothes anywhere else. Others like the fact that as well as supporting causes, they recirculate 390,000 tonnes of textiles that would otherwise be burnt or dumped.

But such warmth towards charity retail isn鈥檛 universal. They're often on quiet streets and perceived as a symptom of a town鈥檚 terminal decline. Meanwhile, the growth in the numbers of us shopping in retail parks and on ultra-fast fashion apps shows no signs of stopping.

Designer, Wayne Hemingway thinks it doesn鈥檛 have to be like this. Using money he made selling unwanted wool coats in Camden market, he first found fame and fortune setting up the iconic British fashion label Red or Dead. This clothed the likes of Kylie Minogue while many less famous people in the 80s queued outside its shops on multiple continents.

In the late 90s he set up a design agency that鈥檚 since won awards in the fiercely competitive worlds of architecture and branding. With a CV like that, most people in his position would be tempted to cash in their lot and retire in the sun. Not Wayne. He saw an opportunity in charity retail and in 2023 he set up Charity Super.Mkt. It offers hand picked collections of second hand fashion in famous high streets and ensures more money goes to the charities who provide the goods.

Its stores have raised over a 拢1.5million for charities and appeared in prime locations spanning London鈥檚 Bond Street to Glasgow鈥檚 Buchanan Street. We find out how it works, what he learnt from the highs and lows of his previous businesses and what he'll do next.

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Julian Paszkiewicz