MA FASHION DIARY- 29/10/2010: charity & vintage

After tutorial with Jas this week, we talked about the charity. Jas said, Oxfam is now the largest vintage stores in UK and it was originally a charity shop. They selling second hand goods including vintage clothing to help the people who need money in the world. It got the lot of support in UK. So we think about whether it can be one of the good reasons for Chinese people to buy the vintage clothes.

Then I do a research about Oxfam from internet:


Oxfam was originally founded in Oxford in 1942 as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief by a group of Quakers, social activists, and Oxford academics; this is now Oxfam Great Britain, still based in Oxford, UK. It was one of several local committees formed in support of the National Famine Relief Committee. Their mission was to persuade the British government to allow food relief through the Allied blockade for the starving citizens of Axis-occupied Greece. The first overseas Oxfam was founded in Canada in 1963. The committee changed its name to its telegraph address, OXFAM, in 1965.

Shops

Oxfam has numerous shops all over the world, which sell many fair-trade and donated items. They opened their first charity shop in 1948. The proceeds from these usually get paid to different charities or are used to further Oxfam's relief efforts around the globe. Much of their stock still comes from public donations but they currently also sell fair trade products from developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America, including handcrafts, books, music CDs and instruments, clothing, toys, food and ethnic creations. These objects are brought to the public through fair trade to help boost the quality of life of their producers and surrounding communities.

In 2008, Oxfam GB worked with over 20,000 volunteers in shops across the UK, raising £17.1 million for Oxfam's programme work.

Of the 750 Oxfam charity shops around the UK, around 100 are specialist bookshops or book and music shops. Oxfam is the largest retailer of second-hand books in Europe, selling around 12 million per year.

Oxfam has near to 15,000 shops worldwide

Oxfam shop in Cirencester, England

Oxfam clothing and shoe bank

These still two Oxfam charity store in Hong Kong China.  Here is the website address of HK Oxfam: http://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/default.aspx

In 2008, Oxfam HK worked with over 100,000 volunteers in Hong Kong, raising 190 million Hong Kong dollar for Oxfam's programme work.

Oxfam HK charity sale on the street

From the number we can see clearly that people pleased to support charity and buy the second hand goods form them. As a part of China, that is quite a good example and point for me to research and compare with the consumers in Shanghai.