Students spruce up Winchester charity shop

19th March 2025

a view of the window display with jumpers coats and rain droplets made of denim

Recently, third year Fashion Marketing students at University of Winchester, created a window display for Naomi House & Jacksplace's Winchester charity shop. The window, created as a part of Winchester Fashion Week intends to start conversations about sustainable choices in fashion.

Luica Girolami, project leader, said:

My inspiration behind the project was to showcase the importance of purchasing denim from sustainable sources. To do this, we created a window display featuring some of the best denim pieces available in the shop. We styled these outfits in a way that passersby could easily envision them in their own wardrobes by pairing the denim with clothing staples most people already own.

— Lucia Girolami

a charity shop window with blue coloured clothing and denim water droplets

For the creative concept, I wanted to represent the well-known fact about the huge amount of water required to produce a pair of jeans. To visualise this, I made rain droplets from denim that was damaged therefore making it unusable, and incorporated trench coats, symbolising both British heritage and protection from the rain. Additionally, I added frames in the display with denim covered borders, featuring posters that inform shoppers about the importance of making sustainable denim choices.

— Lucia Girolami

With the rise in popularity of pre-loved shopping, the public's awareness has been raised to make more ethical consumer decisions. Some ways you can make the conscious choice are; through re-using the clothes you already own, borrowing items from your friends, repairing or altering clothing and shopping secondhand in your local charity shops.

Andrew Mawbey, Retail Commercial Operations Manager at Naomi House & Jacksplace, said:

Our charity shops provide a sustainable and ethical way of re-circulating unused items. On average one of our shops will sell approximately 500 garments each week, with donations continuing to come in every day. We are always trying to repurpose them in the best way possible by sorting items carefully to be sold according to the seasons. By re-selling products at a reasonable price, not only do we keep them out of landfills, but we also make a positive difference for our hospices. Donors can also Gift Aid their donation to our shops which allows us to claim an extra 25% on the item that sells.

— Andrew Mawbey

Lucia, said:

I strongly believe in the value of secondhand shopping as a crucial step toward a more sustainable fashion industry. Charity shops like Naomi House & Jacksplace offer high-quality, unique items while supporting an incredible cause. Shopping in secondhand shops not only reduces fashion waste but also ensures that our money goes to a meaningful charity rather than a large fashion corporation!

— Lucia Girolami

At Naomi House & Jacksplace charity shops, we offer high quality pre-loved goods from clothing, shoes to accessories and more. Our shop teams carefully select items for sale to make the most of every donation we receive. Through our charity shops we hope to bring a positive change to how we purchase our apparel. As hundreds of clothes are discarded or end up in landfills every day, donating good-quality items to our charity shops allows you to give them a new lease of life while supporting your community.

To find out more about Naomi House & Jacksplace's sustainability initiatives please click here.

Visit Our Shops

We have 20 charity shops where you can find carefully selected clothing, accessories, home decor, books and more! You can also shop pre-loved clothing online on our eBay and Depop shops.

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