Fashion shoot at Age UK’s new boutique charity shop in Rustington raises awareness of sustainable shopping

The stylish store in Broadmark Parade was opened in style by Arundel town crier Angela Standing on Friday, July 25, and customers queued to see what was in store.

Staff have designed the shop with colours in mind, grouping clothes in similar shades together and leaving plenty of space for customers to browse the rails.

Shop manager Sarah Brown said: "Age UK has more than 250 shops across England and Wales which support the sustainable movement by extending the life of items.

"By shopping sustainably and donating to our charity shops, people will not only reduce their ecological footprint but also help to raise vital funds for Age UK, so that it can continue supporting older people across the country.

"Donating to Age UK's charity shops is a great way of reducing waste, with donations to the charity this year saving 700,000 kilos going into landfill and 10million kilos of CO2e.

"Every purchase made helps to raise funds to support vital services for older people, including Age UK's Telephone Friendship Service, free and confidential advice line and The Silver Line helpline."

Second-hand shopping is an affordable alternative to new fast fashion and a powerful way to reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Extending the use of clothing items by donating rather than binning helps to reduce the demand for new production, which in turn decreases resource consumption, energy usage and textile waste.

The second-hand retail market is booming and the boutique style of the new Age UK shop has encouraged a large number of customers through the doors.

We visited on Friday to see what was on offer. We found a gorgeous selection of clothing and accessories, some brand new. There was a mix of labels, all priced accordingly.

A new Seasalt Cornwall maxi dress was priced up at £29.99, an excellent price considering it still had the original labels and had clearly never been worn.

There was a super soft knee-length Joules dress priced £14.99. I was quite taken with it, it felt so comfortable to wear, and I discovered it had two pockets, which were well positioned.

I also tried on a red cotton maxi dress, priced up at £8.99, and teamed it with a hat, as I felt it would perfectly suit a summer garden party or wedding.

There was a lovely black party dress with pearl collar at £7.99 which felt amazing and I spotted a little sparkly bag to go with it. There was also an unusual Olsen black jacket with frilled collar priced up at £16.99 - a great staple for the wardrobe.

I found a pair of black trousers for £5.99 and tried it with various tops, including a super green Zara top for £6.99, a maroon George top for £3.99, an M&S top for £4.99 and a fun green fish top for £5.99.

As all alternative to trousers, I also gave some of the tops a go with an M&S midi skirt, which was also brand new, complete with its original labels, and priced at £9.99.

Shopping in charity shops gives you an opportunity to browse all different makes and my experience at Age UK gave me the confidence to try brands I would not normally try because I wouldn't expect them to fit.

It was fun to have the freedom to try on clothes I wouldn't normally wear and it proved you could get yourself a whole new wardrobe full of good-quality clothes for a very reasonable price.

The Age UK Rustington shop features an array of pre-loved clothing and accessories. From floral dresses, elegant accessories and stylish sandals, not only can shoppers get the look for less but each purchase will also be helping to recycle and raise much-needed funds for the charity's work for older people.