TWO friends are helping the environment by launching a pre-loved clothes shop in Basingstoke.

Karen Randell and Alison Clement are inviting people in Basingstoke to search through their wardrobes for unwanted, good quality pre-loved clothes to be sold in a pop-up shop at Viables.

The pair came up with the idea of The Green Wardrobe after Karen was made redundant as a personal assistant at Motorola earlier this year and decided to set herself a challenge.

She explained: “I told Alison that I wasn’t buying any new clothes for a year because I had read so much about fast fashion and how so many litres of water it takes to make a pair of jeans so I set myself a target of not buying clothes for a year.”

Alison, who owns Alison’s Wonderland at Viables, added: “People have outfits in their wardrobes not being used so we came up with the idea of doing a pre-loved clothes sale. We want good quality clothes that have been worn once or twice or not at all and are in good condition so someone coming on the night will want to buy them. It’s not a jumble sale or charity shop.”

The friends have so far had more than 250 items brought in, with sizes ranging from eight to 20, with a variety of clothes including party dresses, coats and jumpers from shops including Zara, Phase 8 and Boden.

Those whose items are sold at the event will receive 50 per cent, with The Green Wardrobe taking 40 per cent and the remaining 10 per cent going to charity, with the first one set to benefit being Pelican Cancer Foundation.

The first event will be held at Viables on November 15 from 4pm to 9pm, which is free to attend.

“It allows people to be mindful and help the environment whilst enjoying fashion. This is better than eBay because people can try things on. With eBay you might have to send it back or it goes in the cupboard and doesn’t get used,” explained Alison, adding: “If you have Christmas parties booked up, you can buy a party dress from The Green Wardrobe and then in the New Year we can sell it on again.”

Anyone wanting to drop off clothes for the sale can do so on November 2 between 10am and 4pm at Viables, by contacting Alison and Karen through The Green Wardrobe Facebook page.