Loom Is Upcycling Your Oxfam Donations

While charity shops will always be grateful for the donations we drop off, they’re not always able to sell everything. This is especially the case when it comes to clothing. While it’s thought that clothes, shoes and accessories make up the bulk of charity shop donations, roughly only 10 to 30 percent of these items are actually sold in store – with the rest being donated elsewhere or sold overseas. But what if there was a way to curb the surplus? That’s where Loom’s latest collaboration with Oxfam comes in.

Loom Releases Upcycled Oxfam Collection

Upcycling app Loom has kicked off a new trial with global charity Oxfam to help transform unwearable and damaged donations into exclusive upcycled designs. Working on a collection of patchwork bags – each one created from donated, unwearable fabrics like denim and curtain linens, and featuring original details like pockets, buttonholes and cuffs – the pair aim to keep unwanted clothes and textiles in use for longer.

‘We’re excited to collaborate with Oxfam on this project, marking the beginning of what we hope will be a long-term collaboration,’ said Daisy Harvey, founder of Loom. ‘This collection isn’t just about fashion; it’s about proving that upcycling can be done sustainably and with real commercial potential, reducing environmental impact while offering unique, affordable products.’

The bags, which retail between £40 and £50, also come with a QR code that tells the story behind the design – detailing the process of how the bag was created as well as the teams at Oxfam and Loom that worked behind the scenes on the collaboration.

‘Oxfam is always looking for new ways to give clothes a second chance of life and this is the perfect opportunity to show how you can create something beautiful and unique, from something that otherwise would have been unwearable,’ added Penny Walker, Head of UK Warehousing & Logistics for Oxfam. ‘Furthermore, all the money raised from these amazing bags will help raise vital funds tackling poverty and inequality with partners across the globe.’

And this only marks the first trial for the collaboration. For now, a limited run of 200 patchwork bags will be released – but we expect there will be more drops and products in the future. Watch this space.

How To Get Your Hands On The Collab

Bags from the Loom x Oxfam collection are now available on Oxfam’s online shop, as well as Oxfam’s summer festival shops. onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk