A shopaholic who has filled her wardrobe with secondhand apparel after deciding to stop purchasing clothes brand new claims her savvy shopping habits have saved her £20,000.
Iso Neville, 24, who grew up in Westbury, Bristol, but now lives in central London, vowed to only buy second-hand in 2019 and ditched fast fashion brands such as Boohoo for designers such as Burberry – but without paying luxury prices.
The social media manager now spends hours every week scouring charity shops, vintage markets and online marketplaces to catch the best deals.
One of her top buys was a £1,500 Burberry trench coat that she bought for just £100 from a vintage flea market.
Iso reckons she has saved £20,000, compared to if she had bought all her second-hand designer goods new.
Iso Neville, 24, (pictured) claims to have saved around £20,000 by buying designer clothes secondhand – with a £100 Burberry coat among her bargain purchases
Iso visits charity shops and searches vintage online marketplaces for discounted designer apparel – such as her Acne Studios leather jacket bought for £100 from Vinted
Iso said she was buying clothes from fast fashion brands such as Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing every week while at university
The thrifty shopper spends up to £150 a month on secondhand clothes from high end brands.
She reckons that’s less than when she was buying new every week from fast-fashion giants like Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing – and says she’ll never go back.
Iso said: ‘When I was at university, I would shop fast fashion websites every week.
‘But I realised it made me look just like everyone else and I felt I’d lost a bit of my identity.
‘So in 2019 I made the decision to go second hand only because I realised I could get much better quality and it was better for the environment too.
‘I use second-hand shops and apps like Depop and Thrift Plus every day and go charity shopping once a week.
‘I’ve got amazing clothes for a fraction of the original prices – I calculated I have saved £20,000 compared to if I bought them new.
Iso said buying fast fashion felt like she was losing her ‘identity’, while buying secondhand is ‘much better quality’ and better for the environment too
Iso claims she has saved £20,000 by buying her designer items secondhand in comparison to if they were bought new
Iso claims she spends around the same amount of money on her pre-loved clothes as she did when purchasing new from fast fashion websites
‘I probably only spend the same amount as I did when I was buying new from fast fashion websites, but so much better quality.’
Iso explained that in her younger years she would walk to local charity shops over getting a bus into town to visit high street retailers.
But this changed when she started at University of Roehampton in 2016 and she swapped her unique second-hand style for online fast fashion brands like Nastygal for convenience.
Despite being able to wear a new dress every night, she found her style changing as a result of her new shopping habits.
She said: ‘I realised I looked like everyone else.
‘I felt I’d lost a bit of my identity.
So in 2019, she made a vow to ditch cheap fast fashion altogether after also grasping the damage it was doing to the planet.
Iso bought an Acne Studios leather jacket worth £1500 for just £100 on Vinted (pictured left), while her Burberry trench coat originally on sale for £1500 was £100 (pictured right) from a vintage flea market in central London
She said: ‘I realised I could get much better fabrics and quality buying second-hand.’
Iso has now developed weekly routines to ensure she always catches the best deals and second-hand offerings.
She uses online marketplaces such as Depop, Vinted and eBay every day to scout out second-hand steals from top brands.
She also uses Thrift Plus – which she describes as ‘the ASOS of second-hand’ to help her search for specific items on her wish lists.
Iso added that she goes to charity shops once a week.
Thanks to her sharp eye, she has snapped up an Acne Studios leather jacket worth £1500 for just £100 on Vinted.
She bought a vintage Maison Margiela coat, which retails at around £2,500, for just £25 at a charity shop in Balham.
Iso said she is ‘constantly’ sending her friends links to pre-loved items they may also like, as buying secondhand is easy and better for the planet
Iso has also snapped up a Burberry trench coat originally on sale for £1500 at a vintage flea market in central London.
The savvy shopper never buys fast fashion, even second hand as she prefers to preserve her cash for designer pieces at tiny prices.
She said: ‘I don’t pay more than any of my friends do who buy their clothes at Topshop, Zara or Boohoo.
‘I’m there for the better quality – I wouldn’t be able to buy a £2500 coat new, or access that quality of material on my budget.’
Iso calculated her savvy shopping habits have saved her £20,000 compared to if she had purchased all her designer gear new.
‘I’ve created a luxury style for myself based on the same budget of my fast fashion-loving friends,’ Iso said.
‘I keep an eye out for things I think my friends would like, too – I’m constantly sending them links.’
Iso said making a pledge to second-hand feels like a big deal but actually it’s easy to do, as well as being better for the planet.
Iso said people think secondhand shopping is all worn-out and discarded items from Primark, but there are great items out there too
She said: ‘Even if I buy second hand, I won’t buy anything I’ll only wear once.
‘And when I am done wearing something, I’ll re-sell it online and contribute to a circular economy.’
Iso wants to change the way people see second-hand and pre-loved shopping, while encouraging more people to make the same pledge she did.
She added: ‘I think there is a misconception, maybe a taboo, around second-hand shopping.
‘People think it’s all worn-out and discarded items from Primark.
‘There is some of that, but there are great items out there too.
‘It doesn’t have to be a big commitment – maybe just nipping in the charity shop on your commute home from work.
‘If you spend a bit of time looking, you will find the good stuff.’