Models wearing colorful streetwear and contrasting historical outfits paraded down a brightly lit London Fashion Week (LFW) runway in an industrial subterranean location in central London, reported AFP.
The charity Oxfam and online used clothing merchant Vinted's "Style for Change" hosted the event, however unlike most other presentations, all of the floral dresses, trendy workwear, and double-denim ensembles were secondhand.
The sustainable fashion pioneer Bay Garnett described the runway as "really exciting" after choosing the outfits from Oxfam's warehouses.
Backstage, Garnett told AFP, "When we first did this show eight years ago, it was really not like this," pointing out the throng of excited spectators.
British fashion is having sustainability issues, despite the hoopla around the Oxfam event and another "pre-loved" catwalk by internet auction site eBay.
Based on the "Climate-Ready Index" published by insurance giant Aviva, over 44% of all British companies have implemented a formalized plan to combat climate change.
In comparison, the fashion industry is falling far behind, a scenario described as "an embarrassment" by the nonprofit Collective Fashion Justice (CFJ).
Only seven of the 206 members of the British Fashion Council (BFC), which is responsible for putting on London Fashion Week, have established goals to lower their carbon footprints, according to a recent CFJ research.
Furthermore, according to CFJ, just five of these, or less than 2.5 percent, had objectives that were in line with the 2016 Paris Agreement to reduce global warming.
Fashion United platform study places the UK as the third largest footwear and clothing market in the world, behind China and the US.
According to a 2018 analysis by sustainability firm Quantis, the industries are responsible for about 8% of greenhouse gas emissions that warm the world.