BOOK OF THE WEEK Homes & Property, Evening Standard ' ...Lettice Wilkinson spotted the trend for being thrifty early, and with a passion for shabby chic has produced her well-timed book. Almost every high street in the country has at least one charity shop and Lettice Wilkinson knows the best ones, from furniture to designer vintage, white goods and even hospice tea shops. Most are in the UK but she strays as far away as Australia and the US.'

'...fashion designer Lettice (Wilkinson), with her passion for the second-hand, knows the best from furniture emporia to design vintage, white goods and even hospice tea shops. As she sweetly says, the charity shop "is an ideal economic model that renews faith in love and optimism for the future."' Evening Standard

LETTICE WILKINSON'S TEN FAVOURITE EDINBURGH CHARITY SHOPS are featured in The Scotsman Magazine article 'Second Hand Pose' by Gaby Soutar.

'Today's disposable fashions certainly make it harder to find vintage gems and present a huge problem for the charity shops themselves, as they're flooded wth cheap labels,' Lettice Wilkinson (from the above). 'As as result, the shops are appealing for quality donations and trying to keep Primark off the shelves – managing the cheap stock by selling it to rag merchants or shipping clothes abroad to developing countries.'

'a new lifestyle bible – a guide to all things economical and fashionable' The Bookseller

A global overview of Charity, Thrift and Opportunity Shopping, looking at the best shops across the world and the challenges, strategies and motivations behind this unique retail sector. Lettice Wilkinson spent the summer months of 2008 visiting literally hundreds of charity shops – from Edinburgh to Bradford, Kent to Bristol, and the capitals, London, New York and Sydney were also investigated. Her survey resulted in this guide and analysis of the charities businesses, set up to raise vital funds for the communities they serve. ‘For me the charity shop is a vital resource for fashion, music and literature and  lets me be thrifty whilst also leading a creative lifestyle. In many ways I fit the profile of a typical charity shopper, looking for inspiration and a bargain whilst promoting the re-use of manufactured goods and serving (local) charities rather than corporations. In recent years, the charity shop has faced growing challenges from budget retail, eBay and the booming vintage market. Charity shops have had to employ more and more sophisticated retailing methods – such as branding, product specialisation and mainstream pricing – to compete on the high-street, bringing them closer in line with mainstream retailers. It is the most forward-thinking and innovative of these outlets that this book aims to highlight, hopefully for the benefit of the charities as well as the avid charity shopper.  Charity Shopping guides the shopper around the best shops, by category, and includes images and personal accounts of the charity shop experience today.’ Lettice Wilkinson was born in London and studied Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Pattern Cutting at Central St. Martins College. Throughout college she assisted at a Textile Design studio, printing fabrics for mainline Fashion Houses. Since graduating in 2004 she has continued to live in London, working as an assistant Set Producer for films and advertising and designing and making clothes with a partner for their label Sisyphus. She is also a musician and plays in several bands as a drummer and bassist.

£9.99/$17.95
Original paperback 288pp
Full Colour
ISBN: 978-0-7145-3149-6
February 2009
World Rights