The Daily Telegraph

High-fashion bonanza at the charity shop

Thanks to an anonymous donor, Mind store offers cut-price designer clothes and accessorie­s

- By Amar Mehta

Fashion followers in search of a bargain could soon descend upon Tunbridge Wells after a mystery donor gave clothes and accessorie­s from brands such as Prada, worth £50,000, to a charity shop. The donation included a Prada skirt, Chloe handbag, Gucci coat, Sanderson shoes, and Mulberry dress. The dress would be £900 if bought new but is on sale for £425. Also featured is a skirt worth £1,180 by Canadian brand Erdem, favoured by the Duchess of Cambridge.

YOUR local charity shop might not be where you’d usually pick up a Mulberry dress, a Gucci coat or a skirt favoured by the likes of the Duchess of Sussex.

But thanks to an anonymous donation to a Mind store in Kent – there is £50,000 worth of designer clothes up for grabs at huge cut prices.

A regular donor dropped clothes and accessorie­s from high fashion brands such as Prada and Rupert Sanderson to the charity shop in Tunbridge Wells.

The donation included a Prada skirt, a Chloé handbag, a Gucci wool coat, Rupert Sanderson shoes and a Mulberry dress. The dress would be worth £900 if bought new, however, it has been on sale for £425. The generous bundle also features a luxury silk skirt worth an eye-watering £1,180 by Canadian brand Erdem, favoured by the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex.

Alison Homewood, the store manager, said the items, some of which are brand new, are in high demand but several items are still available.

Ms Homewood, who has worked at Mind for 14 years, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer designer products, such as Prada shoes, Chloé handbags and Valentino dresses for a competitiv­e price.

“Our shop relies on the generosity of the community so while we’re delighted to receive these designer items we also value other previously loved items.

“It’s amazing. We are really, really busy, but we are not complainin­g. We had a beautiful Valentino dress we sold for £650 in plain black with a gorgeous ice cream pleat in pale blue, yellow and pink.

“I don’t know how much a Prada skirt costs and so I have to go on the Prada website and look, which is why the collection didn’t come out until Wednesday.

“The items came in at the end of last week – it is a regular donor and she donates stuff to us on quite a regular basis.”

Bought brand new a Valentino dress would cost almost £2,000.

Prada, Gucci, Mulberry and Kate Spade items have already been sold.

A houndstoot­h check Burberry-style coat by Gucci was sold for £400. Similar coats have been sold for more than £2,000.

The total value of the items would have originally been £50,000 but the shop hopes to make £15,000 for the mental health charity.

‘It is exciting to see these glamorous, high fashion items. But it is always exciting to look in any bag’

While Ms Homewood is thankful for the high-value donations, she does not want them to detract from the kindness of other donors who contribute to the shop’s everyday success.

She said: “It is exciting to see these glamorous, high-fashion items. But it is always exciting to look in any bag because you never know what you will find and more importantl­y, it is more money for the charity.

“We treat every donor the same. It doesn’t matter if they are dropping off one item or 100 items, we are always grateful.

“It’s fantastic to get all this stuff but it does not detract from the normal donations – the things that we sell for £5 or £6.

“Yes, it’s great to have this amazing quality clothing, but it’s amazing that people bring things in every day otherwise we would not have been here for 20 years.”

 ??  ?? Kate Spade RRP £230 Sell £140
Kate Spade RRP £230 Sell £140
 ??  ?? Mulberry RRP £900 Sell £425
Mulberry RRP £900 Sell £425
 ??  ?? Talbot Runhof RRP £1,120 Sell £450
Talbot Runhof RRP £1,120 Sell £450
 ??  ?? Rupert Sanderson RRP £470 Sell £140
Rupert Sanderson RRP £470 Sell £140

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