Film and TV costume designer Amy Thompson spoke with production company Lowkey Films about her experience and the industry barriers in styling productions with second-hand clothing. She typically starts by pulling from her own studio stock, then checks charity shops and online second-hand platforms like Vinted, Depop, and eBay for individual pieces; some projects source almost all costumes from second-hand channels.

  • Amy Thompson's sourcing order: first check her own studio stock, then browse charity shops, then supplement specific pieces via second-hand platforms like Vinted, Depop, and eBay.
  • The main obstacle is time: items needed in multiple repeats can't rely on second-hand, and some commercials require specified colors and sizes that are very hard to find in the second-hand market.
  • Where costumes go after a series wraps: lead actors or clients take their main looks, while she keeps the rest for future projects or donates them to local charities supporting families.

Creative Process and Authenticity First

Amy Thompson says that on any project, the first thing she does is go through her own studio stock; clothing accumulated over years can almost always meet part of the needs first. Only after that does she turn to charity shops, and rummaging with empty boxes is one of her most enjoyable parts. Online second-hand platforms are used to find specific styles that don't appear in stores.

The core reason for choosing second-hand clothing is authenticity. She believes that the worn, used state of clothing is clearly visible on camera—the faded marks on jeans, the small mended holes in sweaters—all add layers to a character. Even if these details never end up on screen, they influence her design judgment. A recent narrative feature she completed sourced almost all costumes from second-hand channels, generating very little waste in the process.

Sourcing Differences Between Features and Shorts

In practice, there is no essential creative difference between features and shorts; storytelling comes first in both. Commercial projects have higher budgets, but she still builds backstories for characters who appear only briefly; features offer more time to develop characters and costumes. She enjoys the prep stage most, especially on period pieces, where researching archives and building initial visual boards often leads to new directions during sourcing, and key pieces are sometimes confirmed only at the moment she sees them in person.

Practical Limits: Time and Quantity

Amy Thompson points out that she always tries to use second-hand clothing in projects, but when time doesn't allow, it can't happen. Finding specific pieces takes a lot of time, and some commercial projects don't have that space. Clients may specify colors and sizes, and assembling a particular garment from second-hand channels is like finding a needle in a haystack. Another practical difficulty is needing multiple sizes or quantities of the same garment; the resale market can't meet that, so she has to buy new and then distress it to make it look second-hand.

After Wrap: Stock and Targeted Donations

She stresses that the clothing she handles is not wasted. There are negative cases of costumes from large productions being thrown into landfills in bags after wrap, but there is also growing industry awareness of waste and cooperation with redistribution. Usually the main looks are taken by actors or clients, and the rest is hers to handle; pieces with reuse value stay in stock. She also donates specific categories like children's clothing and school uniforms to local charities serving families. She notes that UK charity shops play an important role in circulating old clothes, but even they struggle to keep up with the enormous volume of waste generated by fast fashion.

What the Industry Needs to Change

She believes the biggest problem in the industry today is the speed of project turnover. Budgets and time are severely compressed, which affects creativity across departments and squeezes the space for sustainable practices. When she can't use second-hand clothing, it's usually because she must quickly deliver a costume solution that can be bought online and shipped fast. There are many vintage rental shops, vintage stores, and second-hand sellers—there just may not be time to visit them. If prep time were more generous, sustainable ways of working would be more feasible for everyone.

Source: Second Hand September: Costume Designer Amy Thompson on the Art of Second-Hand Sourcing — LBB · Originally published 2026-10-01