Glastonbury fashion: Festival fans turn to second-hand outfits

Elton John - who has long been fashion first - promises to go out with a Rocket Man bang, as he headlines Glastonbury at his last ever UK show

Tent: check. Sun cream: check. The next thing: what am I going to wear?

With Glastonbury 2023 ready to start, festival season is well under way.

The festival prides itself on being eco-conscious, but how do fans plan their outfits sustainably?

Festival and concert fashion has become a huge part of event planning: a quick scroll on TikTok and you'll see cowboy hats and feather boas as the uniform for Beyoncé and Harry Styles concerts.

Jess Potter, 36, from Cardiff, will be going to Glastonbury with her online second-hand clothing business.

At the festival she will be hosting the second-hand style awards, where festival-goers will be judged on their best sustainable looks from the weekend.

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Jess confesses she has not always been sustainable. During her first Glastonbury in 2014 she bought everything new, she used to be a "retail addict". That's where she met her now husband and business partner Davey, and they are now "on a journey to sustainability together".

The idea for UsedandLoved.com - a search engine tool that allows you to search for second-hand items all under one roof - came from a sleepless night idea, said Jess.

Jess Potter working on her stall, which will be in the Green Futures area of the festival

She said second-hand shopping was "all about finding your own style", and seeing content creators styling the outfits was key to changing people's attitudes on buying them.

In her spare time, Jess goes around Cardiff picking up bags of clothes that are left on the side of the road, which she sifts through and gives a new lease of life.

"I've found stuff from Ralph Lauren and Zara in them, all in really good condition," she said.

She plans to put the clothes found on the streets of Cardiff on display at Glastonbury with the idea that "they are free again and their destiny has been changed because they are going to get another life, and that clothes can live on for so long if you let them".

Bethany Lewis, from Swansea, planned her whole festival wardrobe via second hand shops and went on online clothes site Vinted for the In It Together festival in Margam, Neath Port Talbot.

When she booked for In It Together, she was adamant she would not buy anything new.

Bethany Lewis didn't buy anything new for the In It Together festival she attended last month

"I've never done a festival in that kind of heat before so I kind of took all the basics out of my wardrobe, so I mostly managed to use things I already owned," she said.

"But then, if I was looking for something specific, like I wanted like a mesh top to wear under an outfit so I went on Vinted, looking for stuff specifically.

Tent, wellies and booze

"Rather than buying it new, I knew that I got it cheaper. I was also reducing my impact on the environment by buying it."

Cost plays a part too, with tickets for festivals not cheap.

A ticket to Glastonbury would set you back £335 this year - and that's without buying your camping essentials like tent, wellies and booze (if that's your thing) - so many people try to use second-hand sites to get their outfits.

Caitlin Smith, a fashion blogger from Church Village, Rhondda Cynon Taf, who's based in London, said: "I don't tend to buy anything that doesn't work with at least five pieces in my wardrobe. So, if I'm looking for a festival 'fit, I'll only buy items that I know I'll wear again.

"I blame being a Capricorn for my frugality, so I don't like feeling like I've wasted money on something I'll wear once."

Caitlin Smith says Vinted is her "one true love"

"I also tend to look for accessories or builder pieces that I can layer over things I already own. Accessorising and layering are such fun and easy ways to change up your look without having to buy a completely 'new' outfit."

Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce, the head of retail operations for Oxfam, said shopping second-hand was a great way to express individuality.

"For the festival season, a lot of the (Oxfam) shops will pull together festival-style windows to help people choose their outfits for going. They'll have festival displays inside and the beauty of shopping second-hand with Oxfam is that you can be your own stylist."

"You can go in, you shop in a variety of brands, you're not being influenced around the latest trends, and you can literally go and choose the pieces and create your own look unique for you.

"Everyone is more conscious than ever now about sustainability and by shopping with Oxfam not only are you going to look fabulous, and you know you're going to feel fabulous."

So that's the fashion advice. But what to do about the weather?

With Glastonbury predicted to be a scorcher, the advice is to try and pack for the heat - and if it does rain, trusty wellies and a raincoat will always be in style.