Miranda July at Selfridges: Britain's first interfaith charity shop rubs shoulders with fashion's elite

The irresistible combination of supporting a good cause while at the same time indulging in a spot of bargain-heavy retail therapy is propelling savvy shoppers to American artist Miranda July’s specially constructed charity shop, currently doing brisk business amongst the designer togs up on Selfridges’ third floor.

Despite its unlikely location, this most incongruous of pop-ups is a perfect facsimile of the plethora of charitable outlets found on high streets throughout the UK, right down to the ceiling tiles, modular wall units and unforgiving fluorescent lighting. Although it has been produced by the art commissioning organisation Artangel, it is a fully functioning retail outlet.

The stock ranges from the usual bric à brac to racks of second hand men’s and women’s clothes, shelves of books and piles of soft toys. And never mind that it is surrounded by the most high end fashion franchises, the price points are the same as in any charity shop that you’d encounter on the high street.

However, there is one very significant difference. This is Britain’s first interfaith charity shop, staffed jointly by four religious charities specially selected by Miranda July. These are: Islamic Relief, an international aid and development charity (which was the first on the scene after the Grenfell Tower fire); Norwood, the largest Jewish charity in the UK with a particular focus on vulnerable children and their families; the London Buddhist Centre which teaches meditation, mindfulness and yoga; and the East London Spitalfields Crypt Trust, where practical help is provided for people recovering from complex drug and alcohol problems.  

The net sales are divided equally between the four participating charities, who are in turn donating 2.5 per cent of their share to an additional charity of their choice. “It’s a dignifying thing, a human right to have enough to give a little bit to someone else,” says July.

The Vermont-born, Los Angeles-based July remembers being “giddily amazed by the sheer number of charity shops” when she first came to the UK in her twenties. She points out that it is a “very British thing” to have charity shops “for every religion, every cause and every plight – in the US we only have a few Christian thrift stores.”

Although the four charities are stocking and staffing the store, the project has been made in particular solidarity with Islamic Relief because July felt that “at this moment this is the faith that it is the most socially acceptable to be hostile to – a shop for  Islamic Relief would just not be possible in the US.”

Yet while July’s shop looks utterly authentic and is stocked with genuinely used items sourced from all four charities, there have also been a few discreet curatorial tweaks. All the books and films on sale are written by women, shoes have been selected for either their “blingy” or “practical” qualities, and she has a particular penchant for an accordion pleat. It is also surely no coincidence that July’s charity shop is located directly next to Parisian collective Vêtements, which is known for giving cheap and second-hand looking clothing price tags that are anything but.

As July states, “I want to burst the suspension of belief around the luxury market: what does it mean when a blouse selling for ￡3 is just a few feet away from one selling for ￡3,000?” Right now, in  Selfridges, the customers seem to be flocking to the former.

Miranda July’s Interfaith Charity Shop is at Selfridges until October 22; selfridges.com