However busy she may be, every few weeks or so, Miquita Oliver makes time to take a load of bags down to her local charity shop. ‘I like shopping, but I don’t like excess,’ she explains. ‘I don’t like to feel I’ve got 70 navy blue jumpers when you only need 12. Clothes and objects, they outlive us. It’s almost our duty to pass things on.’
It didn’t take a lockdown to persuade Oliver of the importance of community: it’s been a golden thread running through her entire life. Raised in London, she grew up as part of an extended family that included the singer Neneh Cherry and her pop star daughter, Mabel, along with Lily Allen, whose mother, the director Alison Owen, is still close friends with Miquita’s mother, TV chef Andi Oliver. Miquita and Lily’s lifelong friendship is the beating heart of Miss Me, their no-holds-barred podcast, which launched in March – one of the BBC’s most successful podcasts to date.
It’s this strong belief in community that made Oliver jump at the chance to front Second HandSeptember, Oxfam’s annual campaign encouraging people to shop more sustainably. ‘Charity shops are cornerstones of our community, and community has always been strong in my heart.’
Oliver knows secondhand doesn’t mean second best. In fact, she argues, it makes for a more adventurous approach to style. ‘Your imagination runs wild, which makes the experience of shopping very different. You have to take risks and trust yourself.’
A broadcaster since the age of 16, she applies the same tactic to her professional life. ‘I’ve realised that my career, especially everything that’s happened this year with Miss Me, is as a result of me turning away from chasing a lot of stuff that I thought I wanted, and going back to what actually brought me joy. It’s really taught me a lesson, which is to do what makes your heart sing. So, when you’re shopping, what makes your heart sing? Look for clothes that make you feel something, and only buy things that bring you joy.’
As for tips on how to shop secondhand successfully, ‘It’s a mixture of manifesting and surrendering to something that you might not even know you needed.’ And targeting specific areas for specific finds. ‘I like that charity shops reflect the area they’re in. Who lives here and what do they donate? That’s what guides me.’ Her biggest bargain? A pair of Paul Smith jeans, which cost £1 from a shop in north London. ‘Best jeans I ever bought,’ she smiles.
Oliver turned 40 in April, but says it hasn’t changed her style. ‘If anything, it’s made me like the way I dress even more. I feel more in tune with what I really love, and what I want to be wearing.’ Which at the moment is capri pants. ‘I’m obsessed! They’re so elegant and sexy.’
Do she and Lily Allen ever share clothes? ‘In our teens there was definitely a lot of mixing and matching. I’ve lost things, or they’ve gone missing within our family – it’s not good to bring it up. There are a lot of wounds that still haven’t healed,’ she jokes. ‘When I was staying at Lily’s house in New York this year, she did say that I could wear anything, but I was a bit scared to! But I did hang up my things in her wardrobe. I made myself at home. My Armani bag looked really nice with her 20 Birkins. Lily’s a bit more high luxury than me. She’s really into everyday basics from The Row.’
While even the most generous donator might balk at giving away a four-figure purchase from The Row, Oliver is keen to encourage people to think about the condition of the items they’re passing on. ‘It’s not about giving tatty things that you want to throw out, but good quality things that you’re done with, and that another person who can’t afford to buy new will love. I like the idea of things being passed down and then continuing to be. That I could wear a dress to brunch that someone might have worn to a wedding.’
Most of all, she thinks that giving back is the best blueprint for life. ‘It’s living on a better frequency,’ she says. ‘When you donate clothes, you realise that you’re part of the circularity of life, and it feels good.’ Miquita Oliver is Oxfam’s secondhand clothes ambassador. Declutter and donate your preloved clothes for Second Hand September with Oxfam: oxfam.org.uk/donate/donate- to-our-shops