I talked about the concept of Lost Stock when I ordered my Lost Stock box. I finally received my items and styled some of them so wanted to explain the whole concept to you, show you the items styled as well as give my thoughts on the items and the whole concept itself.
Basically, all the horrible fast fashion brands which had to shut shop refused to pay their factories and manufacturing units where the clothing is made even though the items were already ordered. Of course, the people who suffer the most in such a situation are the poor workers making the clothes in Bangladesh. Lost Stock came up with the idea of facilitating the buying of this clothing by marketing a surprise box of items to people in the UK. You sign up and choose your size, the kind of items you like and you get a Lost Stock box of 3 items. Let me run through my experience with you.
Delivery
I ordered my items on 21st May and was told they would be delivered in 4 to 6 weeks. 4-6 weeks would be 2nd July latest. I ended up getting a lot of emails from Loststock saying the delivery is delayed due to Covid and ultimately ended up getting my order on 3rd August 2020 – almost a month later.
Now honestly fast delivery is not something I have ever cared about especially when it comes to clothes but I just want you to be aware of the discrepancy in case you do order. The issue is only if you end up getting summery tees once summer is over giving you no chance to actually wear your items. if you are ordering now I would actually recommend ordering the autumn winter box. So to clarify, the box I ordered is the summer box with tees and other summer wear items.
Cost
The cost of the box is £35 and shipping is £3.99 so its a total of £38.99 for the box of at least 3 items. (Note prices for the autumn and winter box are different so check on the website).
Why I Bought A Lost Stock Box
I swore off fast fashion quite some time back (I will definitely write how thats going) but thought this would be a good reason to break that vow. And honestly, the idea of some new clothes sounded really fun in the middle of lockdown.
Outfit details: top from Lost Stock box, white jeans (similar), studded wedge heels (similar), silver hoops, bucket bag (worn before), pearl hairband and sunglasses.
Of course the charity aspect was a big draw for me. I am Indian and originally from a state bordering Bangladesh so this is not a faraway problem for me. This is something I know so being able to help these workers in a very small way was appealing. It was also the time when a hurricane had swept through West Bengal (my home state in India) and Bangladesh and I had seen the devastation so it was quite a easy step to go ahead and order this box. It seemed like a no brainer.
The other charity aspect for me was of course, the idea that these clothes would otherwise end up in the landfill. This is something that is very important to me so seemed like a good idea to be able to contribute in a small way to avoid that from happening.
What I Chose
Now this is a little controversial since I understand some of the options originally available are no longer provided but I chose solids/ striped and neutrals and style as ‘cutting edge’.
Whats In The Box
Loststock says your box will carry at least 3 items at a 50% better value. “These clothes would have been stocked by well-known brands, and could otherwise be headed for landfill.” (Although I cannot find this on the website anymore, I remember them stating the actual value of the box would be around £70).
I got 3 items in my box. Two were striped tees – one tee is super simple with short turned up sleeves and one is a striped tee with a knot tie in the front with a little bit of floral embroidery in the sleeves. The third item I got was a ruffled blue blouse I am wearing in the photos.
Thoughts On The Items
I’ll be honest when I first saw the items I was a little disappointed. I wasn’t thrilled about getting pretty much the same striped tee twice. The front knot is not really my style but maybe its not a bad idea to try something new. Also, I had chosen ‘cutting edge’ and lets be honest, striped and frilled tops are exactly that. But I do like the fact that I would have never bought that ruffle top myself and ended up quite liking it. The one big pro is that all the items fit me absolutely perfect.
Issues and Controversy
There is a Facebook group set up to help swap and exchange items received from Lost Stock and its been interesting to see people’s thoughts on their items and what they got. The main issue with Lost Stock has been the expectations and options people went with versus what they actually got. This also made me a little sad because if people didn’t get what they wanted, the whole point of trying to ensure the clothes don’t end up in a landfill is lost. I read a lot of people on the Facebook group mention they would be donating the items to a charity shop which is troubling. Most charity shops receive many items there is no way they can keep all of it. I think it would have been a better strategy to just tell people to expect a complete surprise box if Lost Stock is not able to actually adhere to these options.
The other main issue is the transparency for which I blame myself. I was a little disappointed that only 37% of what you pay actually goes to the NGO involved with the garment workers and rest goes to the product, postage and transport, staff costs and so on. However, you have to recognise this similar to the situation with many other charities and NGOs and in this case there is still a product you get so it is completely understandable.
I understand there has been a lot of criticism and Lost Stock haven’t done the best job but lets always remember the real villians here. There are a lot of people saying they should have just donated the money directly to workers but lets remember all charities have running costs and need to pay their workers, the point was also to ensure the clothes are not wasted and more people would be able to participate in a scheme where they get some clothes in return due to finances and otherwise.
Bottomline – Would I Recommend This?
YES! I would definitely recommend you get a Lost Stock box as well. I would recommend it for people happy to wear some new clothes and not too fussed about style and happy to wear items as long as it fits. I would not recommend this for someone more fussy about their clothes. Honestly, I am the fussiest but this is such a great cause I don’t mind it at all.
Update on 27/9/2020: No, I would not recommend people buy a box anymore. I can see many boxes/ bags not yet been delivered for more than 3 months while new orders are still being taken. Summer clothes arriving in October will just go straight to the charity shops and landfill (especially if those for kids and teenagers whose sizes may change).
Other Things You Can Do
There are a number of brands who have not paid for the clothing they already ordered – stop buying from them. Research them and just stop. That is one way to make ourselves feel better, honestly. Comment on the brands social media and ask them why they have haven’t paid the poorest of the poor after having the richest owners? Tell them you wont be shopping with them anymore and tell them why.
Anyway, thats it for now. I am going to get back to my normal posting schedule of Mondays from the coming Monday so make sure you come back after the weekend! In the meantime, check out my Instagram where I have been trying to take arty photos of Greek salads while complaining about the heat. Take care!
– Anisha
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