I have recently written an article about upcycling for the Ethical Fashion Review in Australia.
In that article, I talk about the problems with donations. Giving out garments may sound simple, however, it's not actually that basic. The garments we donate make a few excursions, depending on where are we based until it arrives at their last destination. Also, that last place may not be resale in a second-hand shop but may be added to the tons we see in landfills or shipped off to developing nations.
This last possibility also hurts the local production industry, as has occurred in some East African countries, where numerous organizations of this kind have been shut down because of imports of second-hand items from first world countries, making them significantly more reliant on them.
To make matters worse, second-hand stores are being filled up with cheap clothes that have no quality, increasing the environmental problems in the industry. Upcycling those garments of which we’re not sure they will find a new home, has a much more positive impact.
Read more about it in my article for the Ethical Fashion Review in Australia or checking my book From Trash To Runway, where I also teach you how to upcycle your own clothes.