A POP-UP shop selling second-hand school uniforms has opened just in time for the autumn term.

Smarter Uniforms is based at The Fair Shop in Queen’s Road, Brighton, and will be open until next Tuesday to allow parents time to buy low-cost uniforms for when schools reopen this month.

Customers can also order uniforms through the Smarter Uniforms website and then collect items in store at no extra charge, or have them delivered for a small fee.

Siobhan Wilson, founder of Smarter Uniforms, said: “We are passionate about saving parents money, particularly more than ever in these difficult times.

“It makes both financial and environmental sense to reuse uniforms.”

Siobhan said that on average parents spend £230 per child on uniform every year.

She said: “School uniform is often short-lived as children grow quickly and is therefore a huge contributor to our textile waste issue.

“According to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, one garbage truck of textiles is sent to landfill or incinerated every second.

“Textile waste is also predicted to increase by 60 per cent by 2030.

“Extending the life of clothes by just nine months would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by up to 30 per cent each.

“We try to give uniform a new home, while saving parents money at the same time.”

Smarter Uniforms partners with schools to collect outgrown uniforms which are then sorted, washed and resold back to parents.

On average, the uniforms at the pop-up shop cost a third of the price of a new uniform.

Smarter Uniforms is also donating a percentage of sales back to schools in Brighton and Hove, and £2,500 has been raised so far.

The shop has received funding from the Rampion Fund, a community benefit fund set up by Rampion Offshore Wind Ltd and managed by Sussex Community Foundation.

Smarter Uniforms is open from midday until 7pm every day except Sunday.

The pop-up shop has capacity for one customer plus two children at a time, so booking an appointment is advised to avoid queues and ensure social distancing.

To book, contact the store on 01273 723215 or email hello@smarteruniforms.org.