Is nothing sacred? Oxfam's second-hand clothing shops, with their comforting odour of mothballs and damp socks, staffed by matronly ladies with a social conscience, have fallen into the hands of marketing image-makers and are heading upmarket. The charity is hoping to put second-hand clothes at the cutting edge of retail fashion with the launch of a chain of trendy stores trading under the Origin banner.

Origin stores will stock second-hand garments selected for their cut, design and label-appeal, targeting fashionable as well as budget-conscious dressers. The marketing push intends to build on the success of Oxfam's award-winning outlet in London's Soho, well known for its stock of retrolook clothing, an outlet said to be frequented by a celebrity clientele, including Noel Gallagher and his wife Meg Matthews.

The average price for an Origin garment is £14 and the brand is expected to have a turnover of £500,000 per annum. Last year Oxfam shops processed more than 40 million items and raised more than £17 million, the whiff of mothballs and damp socks clearly as potent a selling tool as that of the scent of freshly-baked bread or ground coffee.