Why Thrift is the Answer

We all love the feeling of getting a new outfit to show off at our work, with our friends, or out on the streets. It makes us feel so stylish, so fresh, so new. However, is it the newness of the actual merchandise that makes us feel so special? Is it the fact that the clothes on your body came from a factory creating masses of waste? I think for most of us, it is the fact that the clothes are new to our wardrobe that makes us so fascinated with them. So, why not just thrift? After all, it is affordable, stylish, and might just help us save our planet.

We currently have enough clothing on this planet to clothe the next 6 generations of people, yet we keep buying and producing. Wondering where this excess clothing goes as we keep creating more and more? The answer is, the trash. According to Maundy Relief, each year, 92 million tons of clothing each year end up in the trash. That is an incredible amount of waste that is due to our overconsumption as a human population. To make a single t-shirt, you need 2,000 liters of water. To put that into perspective, you drink around 2,000 liters of water over a 3-year period. That is a whole lot of water! Speaking in terms of carbon dioxide, making one t-shirt typically creates 7kg, which is how much is created on a 30 mile car journey. So, why would we keep feeding these habits that are causing so much destruction to the earth? The only answer to this seems obvious: let’s just continue to wear the clothes that already exist on earth!

Along with the fact that it is great for your planet, buying second-hand clothing is also great for your wallet. Due to my frequent visits, I know that the clothing prices at Goodwill, a very popular nation-wide consignment store, typically range from $1-$15. If you put the effort into looking through the store, you can get a lot of bang for your buck! On my most recent trip to Goodwill, I spent a total of $92. You might be thinking that is a lot of money, but with this $92, I got 3 cashmere sweaters, 3 sweatshirts, 1 purse, 1 vest, 1 top, and 1 jacket. The jacket I got normally retails for $168, and I paid $11 for it. Although it was gently used, I still only paid less than 7% of the original retail price. So, I recommend doing your wallet a favor and see what you can find at your local thrift store!

The final point I will make about why thrifting is the answer is that it allows you to create your personal unique and timeless style. There’s a variety of fast fashion stores people all love to shop at, including Urban Outfitters, Zara, Shein, H&M, etc. However, have you noticed how fast items come and go from these stores? Or, how do they all seem to carry the same styles at the same point in time? This is because the definition of fast fashion is literally “the business model of replicating recent catwalk trends and high-fashion designs, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail quickly while demand is at its highest.” You could buy something from one of these stores absolutely loving it, and then it goes out of trend the next month. You and everyone else may then return back to these stores and buy the new “trendy” item. Do you really want to have the same clothes as everyone else? Thrift shops are like a time capsule: they contain items from all different periods of time and fashion trends. You may find many outdated pieces in there, but you also may find timeless and unique pieces. Shopping at thrift stores can allow you to create your own style from unique pieces rather than just buying what fast fashion stores tell you to buy. You can finally dress like you!