Thrifting has been a great way for people who are against fast fashion to turn to it. Especially since the pandemic has hit and most people have lost their jobs, thrifting has become a great resource for them to buy good quality clothes for cheap pricing.
DressCode is a thrift store located in downtown Plattsburgh that offers the community trendy sustainable pieces at a discounted price.
You can find items ranging from electric blue ponchos to basic black tees. The employers of DressCode expressed how when you go into the store, you’ll never know what you’ll find because “We easily get in 1,000 pieces each week and accept about 400 of those pieces.” Said Rachel Boyer.
Caitlyn Lapier’s mom started DressCode in 2009 after she was let go from her teaching job. “She had been thinking about this idea but once she was let go, she decided to go all in.” But Lapier never thought that one day she would be the owner of the store. As a young girl people asked her if she would run the store eventually and she would always answer saying “Absolutely not!” She went to school for physics, then audio production but eventually finished with a Mass Communication degree with a minor in business. In the spur of the moment conversation with her mom and sister on how bored she was getting during the summer, and not knowing what to do, “I was saying you know mom if you just do XYZ it would make this process much easier, and she was like why don’t you just run the store sarcastically…. and the rest is history.”
When you buy second hand you are lowering your carbon footprint and preventing the waste of resources and energy in producing new clothes. Lapier stated, “The amount of water, resources, and labor it takes to make clothes is shocking. On top of the horrible working conditions, most people work in. The US outsources a lot of its work to underdeveloped countries and they are treated horribly and hardly paid for it.”
Co-managers Patricia Downs and Sydney Hakes both agreed that fast fashion is damaging to the world, unlike thrifting. Hakes said “Fast fashion has contributed to more carbon emissions yearly than national flights. It’s a contributing factor to global warming that is severely overlooked.” That’s why in recent years people have turned to thrifting especially since there has been a closer look at why the climate is declining.
With the pandemic slowing down business for a lot of stores, how did DressCode adjust or recover? “It was really hard when it first hit because we had to literally close the doors. But we started selling online for a bit which may have brought in 15% of what we normally do in sales but regardless the support we got from the community was amazing.” Said Lapier. Alyssa Kern a regular at DressCode expressed how she shopped there for years and even COVID-19 hit, she was cautious about shopping at the store because of how easily COVID was separating but Lapier informed her on how they sanitize the clothes a week before it hits the racks.
Now we understand why thrifting is great for the environment but why do people love buying second-hand clothes? Downs expressed the love of finding unique pieces and never knowing what she’ll find when going to the store. “I love finding exactly what I’m looking for or finding something I didn’t know I needed until finding it. As a broke young adult – an artist with two jobs and a side podcast which has become a part-time job – I rely on thrifting to buy my clothes. Not only is it the cheaper option, but I find it to be more fun and less overwhelming than shopping directly from the retail store.”
If you are a first-time shopper in thrift stores it might be intimidating. Kern advised, “Don’t buy things just because they are cheap. But keep your eye open for ‘little treasures’ that might be available.” She suggests double-checking the zippers and making sure there are no stains.
With the help of DressCode thrifting offers not only an outlet for creativity to shoppers but provides a much more sustainable and affordable way of doing so. “Together we aim to create a space where the community can support each other by selling and buying their used clothes all while supporting slow-fashion and sustainable shopping. Thrift, the Earth will thank you”