I’m sure most of us are guilty of spending a day hopping Goodwill’s looking for some fresh new finds we never end up wearing. That’s basically what fills up half of my closet right now! No matter how fun it is, there is a big issue with these thrift hauls.
If you don’t frequent the thrift store, you may not know what I’m talking about here. Thrift hauls are large batches of clothing, shoes, accessories, and even décor pieces bought from a secondhand or consignment shop usually all in the same trip. The issue I have with these is the same issue I have with fast fashion hauls from brands like SHEIN (which would be a whole other article entirely). It comes down to one word: overconsumption.
What’s overconsumption you ask? Meriam Webster defines overconsumption as “the action or fact of consuming something to excess.” To put it plainly, no one needs all of those items. If you’ve been following Her Campus since the beginning of this school year, you might have read my article on capsule wardrobes and how easy it is to style multiple outfits out of just a few pieces.
After trying a capsule wardrobe, I did some self-reflection. I will admit to being a retail therapy lover but as I looked at my closet with a new view of fashion, I realized I just have too much stuff. I have absolutely thrifted a huge haul before and while I wear a good portion of the items, even more sit in my closet unworn because they either didn’t get DIY-ed like I thought they would, or they aren’t truly my style (but they were a good deal).
This idea of buying something because it’s cheap is just how we’ve been conditioned by capitalism. We have been trained to want things we don’t really want just because it doesn’t cost a lot of money. That is not good for our closets, bank accounts, or the environment.
There have been claims made about the benefits of thrift hauls. I have come across some people on TikTok who argue that they save clothes from ending up in landfills because the thrift stores get way more donations than they could ever possibly sell. While that makes a little bit of sense, if we are buying up items we aren’t absolutely in love with, they’ll still end up in a landfill only it will take longer for them to get there.
Of course, there is more to ethical and sustainable fashion than just swearing off thrift hauls or hauls in general. A great resource I have found is the Sustainable Fashion Forum on Instagram! I definitely recommend checking out their page for more information on how you can change the way you view fashion and how to reduce your consumption.
XOXO HC