What was most challenging during the pandemic? Being bored all day or being laid off? TikTok became a popular place for young people to discover new things to do around the house. One of the first “Flip Thrifters” was Symphony Clark. She thrifted a Harvard hoodie from Goodwill and transformed it into a top and shorts. Flip Thrifting allowed people to discover a new talent giving them a job. There were multiple small businesses who did flip thrifting and started to sell the items on Instagram, Poshmark, etc. This trend offered people a new unique twist to their fashion style.
Not only did this give people a new opportunity to discover their creative side and income, but this trend is a great way to decrease the amount of fabric waste we put into the planet. As we mature, our style and personality evolves. This means we purchase more clothes to experiment with more styles. Specifically speaking, Gen Z started to rely on fast fashion to keep up with the latest trends. However, when the trend dies where do the old clothes go? According to Forbes magazine a recent report stated that, “fashion generates 4% of the world’s waste each year, 92 million tons, which is more than e-waste” (Fashion’s Dirty Little Secret and How It’s Coming Clean- Forbes). So when you decide to rework or crop a shirt you’re actually doing your part to keep the planet clean.
My experience with thrift flipping was extremely fun and enlightening. I actually had to do it as a project at my community college during my junior year. I decided to make a pair of my own sweatpants. I went to Goodwill and collected four to five pairs of fleece sweatpants. I seam ripped everything; from waistband, to pockets, to the cuffs on the bottom. Once I was finished doing that, I had to surge all the panels together and start cutting my pattern out. Next, I sewed all the pieces together and the sweatpants were done. When I presented them to my professor she absolutely loved them because they looked like a piece of art. They were patchy, unique and very warm inside.
Before my “Flip Pants” project I’ve never tried to fully rework a piece of clothing and I was astounded by the possibilities. So I encourage you to recycle your clothes to keep the planet healthy and who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy it and make a business out of it!
