Thrift stores have a bad rep of being grimy, hole-in-the-walls that only sell those strange clothes your great aunt decided to donate to make space for her scrapbooking studio. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Since I moved to Philadelphia, I have been totally obsessed with thrifting and all of my grabs are starting to take over my closet, but that’s fine with me. These are the reasons I’m in love with thrifting and always will be. WARNING: You’ll never look at regular shopping the same.
- Stayin Trendy
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Thrift stores may seem to be the exact opposite of fashionable, but in this age and fashion era, that could not be farther from the truth! Today’s hottest fits have elements that are recycled from fashion that came decades before like baggy jeans, bicycle shorts and a full denim look. These were all popular in the 80s and 90s, which means there are already plenty of goodies waiting for us to buy second hand. It is prime time to raid your local thrift stores, as your own mom probably donated her bellbottoms swearing they would never come back. Shops are already loaded with gems that will give you the hottest closet of 2019. Thrift shops even have an edge on traditional stores as corporate fashion needs to keep up with the latest trends, while thrift stores already have this throwback selection.
Below is my favorite pair of thrifted jeans that are perfect to add for any throwback fit. You can dress them up or down effortlessly for a seriously comfy outfit; the best part is, they were only $11!
- Pricing — Drop it Like it’s Hot
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Every broke college student can understand the importance of this benefit of thrifting: it’s cheap AF. Every store works differently, but at most places, clothes owners bring in their goods for the shop to sell, and they’re given a percentage, and the shop owner gets the rest of the profit. Here, these shops don’t have to cover manufacturing costs as the clothes are brought in ready to sell, and all they have to do is give them a spot to entice a VSCO girl into making a purchase. This means that the price for high quality clothes is hella cheap, and perfect for broke kids like you and me. Now get in loser, we’re going shopping!
- Saying No to Fast Fashion
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Thrifting is not only a fun and cheap way to shop, but it also combats one of the fashion industry’s biggest issues: fast fashion. Cheap and trendy clothes seem to be a dream, but are the epitome of fast fashion. Due to how quickly a cheap version of high fashion trends hit the rack, production is cheap and usually done overseas with human rights abuse. When you’re shopping at a thrift store, you’re not contributing to fast fashion since the clothes are second hand and have been produced before the latest trend took off. This means there was no pressure on the market to churn out clothes to keep up with trends and cut corners to get us clothes. If we all work together, making small changes like intentionally going to thrift shops occasionally can make a big impact in the fashion industry and allow it to focus on being more socially responsible. How cool is that?
- Good for the Planet
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Being eco-friendly has become a pseudo-trend in this generation. Metal straws and reusable cups are seen everywhere, mostly being owned by women. But, how often do we think about the environmental impact of our clothes? The production of clothes uses an exorbitant amount of resources due to the manufacturing itself and shipping to your local store. Also, water pollution is very common because of factory waste in areas outside of the U.S. that manufacture for some of our favorite brands. Thrifting is a great way to decrease our ecological footprint, without much of a hassle. Thrift shopping is essentially recycling and therefore reduces the demand for clothes, and can cause an overall decline in resources needed to churn out new clothes. Let’s make sure that global warming is only due to us rocking hot fits.