What side of TikTok are you on? Do you catch Charli D’Amelio dancing to “WAP” or eccentric SM6Band antics? I, for one, open my FYP to find instructional thrift flip videos, sewing tips, and thrift shopping enthusiasts exhibiting their favorite fits.
Content containing fashion advice, trends and how-tos have been gaining a lot of attention on all social media outlets. TikTok in particular has had several successful trends and challenges concerning thrifting and up-cycling. Videos of people randomly sorting through thrift stores to make complete outfits or turning those old man’s treasures into trendy new items are going viral.
Less and less you are seeing videos of cheap, fast fashion retailer hauls. This is extraordinary, especially considering the latest statistics: there was a 400 percent increase in the amount of clothing consumed in the past two decades. In addition to this, fast fashion grew 9.7 percent from 2010 to 2015. This is devastating in terms of the environment, exploitation of workers, and the economy.
Some big brands and companies like Forever 21 are shattering the Earth by producing new styles and pieces almost every two weeks. When trends change and clothes are left unsold, they are thrown away, ruining the environment. They are also capitalizing on workers by paying them insufficient funds. These issues have become very prevalent in recent years.
Social media plays a pivotal role in influencing and communicating problems to large groups of people. Global issues are able to gain exposure to a wider audience faster because of social media. As news travels, so do concerns. People now are constantly looking for alternatives to buying fast fashion.
Big-name influencers and users with a significant number of followers aren’t necessarily needed to suggest new ideas. The increase in the interest and enjoyment of finding unique clothing pieces goes along with the fact that thrift shopping also slows fast fashion.
For example, ASOS (based out of London) actually saw an 87 percent drop in profits and H&M closed 160 stores at the end of 2019.
Users on TikTok are consistently posting videos of themselves tie-dying old sweatshirts and sweatpants, showing people how to turn old T-shirts into cute little tanks, and sharing no-sew tutorials to spruce up clothes that you’ve had in your closet for years. You can also find up-cycling (aka thrift-flip) videos of items purchased at second-hand stores.
This has caused a resurgence in the popularity of thrifting. Although trends are always changing, thrifting provides an opportunity to put together outfits that are evergreen and unique.
While thrift shopping isn’t the end-all solution to the detrimental effects of fast fashion, it’s a temporary fix. Buying second-hand clothes keeps them out of the landfills for a longer period of time. It also slows the manufacturing process of new clothes, because retailers aren’t receiving the income needed to produce more items. The awareness that TikTok has brought to millions of people is sure to encourage viewers to spruce up their closet with DIYs or thrift finds instead of turning to fast fashion brands!