Years ago buying secondhand clothing was nothing to be proud of. If someone bought used clothing, most would assume they simply could not afford new clothes.
In recent years, however, thrifting – buying clothes at a thrift store – has become a popular trend in fashion. And it doesn’t show signs of ending soon. People are discovering the benefits of thrift shopping, rather than shopping at retail stores.
The newfound popularity of the used clothing market has created an enormous opportunity for fashion shoppers to have a positive impact on themselves, the planet, and society at large.
I want to share some reasons why you should encourage yourself and others to shop at thrift stores.
THRIFTING HELPS THE ENVIRONMENT
By buying used clothing, we can reduce our environmental impact in several ways.
What do people do with unused clothing? Some of them store it, hand it down, donate to thrift stores, others even toss it. Unfortunately, many of us tend to throw away clothes after a year or two of wearing them, because they have become unfashionable or don't fit us anymore.
Many used garments end up in landfills. Secondhand pieces are often in good enough shape for continued wear but end up landing too early in some dumpster instead of being donated or resold. When things get thrown out by hundreds of people, at around the same time, it creates an exponential amount of waste, and discarded clothes take up valuable space in landfills that should only be occupied by materials that are not reusable or recyclable.
The fashion industry is the world’s second-largest polluter, after the oil industry. Clothes and shoes made each year, pollute our land and water.
Water is involved in almost every stage of clothing production. It can take more than 2,700 liters (713 gallons) of water to grow the cotton needed to make one t-shirt; a pair of jeans can take over 10,000 liters of water.
Furthermore, when clothing is produced, some textile companies dump the untreated wastewater into rivers. These wastewaters are toxic, containing mercury and arsenic that are harmful to the aquatic environment. This results in damage to the environment, loss of habitat for animals, and pollution of resources.
Potentially dangerous chemicals used in the manufacturing and dyeing of clothes pose a threat to the water, the air, and the earth.
Chemicals pose a threat to the people working with them. Many of your clothes are likely manufactured in impoverished regions where workers produce clothing for more than 12 hours a day for a meager wage.
Within the manufacturing process, a lot of energy is used for washing, de-sizing, bleaching, rinsing, dyeing, printing and the finishing processes. It takes energy to transport cotton from farms to textile manufacturing facilities, retailers and consumers. Throwing clothes in a landfill requires energy. And it takes water to produce the electricity used to power all these processes.
Buying Clothing at Thrift Stores
A better way of dealing with textile waste is to recycle useful items that might otherwise end up discarded in landfills. When people treat their clothes well - using them to the fullest extent - many pieces of clothing (especially those of good quality) can survive for decades before they touch a landfill. On average, people recycle or donate about 15 percent of their used clothing.
Thrift stores help save the environment by encouraging people to recycle and reuse clothing instead of shopping for new clothes. They provide a location where people can donate their unused clothes and in this way help to reduce textile waste.
The donated clothing is sold instore for people to purchase, is recycled or exported to developing countries, helping those in need and the environment.
Thrift stores build a culture of recycling, or create a recycling community. Wearing secondhand means clothes don’t get thrown out after a few uses, it gets a longer lifespan and goes to a new home, someone else’s sibling, cousin, or friend - for another five years or more. A shirt that no longer fits someone else might be a perfect fit for you.
Buying secondhand clothing may help send the message that the fashion and retail industries need to rethink their strategy. It helps lower the overall demand for new clothing to be produced (and the need for pesticides and energy). Consumers have spending power and in turn help determine how the industry works. If we change our habits, manufacturers and retailers may eventually change theirs, too.
SAVES YOU MONEY
One of the biggest benefits thrift shopping offers you is saving money.
Shopping secondhand means that whatever price you pay is only half the original. Not to mention, most thrift stores offer amazing sales that can fit anyone's budget. For a job interview, low-income workers can’t always drop a R1000 or more at a store that sells a suit at retail price. Being able to walk to the nearest Thrift Store for a suit around R300 or less is a blessing.
Secondhand clothing stores have been supporting people of all income ranges. No one hasn't ever been through a time where you had to save some money.
If you think secondhand clothes make you look poor, it’s quite the opposite. Most often, clothes are donated because the person that bought it no longer likes it or the piece no longer fits them. Yes, there’s outdated items, but overall, it’s relatively recent (or even new) stuff that doesn’t get used. Thrift stores also offer your favorite top brands, from Levi jeans to black jackets and converse, at bargain prices - simply because they were worn a couple of times and no longer appeal to their owner.
Fashion is always changing and keeping up can be expensive. If you think buying secondhand isn’t fashionable; it is. Most of the "newest" trends are often old fashion trends from years ago. Thrifting allows you to find those same trends at a fraction of the cost.
If you’re a victim of expensive fashion trends, buying used will allow you to purchase far more clothing while spending less than you did when you shopped new.
You’re not settling for less at a thrift store. You’re settling for more.
CREATES A UNIQUE WARDROBE
The variety of styles in second-hand clothes is huge.
Besides, thrift stores have a wide range of items that you cannot find anywhere else.
Fashion repeats itself. New versions of styles that were once considered old-fashioned suddenly reappear in stores all the time. Since used clothes come from all decades, you can explore fashions of the past to express the unique person you are, without having to put much effort into it.
You will find one-of-a-kind pieces for your wardrobe that no one else has, forlook a more authentic feel.
Retail stores only carry certain items for a limited time before a manufacturer discontinues them. Thrift shopping is a great option to hunt for your favorite clothing pieces that are no longer available.
If you think that buying secondhand doesn’t change anything; it does.
It directly helps to keep the recycling system in place, you will find some unique designs in all kinds of clothing options, plus, you will not have to pay those high prices.
If this does not encourage you to start your online research for thrift stores, I do not know what will.
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