The Meticulous Art of Thrifting

One of the easiest ways to portray oneself is by attire. What to wear has always been a concern, considering royalties even wore clothes woven with silver and gold. Ever since fashion became easier to access, the industry has only grown, seemingly unstoppable. However, it isn’t just the production of clothing that has grown; The market for used clothing has also expanded at an alarming rate. Thrifting is the new chic, and for many valid reasons. But could it be the solution to all the problems that fast fashion has brought?

The introduction of “aesthetics” and “eras” has changed the fast fashion industry. High fashion has always revolved around individual themes for seasonal collections. Fast fashion would often follow suit, though in a generally broad way, so that they could attract a wide range of consumers. Nowadays, fast fashion is all about false niche. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an aesthetic is a particular theory or conception of beauty or art. The term is more loosely used among the younger demographic to express a portrayal of a certain type of personality via fashion choice. One example of a widely known aesthetic would be minimalism. The word era is used to describe a period of time in which one partakes in a particular aesthetic.

The idea of aesthetic eras acts a motivating factor to urge on young consumers to replace the contents of their wardrobes fairly often in order to match their current style. Some of the aesthetic styles popular on Tiktok, a social media app, are Y2K Cybercore, Coquette, and Horror Game Protagonist, etc. The idea of “~core” can be applied to almost anything, creating a specifically tailored category for almost every group of people imaginable. For instance, one could call themselves “Old Money Bunnycore Vampirecore”, and it would still make sense as long as they wear corresponding garments. Self-categorizing makes it easier to express oneself, and therefore the idea has successfully burrowed into the minds of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. This ties into the mass production and capitalization of aesthetic looks.

One of the most misrepresented aesthetics is Punk. Punk fashion has been carelessly merged with Grunge in terms of mainstream fashion. Many fast fashion brands and their target demographic customers mistake Punk style for black clothes with fishnets and patches and a generic metal band logo slapped onto a crop top, when in reality, Punk is - or at least it used to be - a political statement about Individualism, Anarchism and Environmentalism. The notorious patched up, ripped and then repaired look of Punk clothing comes from, well, actual crust pants and crust jackets. Crust punks recycle scrap fabric to make patchy denim garbs which they proceed to not wash for weeks or months at end to create their signature disheveled, haphazardly look. As targeting specific aesthetics became a marketing strategy, factory manufactured “crust pants” are available online, which is genuinely a mockery to what the punk community stands for.

Online shopping platforms, such as SHEIN, have adapted to fulfill the preference for certain aesthetics, and have separate production lines for different aesthetic outfits, such as ROMWE for more punk looks. Even though SHEIN excels in branding, international shipping and overall affordability, it is very unsustainable to shop from the company. SHEIN is not just a fast fashion brand anymore, it belongs in a new category altogether in terms of how it has shown reached new lengths of irresponsible resource usage (Dilys Williams, 2022). The problem with most aesthetic clothing is that they are targeted towards young consumers who are actively looking for cheap ways to match their choice of aesthetic eras, and are most likely impractically designed and use cheap materials. The newly bought garments either go out of style or break down after only a few wears, and get tossed in the bin. So now that more wardrobe space has been created, why not buy more? SHEIN seems to have some good deals.

Taking advantage of this vicious cycle, fast fashion has never been more efficient, and the environment is paying for it. SHEIN manufacturers emit the amount of CO2 as about 180 coal-fired power plants, and the fast fashion industry is responsible for more than 10 percent of all carbon emissions (Astha Rajvanshi, 2023). As this realization set in and young people began to resist consumerism, it became trendy and even admirable to shop for pre-owned clothes. Not only is this latter option eco-friendly, but thrifting is cheap, as clearly stated in the name. It is exciting to find rare, discontinued pieces from famous brands. Some shoppers would even find old Prada shoes for less than the cost of a burger set from McDonalds. The element of surprise and the belief that it is environmentally and financially sustainable caused a multitude of young shoppers to ditch Zara or Forever21 for local second-hand shops.

I own a sheepskin leather jacket that I absolutely adore, which I thrifted four years ago for about 30 dollars. Half of the clothes in my wardrobe are either over 5 years old or thrifted from a local second-hand store run by a social enterprise. A few pieces are from Cider, which is an online based fast fashion brand from Los Angeles. Comparing the price, overall quality and design details of my thrifted pieces and clothes from fast fashion brands, it did not take long for me to realize that I loved thrifting; the fact that I actually prefer looking scruffy over preppy only helped. Of course, I also had trouble finding jeans that are exactly my size, or sometimes I would decide that I in fact did not like what I already bought, but I wouldn’t need to beat myself up about it because the pants only cost around 4 dollars. Thrifting allowed me to be more experimental with the way I dress, all the while being more environmentally and financially conscious.

For a short period of time, this phenomenon was overall favorable until it became inevitably oversaturated and therefore, heavily commercialized. Thrifting or wearing hand-me-downs used to be a shameful act -- then all of a sudden, fashion gurus are rushing to thrift stores to try and grab authentic vintage fits. There is profit where demand is, so it is only natural that shops would rack up the prices of decent clothing. Thrift stores used to support people in need of affordable and sustainable clothes, but has turned into something almost sinister to the financially struggling. The newfound popularity of thrifting has driven prices up to ranges that are unaffordable for low-income individuals who shop out of necessity (Lex Wang, 2023). The original shoppers of thrifted clothes are being robbed of wearable clothes because, after all, whoever pays more gets more.

Ironically, thrift hauls and the concept of being in a “thrifting era” has harmed the practice and is causing thrifting to be absorbed into the vicious cycle of trends. “From Depop resellers to “thrifting influencers”, social media is crowded with a glorification of the overconsumption of second-hand clothing”, says Chloe Chen, a student at UPenn. Thrifting should ideally be a part of one’s lifestyle, and a statement. Just as everything else, it is best when practiced in moderation to avoid falling into the hands of blind consumerism.

Not only are stores charging more for the same garments, but cheap and flimsy clothes that originally came from fast fashion brands are making their way into second-hand stores. It is common to come across labels like H&M, Zara, SHEIN and Uniqlo on the racks among Polo shirts and Wrangler jeans. Since the overall price range of used clothes has gone up, there is no substantial price difference between the subpar products from SHEIN and strong, well-made clothes from Armani Exchange or Abercrombie & Fitch. Due to the belief that all thrifting must be good, some shoppers give away their mass produced, unwearable and unwanted new clothes to second hand stores and buy vintage pieces only to hack them apart in an attempt to D.I.Y their own unique outfits. This leads to more fast fashion products circling the used clothes market while the prices rack up for no valid reason other than in response to general popularity, and shops putting more effort into finding trustworthy garments to charge more per piece. Hypothetically, this will lead to a situation where only mass-produced products can be found at reasonable prices because they are sought after less, and there would come a point where thrifting loses its purpose, reverting customers back to just shopping from unsustainable fast fashion brands.

Of course, an individual is free to spend their money however they like, and it is wrong to burden shoppers with worries of authenticity and ethicality when fast fashion companies who do not care for the environment are the ones to blame. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that thrifting is not meant to be a temporary trend. Young shoppers who are willing to hop onto the thrifting wagon must be wary of turning it into the next fad that ends up as a miserable failure of an attempt at counteracting the growth of the fast fashion industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

Chen, Chloe. “Thrifting is Not the Solution.” thedp.com. 26 Sept. 2023. Para. 7. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.thedp.com/article/2023/09/thrifting-overconsumption-philadelphia-penn-sustainability>.

“Aesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aesthetic>. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

Rajvanshi, Astha. “Shein Is the World’s Most Popular Fashion Brand­—at a Huge Cost to Us All.” Time.com. 17 Jan. 2023. Para. 8. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://time.com/6247732/shein-climate-change-labor-fashion/>.

Wang, Lex. “The Rise of Thrifting and the Dilemma of Sustainability, Ethics and Affordability.” Dailybruin.com. 2 Nov. 2023. Para. 4. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://dailybruin.com/2023/11/02/the-rise-of-thrifting-and-the-dilemma-of-sustainability-ethics-and-affordability>.

Williams, Dilys. “Shein: The Unacceptable Face of Throwaway Fast Fashion.” Theguardian.com. 10 Apr. 2022. Para. 6. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/apr/10/shein-the-unacceptable-face-of-throwaway-fast-fashion>.