• Busra Yildirim, reporter

Thrifting: Cheap, Unique, and Sustainable

Recently, thrifting has garnered a lot of attention by people because of its cheap, sustainable, and unique aspects. Thrifting has often been considered taboo by many because of the negative perception formed around it.

Style used to be defined by the brand name, trending styles, and price. This myopic perspective on fashion has slowly begun lifting with people adapting many different styles and environmentalist values. This has caused people to be more open to the idea of thrifting and now has become less taboo. Thrifting has many benefits ranging from protecting the environment to having unique pieces of clothing. If you're on the fence on whether to visit your local thrift shop, consider this pros and cons list.

Some of the benefits of thrifting are:

  1. Thrifting has a heavy impact on the environment. It reduces waste and pollution by decreasing carbon footprints, which is the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted from an individual, person, event, or product. Studies show that the average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing per year. In total, that would be 26 billion pounds of clothes in the landfill per year.

  2. Thrifting allows people to buy clothes that would reduce their carbon footprint and allow the cloth to be used again. Instead of throwing away your clothes, donate them or sell them to second-hand stores.

  3. Thrifting reduces the amount of clothes mass-produced. As more people thrift, the less major companies will have to produce clothing. This reduces the unethical aspects of these businesses such as paying below minimum wage and using child labor.

  4. Thrifting allows people to develop a unique wardrobe with pieces that are not owned by everyone. It permits people to develop their own style and even gain more ideas as they look through pieces that are all intermixed with each other.

The few downsides of thrifting are:

  1. The clothing may have complications such as missing pieces, stains, or tears.

  2. They may be dirty and hard to disinfect.

  3. Items are usually unreturnable.

The benefits tend to outweigh the disadvantages when it comes to thrifting because of its impact on the environment alone. The downsides do not occur often, but are things that people should be aware of when they are thrifting. Thrifting takes a lot of patience, but in the end it is a very rewarding experience. If you're ready to dive into a brand new, second-hand wardrobe, here are some tips to implement when thrifting:

  1. Make a list of what you are looking for. This can be done by making a mental note of a particular item you are looking for or even saving pictures for inspiration.

  2. Skim through the aisles. This will allow you to have a basic idea where you want to start and locate the color palette or aesthetic that suits your interests.

  3. Make sure to know what you are buying. Since most thrift store items are final sale, you want to make sure there are no stains or holes on the item you are purchasing.

  4. Look at every item. It is very easy to miss an item that might be exactly what you are looking for. Be patient and realize that it might take more than one trip to find the perfect piece.

To learn more tips about thrifting check out these Youtubers:

  1. Bestdressed

  2. Blazed and Glazed

  3. Jenna Phipps

  4. Taylor Made Style

Local thrift stores:

  1. Goodwill Industries of Kansas

  2. Plato’s Closet

  3. Uptown Cheapskate

  4. DAV Thrift Store

  5. The Second Story

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