Why do we need to do thrift shopping?

Thrift shopping is one of the core components of practicing sustainable fashion that we often overlook. It is often considered a less attractive option than buying from brands that boast about their sustainability. However, sustainability is not just buying clothes that are produced sustainably. It is also about buying less and using them wisely. Thrift stores are a golden opportunity for that.

No new additional material is created when a customer buys from thrift shops. This means saving water and carbon that is used for production. It prevents clothes from going to landfills. This also takes away the need to produce excessively to keep up with fast fashion demands. Production becomes more ethical and employees will not be used as mindless tools to produce more and more goods. Rather the focus will be on quality products and production so that people will get products they can even later sell in a thrift store.

In a thrift store, you can find big brands at a fraction of the original price. This goes easy on your pocket. It helps you inculcate a value for money practice in younger ones too. There is a large bunch of people who give away clothes after wearing them once or twice. Thrift stores will help you find them easily.

You might even get lucky and find haute couture brands. Thrift shopping helps you find garments that you can experiment with. Mom and DIY designer Sarah Tyahu has gained much Instagram attention after she ventured into restoring and making thrift store clothing beautiful.

You can also donate clothes that you no longer want to wear and buy clothes that you need.

In Asia, especially east-Asian culture, hand-me-down or second-hand clothing is given less prominence as buying new goods is assumed to be better. However, within the family itself handing down clothes as children grow is a pretty common practice. The thrift store can simply thrive in such a culture. In a post-pandemic world when each of us is concerned about ecology more than ever, thrift stores are a great way to save the planet.