I began thrift shopping about 4 years ago because I was noticing the poor quality of clothes I was buying at the mall. I also enjoyed finding clothes that no one else around me would have at a low price! This year I have nearly eliminated fast fashion from my shopping habits, and I try to buy mostly everything second hand. Since making this change, I had not yet looked back on my closet of clothes I have with me at college to see how much of it is second hand and how much is fast fashion, and that was one of my goals for this project. I also aimed to determine which types of clothing have been easier for me to find in thrift stores and which ones have been more difficult. It can be intimidating to decide to switch from fast fashion to thrift shopping, and I hope that my suggestions for which pieces to keep an eye out for in the thrift store can help guide and inspire others! Here is what I found in my closet.
After taking a look at everything in my closet in my dorm room, I found that I have 35 pieces of clothing that are from thrift stores and 49 pieces that are from other places. Since I am unsure of whether or not these 49 pieces were made sustainably, I assumed the worst and labeled them as being from the fast fashion industry. Out of my 49 fast fashion pieces, 39 are things that I bought for myself, with the others being gifts or free handouts from events. Out of these 39 pieces, 16 are staple pieces that I have owned for over 3 years. That leaves 23 pieces that I have bought from fast fashion businesses within the last 3 years, averaging 7 or 8 pieces per year. Additionally, I have 7 shoes/accessories from thrift stores and 8 shoes/accessories that were not purchased second hand. My undergarments (bras, underwear, socks) were not purchased from thrift stores; they are from the fast fashion industry. Lastly, I only have a small jewelry collection, but it is all from thrift stores.
Counting what is in my closet has made me more aware of the clothes that I own and their origins. Finding out that I have a total of 84 pieces of clothing was surprising to me because that seems like so many more clothes than necessary. I also definitely still have room to improve when it comes to avoiding fast fashion. My goal is to keep the fast fashion pieces that I currently have for as long as possible, and to continue to avoid buying from fast fashion brands.
For those who would like to begin thrift shopping, it is definitely easier to find some things at the thrift store than others. I found that most, if not all, of my sweaters, button down shirts, hoodies/sweatshirts, windbreakers, thick jackets, belts, boots, and patterned pants are from thrift stores. In my own experience, these have not been very difficult to find in thrift stores while shopping in both the men and women’s sections.
Contrastingly, some clothing items that have proven more difficult for me to find at thrift stores include formal/semi formal dresses, jeans that fit well, sandals, sneakers, going out tops, tank tops, and leggings. When looking at my wardrobe, I found that I have been buying these pieces from fast fashion stores because I haven’t been able to find any pieces I like in these categories at second hand clothing stores.
Regardless of whether or not you can find everything you need second hand, it is beneficial to try to incorporate thrift shopping into your wardrobe, even if you find yourself needing to buy a few specific clothes from other stores. It is also essential to be aware of how many clothes you have and potentially reevaluate how many you believe you need! Any step towards a more minimal and sustainable wardrobe will help our environment!
Your Turn!
How many clothes do you think you have in your closet? How many of these do you think are second hand or were made sustainably? Take a look at your own closet! Gain some insight into your wardrobe and think about how it has impacted the environment. Feel free to comment down below what you find!
Secondhand Sustainability 