Why I Thrift (Almost) All My Clothes

I’ve been thrifting my wardrobe for a long time now. It’s an obsession that
began when I was in high school, pre Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop”. Aside from a few key basics, like underwear and black jeans (all the black jeans at the thrift store have already turned grey), the majority of the clothes I now own are second hand. In this post I outline the many reasons why I thrift all my clothes now, as well as why I will never go back to the regular retail rack as my main source of fashion, even if I was filthy rich!

Looking for some thrifting inspiration? Check out my post My Top Ten Thrift Store Finds For Fall 2020!

1. Thrifting Saves Money

Okay this one is obvious, but it’s important. Thrifting allows me to spend a fraction of the retail price on clothes. It also allows me to get higher-end, as well as higher quality items for a lower price. Not only does money go farther, I’m also getting more bang for my buck. When I go into a thrift store on a sale day, I can come out with over 10 items for only $50. Here’s an outline of one of my recent thrifting hauls from a store called Talize:

• 1 tank top
• 3 short sleeve tops
• 4 sweaters
• 3 pairs of pants
• 4 long sleeve tops
• 2 pairs of shoes

Total: $71.22 after taxes

If I were shopping at a regular retail store just one pair of shoes would have cost the same amount as my whole bill!

2. I Have Freedom to Change My Wardrobe

Because thrifting allows me to buy so much for so little, it is easier to try new styles and to refresh my wardrobe. I don’t have to hang on to items I don’t wear because of the guilt or the burden of how much money I spent on them. Every few months I go through my closet and see what’s working and what’s not and donate what’s not back to the thrift store for someone else to find.

3. Thrifting Reduces Your Environmental Impact

Every piece of clothing takes a lot of resources to make. According to the World Wildlife Fund, it takes 2,700 litres of water to grow enough cotton to make one t-shirt. That’s a lot of water. Think about how many things you own that are made of cotton and multiply that amount. And it’s more than just water. Think about all the fuel it takes to transport clothes to the stores near you, many of which are coming from overseas. When you thrift, you are choosing to take something that already exists, instead of letting all those resources be wasted on a new shirt when there’s already a perfectly good shirt out there that no one is using.

4. Thrifting Reduces Waste

Thrifting also helps the environment by reducing what ends up in landfills. If nobody bought their clothes second hand, what would happen to all the clothes we didn’t want anymore? We live in the age of fast fashion, new trends pop up every few months and clothes are not made to last (more on this in my next point). This culture creates a lot of waste. No one wants to wear the same thing too many times and everyone want to be in style. These unwanted items are then discarded. Some are sent straight into the garbage and others are sent to thrift stores, where if not purchased, they will also end up in the garbage. Buying second hand creates a market for thrift stores. Without that market, all unwanted clothing would end up going straight to the landfill.

5. Thrifting Doesn’t Support Fast Fashion

Fast Fashion is not just an environmental problem, it is a sociocultural problem. The high demand for cheap clothing in new styles every few months creates a huge labour problem. Companies outsource their clothes to factories in developing countries where the labour is cheaper and there are less regulations regarding workplace conditions. People in these countries often work in unsafe conditions for unacceptably low wages. When you buy your clothes new, you run the risk of supporting companies that contribute to these practices.

Fast fashion is such a huge topic so I won’t cover too much now. If you want to learn more, there is a great documentary on Netflix called The True Cost, that really puts the whole issue into perspective.

Thank you for reading! I hope this post inspires you to try thrifting for yourself.

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