Radiant sunshine and summertime activities often characterize August. But, did you know that it is also the month for celebrating secondhand fashion?
To begin, look down. Note the articles of clothing you are wearing. What do you really know about them? Consider the following questions.
How long have you had them? Where did they come from? Who made them? How many gallons of water or burning of fossil fuels did their production require? How were they transported? Were they made ethically?
THE UNPLEASANT HIDDEN REALITY OF FAST FASHION
In modern day, the dominating textile industry that exists has been dubbed the “fast fashion” industry. This is due to the unprecedented rate at which new items are released by brands. For an in-depth look at what this means, I highly recommend watching the documentary called “The True Cost” by Andrew Morgan. This film opened my eyes to a more comprehensive and complete view on how much a piece of clothing costs, far beyond the sticker price. Unfortunately, we consumers tend to not often recognize the complex social and environmental impacts of our purchases.
Most notoriously, the clothes industry damages the environment, pollutes waterways, and emits greenhouse gases. It threatens the welfare of textile workers, who are often invisible to American consumers. In short, they tend to receive little pay and work in unsafe settings. The most talked about instance of disregard for the safety of workers was the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse, in which over a thousand people died.
SECONDHAND FASHION AS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Not to be all doom and gloom about it, but fashion needs to change. Fortunately, simple alternatives exist and are being increasingly favored instead of fast fashion. Shopping secondhand serves as a prime example. You can try yard sales, estate sales, brick-and-mortar and online thrifting wesbites.
While the world of fashion constantly changes, the secondhand fashion market gains ground as a competitor to the fast fashion industry. In fact, CNBC valued the market for preowned clothing at $24 billion dollars two years ago. Incredibly, within a decade it may supercede the value of the fast fashion industry by $20 billion dollars.
As a lover of fashion, I experienced the rise in popularity of secondhand clothing first-hand. Take, for example, vintage clothing like Levi’s “mom” jeans from the 1990s. Now, they are highly sought-after styles that are commonly worn on my college campus in Seattle, WA.
Interestingly and appropriately, there multiple thrift and buy-sell-trade stores lie in close proximity to my campus. Places where young people like myself shop and trade in our preowned clothes.
Over time, the more I skipped shopping malls and the popular women’s section of Target and opted for Goodwills or online secondhand companies like ThredUp or TheRealReal, the more I understood the beauty of secondhand clothing.
THE BEAUTY OF SHOPPING SECONDHAND FASHION
At its core, shopping secondhand is a way of recycling clothes that others have tossed out of their closets. It gives renewed life to perfectly wearable items otherwise likely doomed for landfills. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Further, it saves precious natural resources. It simply makes sense to opt for used goods that can serve the same purpose as new ones.
What are your thoughts on secondhand shopping? Any tips? Please share below in the comments!
Love always,
Originally published in And Beauty for All’s January – February 2020 Newsletter. Revised for this blog post.