March Clothing Sales and Being Sustainable

Mari Fogel

It’ s March, which means spring is almost here! This also means shedding the jackets and sweaters, and opting for lighter pieces. With the end of winter coming, there are a lot of sales from retailers hoping to get rid of the last of their winter stock. This is a great time to stock up on a great coat or a warm sweater for the random cold days in March, or for next winter! There are many ways to obtain great pieces this month from eco-friendly options to boutiques.

Shopping sustainably is a great place to start your hunt for clothes, not only is it better on the environment, but it can be better on your wallet as well. Some ways to shop sustainably would be to have a clothing swap with friends, which my friend tries to do every few months. It’s a great way to recycle your old items and find something new your friend is tired of wearing!

Another outlet is thrift stores. Gina & Will is an awesome thrift store that is in Dinkytown and has clothes tailored for college students. They also have discounts every Tuesday if you show your U-Card at checkout. While there is a lack of thrift stores around campus, there are some great ones that you can get to via the city bus! My local favorites include Buffalo Exchange, (6 bus), and Steeple People (2 bus).

If you feel like thrifting from the comfort of your warm bed, there are great online thrift shops as well. My favorites are Depop, Mercari, letgo, thredUP and of course Poshmark.

Pro Tip: Think of an influencer whose style you can’t get enough of, most of the time they have a link to one of these sites where they sell their old clothes on!

Also, Instagram vintage stores are a thing! Some that I follow are @nanivintage @sundaypostvintage @thirdsistervintage @ladylvintageco @thriftedtee @hanmadecompany @coleworldthrift and @thirtyfoureleven. You can shop directly on their sites, and occasionally, small shops do pop-up events around Minneapolis. A big pop up event is @mplsvintagemkt where numerous small shops get together to sell items.

I would urge you to check all these options out before you decide to buy new clothes. Think about how many times you are planning to wear the item. Complete the 30-wears-test by asking yourself, will

I wear this at least 30 times? If not, then it’s a pretty good chance you don’t need it. Pick more versatile pieces that you know you can wear again and again.

Since we are students, buying new brands can get expensive. Here are some sales coming up in March to snag some great pieces for inexpensive prices.

Dicks Outerwear - you can get 40-50% off brands like The North Face and Columbia when you shop. • Pro Tip: Dick’s will price match identical items from major retailers like Nike, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Amazon, etc. you can ask for a price match if you see anything online somewhere cheaper!

Gap - probably the biggest sale is an extra 50% off clearance sales, which is all winter gear!

Patagonia - Save up to 50% on past season styles. • Pro Tip: Check out Patagonia’s worn wear section online. It is an online shop where you can basically thrift Patagonia! It’s part of their sustainability mission and you can rest easy because the quality is unmatched!

The NorthFace - Save up to 30% on past season styles.

MooseJaw - Save up to 25% on climbing gear, save up to 40% o ff on The North Face, and shop the winter clearance at up to 40% off.

Huckberry - Save up to 55% on outerwear, boots, gloves and other winter apparel. EastDane - Save up to 80% off sale items. ShopBop’s male line.

Columbia - Save up to 50% winter gear and footwear.

Backcountry - up to 60% on outdoor clothing, gear, and accessories during the winter clearance.

ShopBop - Save up to 40% off on sale styles.

Tommy Hilfiger - Save up to 50% on sale items.