FASHION FOR THE FUTURE

The idea of sustainable shopping often stems from ethical thinking, which involves having a deeper understanding of one’s actions and their effects on the world. And with the heavy influence from social media, microtrends have boosted fast fashion, which are often clothes made cheaply, unethically or disposed of quickly. In combating fast fashion, many point to the ethicality of sustainable fashion and have pushed the trend of thrifting into the light.

According to the New York Times, people are buying 60% more clothing now than they have in previous years. However, each year, 85% of those purchases end up in the trash. That’s half as long of a wear-time than previous generations. With the store-to-dumpster cycle accelerating, it’s causing more harm to the environment as it grows overcrowded with waste. Since trend cycles are moving faster, companies are producing additional seasons of clothing featuring the latest trends. However, not every piece of clothing will be sold, and will eventually end up in the trash. While these out of season clothes could be resold or donated, there is little appeal for pieces that simply aren’t in style anymore thanks to the heavy influence of micro-trends.

This is why thrifting has become such a popular form of shopping. When thrifting, you are encouraged to find timeless clothing. The cycle of reselling clothing is more environmentally sustainable than buying new and disposing later. The idea behind thrifting is that the clothes one person no longer wears can end up in someone else’s wardrobe—instead of in a landfill. If clothes have longer life cycles, it may send a message to producers to create clothing that is meant to be worn longer which will keep more products out of the trash.

STYLE: HALEY POAG WORDS: MADELINE MINNICK & EMILY KOMER PHOTO:LINDSEY GRIMESI GLAM: VICTORIA RACKERS

Participating in ethical practices like reusing, sharing, and thrifting clothes is a way to protect the environment from the harms of fast fashion. Beyond the benefit of preventing clothing waste, thrifting helps by not contributing to the additional waste from producing, packaging and shipping new clothes.

Buying new clothes is exciting and can be a hard habit to break since it is such a normalized part of society. However, finding new life in clothes worn by other people is a great alternative, and the low costs of thrifting can make fashion more accessible. It also allows for creativity and uniqueness in clothing since each item is hand picked.

Thrifting doesn’t just happen at stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army. Digital thrifting sites like Depop, Shopify, Ebay, ThredUP, The Real Real and Poshmark allow people to post the clothes they aren’t wearing anymore and resell them, whether on consignment or directly to the consumer. This way, customers are able to search for specific pieces and potentially negotiate with the seller for a price they can agree on. Thrifting not only helps relieve the planet, but it also grows one’s personal sense of style. Fashionlovers can shop sustainably to create their own special look while still aiming to reduce overconsumption, whether it’s fast fashion or from the thrift store.

“THRIFTING NOT ONLY HELPS HEAL THE PLANET, BUT IT ALSO GROWS YOUR PERSONAL STYLE AND PERSONAL BRAND ”