With the rising popularity of vintage high waisted shorts and denim jackets, it's no secret that '90s fashions have come back in style. But what if you could stay on trend while simultaneously helping the environment and saving some money? Welcome to the fantastic world of thrifting. If you've been seriously considering thrifting but haven't actually gone out to try it just yet, here's that boost of motivation you need.
1. It's more ethically and environmentally sustainable.
It's 2019, and it's time to be more aware of our carbon footprint. Thrifting is not only a great way of recycling but also has many other positive environmental impacts.
A single cotton shirt takes 700 gallons of water to make, and buying a pair of newly-made jeans is the equivalent of hosing down your lawn for 9 hours straight.
Thrifting your clothing helps not only with water conservation, but actually decreases landfill waste. If that isn't enough to persuade you to shop secondhand, I don't know what is.
2. Your wallet will thank you.
What if you could spend $5 on a pair of vintage Levi's, rather than $50? Wait...you can! If you are a lover of all things fashion, thrifting can save you a lot of money and still have you looking your best. We all enjoy a good deal, and you can't go wrong with thrifting.
3. You won't show up in the exact same outfit as your friend.
Let's be honest, we've all put on an awesome outfit and thought, "Damn. I look good." But then, you walk into class and the person sitting behind you has the exact same shirt on.
Devastating.
With thrifting, you won't have to worry about matching anyone else. You'll be able to have a unique and trendy style, and no one else will be able to find the pieces you have. When someone on the street compliments you on your awesome jacket and asks you where you got it, you can happily say, "Goodwill" knowing fine and well they won't be able to find the exact same one.
4. It's more fun than shopping at the mall.
Thrifting is all about the hunt. In a store full of grandma clothes and dirt stained jeans, nothing beats the feeling of finding an amazing pair of pants in great condition.
When you're shopping in your favorite boutique, everything is trendy, so there's no thrill when you find an item you really love. When you thrift, you can find a gem in a sea of rubbish, which is so damn satisfying.
5. Thrifted clothing is often more well made than fast fashion clothing.
Have you ever bought something from Forever 21 only to try it on at home and immediately rip a button off? Yeah, that shit sucks. When you thrift, this hardly happens. Most thrifted clothing is from before the 21st century, and if it's still in good condition when you find it in 2019, there's a pretty high chance it's better quality in general.
6. In some thrift shops, your money goes straight to charity.
You know when people ask you if you ever donate to charity or contribute to the overall good of the community, and you're like "Uhhhh..?"
Well if you thrift, you're doing more for the charity than you might think.
A lot of thrift shops will take your money and directly donate it to local charities. So after shopping, you can actually feel good about yourself, rather than feeling awful that you just bought yourself a whole new wardrobe (Hey, it happens).
The last thing I'd like to say is that secondhand shopping is a process. Sometimes you go to a thrift store and find 10 new amazing items, and sometimes you find nothing at all.
Not every trip to Goodwill will be successful, but you won't know unless you try. If you start at a resale shop like Plato's Closet or Uptown Cheapskate, you are still positively contributing to the environment and saving money.
Starting small still makes a huge difference. And hey, even if you aren't perfect and still shop fast fashion every so often, so be it. As long as you're making any kind of effort, it matters.
Any effort is good effort.
