Happy Earth Day friends! While our Earth Day celebrations might look a little different this year, I wanted to share a little blast from the past that is still 100% relevant Covid-19 0r no.
WHY I BUY SECOND-HAND CLOTHES (AND YOU SHOULD TOO)
COST SAVINGS
You can’t deny that shopping second hand is less expensive than shopping directly from the original retailer. While thrift stores like Goodwill are going to be the best bang for your style buck, they also take the most effort sorting and searching through the bins. Other consignment stores (I love this one and this one north of Seattle) create a more boutique atmosphere and will cost you more (think sale prices) but you’ll have a better shopping experience. This ASOS dress came from one consignment store and only cost me $30 while the full-priced dress would have been closer to $80.
Even though most of us are social distancing at home and local stores aren’t open, you can still shop secondhand on sites like Poshmark, thredUP, and eBay. I have found almost all of my designer pieces from those sites for bargain-basement prices.
ONE MAN’S TRASH
There really is truth to the adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. I sometimes can’t believe the things people are willing to donate or consign. Brand new, never worn pieces with the original tags still attached! Some of my favorite pieces are ones other people have discarded.
MORE INDIVIDUALITY IN DRESSING
Right after the Nordstrom Anniversary sale last year, there was a certain cardigan I saw every single day. It had been a big hit during the sale and throughout the fall, I saw women wearing that cardigan all the time all over Seattle and on social media. When you’re not shopping at the same places everyone else is, you’d have to get really creative in order to dress the same.
I don’t see anything wrong in showing up at a party dressed the same and someone else. Twinning is winning sometimes but when everyone and their dog are wearing the same thing the same way, it can get a little boring. Finding other places to shop is one way to avoid this situation.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF CLOTHING WASTE
Finally, there has been more and more reporting about just how much clothing ends up in landfills and it really breaks my heart to see and read about all the waste. Not only is it wasting clothing that could be used by people in need but it also is a waste of resources to fabricate clothing only to throw it away practically unused.
Here in Seattle, there is a new(ish) program called ThreadCycle that is taking all donated clothes, shoes, and linens, it doesn’t matter if it’s damaged or not, and recycling them to keep clothing out of landfills. Their goal is to only have 5% of donated clothes end up in landfills and that 5% are items that have been contaminated with mildew, molds, or other hazardous materials.
