History Behind Thrifting
Thrifting has gained mainstream popularity in the past few years, and in addition to the affordable price tag and vintage gems, the sustainability of buying secondhand makes it a superior choice. The history of thrifting in the United States is quite a nuanced one, with certain stigmas of buying secondhand being attached to and detached from it throughout generations.
In the 1800s, buying secondhand was seen as an unsanitary practice due to the widespread belief that fabric can spread disease and germs.
However, organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army opened thrift stores during the transition into the 1900s mainly for charity purposes; they hired poor people and people with disabilities to sell various secondhand items. To counter the stigma of buying used clothes, they assured the public that their clothes were sanitized and washed.
Industrialization allowed people to replace their clothes at a rapid rate, leading to an increase in clothing donations as people cleared their closets to make space for the latest fashion trends.
An increase in philanthropy followed the increase in wealth disparities between social classes. The term “scientific giving” was coined based on the belief that donations and charities for the poor can maintain social order. Therefore, donating clothes became a way for people to feel better about themselves while justifying their consumerist behavior.
Poverty became associated with thrift shops and even immigrants that thrift shops targeted to help them assimilate refused to buy used clothes.
via Fodor’s Travel
The ever-changing fashion trends also rendered donated clothes outdated. Thrift stores began to adopt department store strategies (e.g., displaying clothes on mannequins) and feature flipped clothes in fashion shows. The public became more accepting of thrift stores, and the various stigmas previously attached to them lessened.
via @bestdressed / Youtube
Recently, Youtube videos featuring thrift hauls and flipped clothing rack up millions of views, inspiring younger generations to consider thrifting instead of buying from Forever 21 or Shein.
The environmental benefits of thrifting are diminished with the popularization of reselling when one considers the additional shipping and packaging material. The “gentrification” of thrifting also suggests that the increasing demand for secondhand clothes increases prices and makes thrifting less accessible for communities that actually depend on them. However, it is most likely corporate greed that has capitalized on the thrifting industry; clothing donations contribute to thrift companies’ (e.g., Goodwill) inventory at no cost, so the main reason for raising prices would be to profit more off of the popularization of thrifting.
Knowing that the history of thrifting is filled with positive and negative changes, we must value our current acceptance of buying secondhand while holding charity and thrifting organizations accountable.
via @outofthecloset / Instagram
Ultimately, the most sustainable choice is to not buy at all, but buying used is the next best choice. Hopefully, this article encourages everyone to thrift clothes not just as a justification for more consumerism but rather as an eco-friendly alternative to buying new clothes. You can help even more by donating clothes or thrifting from stores that donate profits to causes (e.g., Housing Works in New York, Out of the Closet in Los Angeles).
-Ashley Leung