Hi friends! Hopping on today to write this post that I am SO excited about! The idea came to me on a whim while I was selling some clothes a few weeks ago. It also made me want to write a blog post about Why You Need to Add Thrifting to Your 2021 To-Do List! To start, I have been a thrift shopper since I was about 12-13 years old.
My sister and I found this AMAZING Goodwill that sold items by the pound one summer when we were visiting my dad in North Carolina. I also started teaching myself to sew a couple years after that and thrifting for clothes to modify and cool vintage fabrics to work with was so fun!
In this post, I wanted to share something exciting I’m bringing to my Instagram! It’s something called #SecondhandSunday and I can’t wait for you to hear more. I’ll also be sharing 5 ways that thrifting can benefit you, your neighbors, and the world around you! Keep reading to see my tips.
It’s Good For The Environment
One of the first benefits of thrift shopping is how thrifting helps the environment! As someone with a fashion degree, this has always been a very important reason that I try to limit my consumption (or find sustainable ways to repurpose clothing). The BEST and most sustainable way to shop is by shopping secondhand! Whether that’s Goodwill, Salvation Army, a local thrift shop, Plato’s Closet, etc. you are helping the environment.
If you didn’t already know this, the fashion industry is the SECOND most toxic industry right behind oil/petroleum. You probably would’ve NEVER thought that to be possible! I remember seeing the entire creation and consumption process in the documentary True Cost and if you need any more motivation on top of this post, you need to watch it. It has actually changed my life!
You’ll also be sad to find out that most of your clothing that’s donated to Goodwill, or other big chain secondhand stores, is sent overseas to be sold. This hurts local economies and takes away from artisans who need to sell goods to survive! Buying from these thrifts shops helps to keep these items out of landfills and out of resale markets in third world countries.
Curate One-of-a-Kind Items
If you didn’t already know this, one of the main reasons I started my blog was because I made my own clothing! I used to make “thrifted transformations” and repurpose items that I found at thrift shops. I’d also make clothes out of vintage fabrics I found at Goodwill! It was honestly what got me excited for fashion and part of the reason I have a degree in it. This was close to my heart personally, but thrifting can also help YOU curate a closet!
The coolest pieces I have found at thrift shops have been the vintage items I’ve been able to find. I’ve also found vintage pieces from some HUGE designers like Tahari that seem to have stepped straight out of my grandma’s fabulous closet! These pieces are timeless and can stand the strength of time (and fads that come and go). That’s one of the main reason I love to thrift shop!
Support Your Local Community
Sooo many thrift shops support the local community! In college me and a group of other fashion majors helped to re-brand a thrift shop called Worn Threads. They gave vouchers to lower income members of the community through a local church! This meant that people who might not have been able to afford new clothes, could still get clothes that were new to them. It was so lovely being able to help them rebrand!
Although big box thrift stores are sometimes a bit shady, they can also be very helpful to the local community! For example, Goodwill helps single mothers find jobs, helps people over 55 expand their job skills, mentors at risk youth, has a program to help people get employment in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, and they even offer multiple courses in multiple fields (read more here)!
Help Save Money
Another great thing about thrift shopping is that you can save money! I am a massive budget shopper (read more about how I do that here), but thrift shopping is the second piece of that puzzle. Generally most thrift stores don’t sell anything for over $10 (unless it’s a wedding/prom dress or a designer handbag), which means most items will be in everyone’s budget. In high school and college, I went to the Goodwill on the nicer side of town!
I was able to score Polo Ralph Lauren button-up tops, vintage coats, as well as other name brand items. This is how I was truly able to differentiate what I wore, or at least “keep up with the Joneses“! In college I found my very favorite pink pleated Banana Republic mini skirt for only $3.75 at my Goodwill. I still wear it four years later and it works with you many outfits. You’ll probably see it on my Instagram! I can’t even image how expensive it was at full retail cost.
Furnish Your Home On a Budget
College is also when I started trying to furnish my dorm/apartment with secondhand items! I loved upcycling items that I found thrifting. I’d purchase a bin, spray paint it, and cover it in fake gems! It now seems a bit gaudy, but at that point in time, I really loved the curated space I was able to make with secondhand or repurposed items. I’ve now kind of gotten out of that routine, but I hope to one day start purchasing secondhand furniture and reupholstering it!
Where to Thrift Shop Online + #Secondhand Sunday
Alright so here is the BIG INSTAGRAM REVEAL! I have decided that every Sunday I am going to share an outfit that is at least 80% made up of thrifted items (mostly because I feel weird about thrifting shoes haha). I am then going to use the hashtag #SecondhandSunday! That way you’ll be able to see every outfit I’ve styled, as well as tag me in your own thrifted looks. I also wanted to share some of the best places to thrift shop online, or apps I love using!
- Poshmark
- Mercari
- thredUp
- eBay (vintage finds)
- ASOS Marketplace
- Etsy (vintage finds)
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Thrift shopping is all around a great idea. You’re able to curate your own closet, to help save the environment (did you know man-made fabric items can take 40-50 years to fully decompose?), and to provide help to your local community! If you end up using these tips to shop secondhand, tag me on IG at @sequinsandsales and use the hashtag #SecondhandSunday!
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Photos by Hannah Lozano
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