This week I had the pleasure of attending a thrifting event in London, it was packed with young people who were major thrifting enthusiasts and wanted a good time. The ambiance was phenomenal as live performers were present, lifting the mood with their underground music and a few popular songs being played by the DJ. Aside from the area where people could rummage through clothes in hopes of finding an absolute bargain, there was also a dance floor where fun was possible ,bringing the best of both worlds.
young adults and teens are doing an impeccable job at removing the stigma and changing beliefs around thrifting. Thrifting, previously known as charity shopping, is an activity that recently saw its increase in popularity in late 2019. At the event I managed to speak to a few people who spoke about how they used to think thrifting was ‘unhygienic’, ‘dirty’ , ‘gross’, ‘nasty’ and many other words with similar meanings,some people even spoke about how they had been ‘thrifting’ their whole lives though they’d been judged for buying ‘second-hand clothes’. there seemed to be an ongoing trend of thought, that thrifting used to be bad but now it’s not. We are left to wonder, why?
Another person I spoke to was a TikToker with over 40,000 followers who endorse her thrifting habits. She was at the event and was selling some of her clothes and other pieces, I took the opportunity to briefly ask her a few questions about her thoughts on thrifting. She was really enthusiastic to talk about how she was excited that young people are thrifting more, a lot more than before , and how events like the one we were at really helps with boosting the popularity of thrifting. I also asked why did she think thrifting became so popular, to that she replied ‘it’s trendy’ and that social media platforms like TikTok are to blame.
Thrifting being a trend may not be as good as it sound because one thing trends do , is go through trend cycles. This puts Thrifting at risk of dying out in popularity, which isn’t good for the environment. The alternative to thrifting is heavily consuming in fast fashion, something young adults and teens are notoriously known for. Shops like Shein, PLT, Romwe and other fashion brands In the same industry are responsible for huge amounts of emissions. Shein for example, who also saw its rise to popularity through TikTok, accounted for 6.3 million tonnes of CO2 in 2021. Most people are very aware of the impacts of carbon dioxide on the environment and how it is a major contributor to global warming and climate change, especially generation z.
in addition to the affects on the environment there are also ethical reasons why fast fashion isn’t ideal. The clothes on these websites are produced in less ‘developed’ countries where regulations in labour are different, this results in sweatshops and over worked children and adults. all this just to keep your prices cheaper…
We can only hope that thrifting continues to surge in popularity over time. crossover events like the one I went to can help, it makes thrifting entertaining, and makes meeting people who have similar ideas easy. Young adults and teens have already ensured the way we consume fashion evolves to something more environmentally friendly, but in a generation where trend cycles are so short thanks to apps like TikTok, gen z has a challenge. Keep thrifting in style.
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