Trend Highlight: Thrifting

Although “Come thrifting with me!” has become a tagline on popular YouTube vlogs and a fun activity for college girls on a free Saturday, it was a phrase that sent me running into the next room as a kindergartener. I dreaded spending a day being dragged along until my feet hurt in the fluorescent lighting of my mother’s favorite spot – Goodwill – as she professionally scrapped through the secondhand clothing with a keen eye that would put vlogger Emma Chamberlain to shame. It was a different time and my mother’s skill was not a fashion trend, but a personal need. As a young child, I never would have imagined myself 15 years later happily floating through the aisles of my local Goodwill, iced coffee in hand, searching for the perfect outfit. Even less so that I would later tell my friends, unabashedly, that an outfit was thrifted.

So, what happened?

Was it the rise of hipster fashion? Was it Macklemore? If you’re looking for a unique piece that no one else has, a thrift store is the perfect place to find it. But when did having something that no one else has become cool?

In the last few years, fashion has become more recycled and vintage than ever. Some of today’s most popular brands seem to be replicating the kind of clothing that you would find within minutes spent in any secondhand shop or in the back of your mom’s closet (see Urban’s vintage jacket selection or any of Brandy Melville’s most popular tops). Additionally, some of our generation’s most stylish icons look to thrift stores to find their statement pieces. You could even argue that Emma Chamberlain’s claim to fame is her undeniable skill of turning her thrift store finds into bomb outfits.

Image via Emma Chamberlain

However, has thrifting become a little too trendy? With the rise of vintage fashion also comes the rise of “thrift store flipping”, or the trend of going into secondhand stores like Goodwill, buying a shirt for a few dollars, posing in it for Instagram, and then reselling it at a Brandy Melville price. This is a great business strategy. Thrifted clothing is trendy and in — social shopping sites like Depop and closet sales on Instagram are great places to find cute clothing for little cash (and a great way to make some extra money as a college student).

However, when you begin to make a considerable profit off of reselling quality donated clothing, taking it away from people who can only afford to shop secondhand, it becomes controversial. This is not to say that every person who resells clothing is doing something wrong, but that it is important to be aware of the reason why thrift stores exist. For some Goodwill customers, thrifted clothing is not a trendy statement piece — it is their only means of buying clothing.

Thrift store fashion is definitely one of the hottest trends right now. It is now easier than ever to spend less money while keeping up with and replicating high fashion. High fashion is even replicating affordable fashion (or rebranding it – see Champion). We can enjoy this low-budget, sustainable fashion and be thankful that for once money is not dominating a fad – as long as we keep in mind that thrift stores don’t just exist for the sake of a fashion trend.