By Sophia Madeb, Arts and Culture Editor
Living in the bustling center of the one and only New York City, it seems there are always opportunities to buy just about anything. Imagine walking down the populated sidewalk of 34th Street, surrounded by a sea of people. Trying to keep up with the crowd. Bright lights and glowing signs showcase the latest ads: new designs for bags, clothes and shoes. Think of any product, and there’s likely a sign promoting the must-have trend of the upcoming season. Although what if the new thing to be wearing is a relic from the past, someone’s trash waiting to become another’s treasure?
Thrifting has become socially accepted as a daring take on fashion and, surprisingly, it is even seen as cool. It allows people to keep up with trends while also being better for the pocketbooks and, ultimately, for the environment too.
Initially, thrift stores started as a way for people who were less fortunate to buy clothes at a significantly lower cost. Many wouldn’t share that they shopped there because it revealed that they couldn’t afford to buy products at the more mainstream stores. Much of the clothes was either donated by the general public or handed down from stores with extra items from bulk purchases. As a result, a lot of the clothing found in thrift stores is tattered, worn out, or, a fashion-forward girl’s worst nightmare, from last season or even several seasons ago.
However, as the years have gone by and fashion trends have continued to change, secondhand shopping has taken the culture by storm, reversing society’s perception of thrift shops. It started with people posting on social media about their vintage finds and how they matched a certain aesthetic, whether it be low-rise jeans with rhinestone patterning or unique little denim bags aligning with Y2K style. Vintage NBA, NFL, MLB and college sports sweatshirts also became popular thrift finds.
While some thrift stores offer little more than fun clothes and cute accessories, others have detailed sections of secondhand books, sometimes with interesting annotations from the books’ original owners. You may even find the occasional book with the author’s signature. Some shops also sell various types of furniture, from small items like jewelry plates to oak-crafted chairs and dressers. It all depends on which store one seeks out or even luckily stumbles across while walking through the city.
Like other self-proclaimed well-versed thrift shoppers who hopped on this trend as it became popular, I began thrifting to find fun pieces to add to my closet. But I truly stayed once I discovered the treasures in the book sections. While thrifting in the West Village, I stumbled across a store that specifically sold books, stamps and other transcripts and materials. It had a rustic feel with brown shelves and wooden tables filled with original scripts from television shows like Sex and the City and Friends, as well as classic authors like Jane Austen and more modern ones like Colleen Hoover, a true statement, but two authors who should never be placed in the same category.
The books sold in these stores are given a second life, gaining another reader the chance to be inspired by the same words and ideas, but through a completely different perspective. Thrifting taught me that books are meant to be read and passed on, not tossed away after one use. Otherwise, their power to inspire starts to dim, along with the high-quality paper that would likely end up in the trash. In this way, secondhand bookstores not only keep stories alive, but they also help the environment by slowing down the fast-paced cycle of book production.
This extends far beyond book production. Thrift stores, that sell various items, from vintage clothes, antique furniture and even old books, have helped the environment by combating the environmental problem exacerbated by fast fashion and other mass-production industries. While it is declared carbon emissions are one of the main murders of the environment, the fashion industry is a dark horse that creeps right behind the deadly fuels emitted into the once refined atmosphere every day.
Take, for example, Brandy Melville, a brand that is widely popular on an international scale. I’ll admit, they sell great products. I’ve had one of their thick zip-up sweaters since middle school. But it has become apparent that they aim to follow fad trends that are forgotten after a few months and are already nostalgic just a year later. Brandy Melville, like many other stores, sells bulk quantities of these quick trends, and when they pass, the company throws away huge amounts of product, wasting materials and increasing emissions from shipping and production. In this way, these discarded materials have to go somewhere, because things do not merely vanish into thin air; as a result, the materials will end up in third world countries.
As thrift shopping has grown in popularity, New York, being one of the cultural centers of the world, has been at the center of the trend. From curated shops in SoHo, to the trendier ones in the East Village, to the unforgettable flea markets in Chelsea. Therefore, there’s something to be said about the different types of thrift stores, each selling different products, some stores even priced higher due to their rarity or value.
Now that secondhand shopping is viewed as popular, some stores are curated, carrying hand-picked designer pieces spanning from the early 2000s all the way back to the 1950s. These will evidently be sold for less but still at a relatively higher amount. Take, for instance, in SoHo, there’s a store that strictly sells designer bags, with a section of locked glass cases with Hermès Birkin bags. Merely viewing them is an experience in its own respective way, though not exactly a realistic purchase for most consumers.
Although, not all curated shops focus on luxury. Most make thrifting easier by hand-selecting quality items, saving the customer the time and arm strength needed to dig through loads of either dirty or worn-out clothes. A lazier thrifter might shop in a store like this type, paying slightly more than they would in a regular thrift store for them, the convenience being worth it.
A flea market offers an entirely different experience. Here, shoppers can buy almost anything, from secondhand clothing to one-of-a-kind accessories and antiques. While many get excited over that one great find, flea markets themselves are the real treasure in disguise. Flea markets are one of those treasures found in plain sight, usually held outside, with open-air stalls where you can meet vendors and hear the stories behind the unique accessories, clothing and other trinkets they’re selling on the strip. Take, for instance, Chelsea’s famous flea markets. Vendors often sell pieces enriched with history, bringing back the importance of understanding where a product comes from, since many people assume it originates from a run-of-the-mill factory. Here one learns the significance of a piece’s past life with its previous owner, allowing the next owner to continue that story, holding a certain piece of history.
At these flea markets, along with stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army, it takes patience and sometimes great dedication to sift through questionable clothes and pieces before finding something good. But once you do find that good, or even great, piece, it can feel like winning an award.
Despite thrifting being a long-standing trend for the last couple of years, there has been some pushback against it. One main critique is the strange or almost eerie feeling that can come with wearing other people’s clothing. This especially applies to much older pieces; the idea of wearing the clothes of someone who is now dead can feel deeply twisted to some people. You can’t know the life that this piece was connected to before you bought it. In my self-proclaimed well-verse thrifting experience, I refuse to buy thrifted shoes, as the idea of literally walking in someone else’s shoes is off-putting to me. However, others feel differently and prefer to buy thrifted shoes because they’re significantly cheaper than at a mainstream store.
Overall, living in New York City comes with the advantage of seeing and actively participating in the fashionable culture that fills the streets. I recommend giving thrifting a try, even if it’s just to look at beautiful bags that you dream about owning in a future collection, or to find a fun, different piece to add to your closet. Thrifting is a great way to build a unique wardrobe while helping the environment and building a cleaner, better future for society.
Photo Credit: Unsplash