Today is National Thrift Shop Day! That means it’s a day to head to your local thrift store and do some shopping. It’s also an opportunity to talk about sustainable fashion and why it matters.
What exactly is “sustainable fashion?” Well, that’s a tricky question. At it’s core, it’s fashion that made with sustainable practices in mind and they work towards lessening their environmental impact (ie., they use recycled materials to generate new clothing, the waste they produce is offset, etc.). From the consumer stand point, sustainable fashion is seeking out brands that are environmentally conscious and being aware of where and how your clothes are made. We do that with food, why not with fashion? It also means recycling or repurposing your clothes instead of sending them to the trash. Also, thrifting! We all like to shop new, but thrifting is a great way to save some money, find some great pieces, and buy what’s already out there. I am sharing a few thrift stores and vintage shops that I have found as an alternative to buying new.
My list is below!
Beyond Retro – This London brand has a KILLER online store. Find anything vintage from the 1960s through the 1990s. Looking for original Levi’s? Look no further! They have an amazing (and HUGE) collection and everything is well priced and affordable.
NXC Vintage Shop – This NYC Vintage Shop has some of the funnest and brightest vintage pieces! NXC is also a black owned business and supporting BLM is an equally as important cause to support.
Maeven Vintage – You can’t talk about thrifting without an Etsy feature. Enter, Maeven Vintage. This Brooklyn based shop has vintage jewelry, accessories, and clothing. They have pieces from the 1960s through the 90’s (major Rachel Green vibes). They also have a wide variety of prices and because it’s Etsy, they offset 100% their shipping emissions.
Finally, and certainly not least, is Urban Renewal – Who knew Urban Outfitters had a vintage store? Their vintage collection is SUPER affordable and their model of “upcycling” old pieces is a great way to repurpose and reuse. They currently have some of the cutest tie-dye pieces for around $40.00 USD.
I also wanted to give a shout out to one of my favorite sustainable brands!
Reformation is AWESOME. They use their “RefScale” to track their environmental impact and share that information on their product pages. They also keep their buyers informed of their impact with sustainability reports and support global organizations that work to offset what they produce. Personally, I am thrilled that they added petite sizes and love supporting their mission of sustainability. Their pieces aren’t cheap, but producing sustainably comes at higher price tag (at least for now). Hopefully in the future, as more companies choose to follow a similar model, the prices will lower. Reformation does have good sales from time to time and you can get some great pieces for a heavy discount. The Rocki dress I’m sharing is currently on sale.
I hope talking about sustainable fashion and why it matters can help you make informed decisions as a consumer. I also hope this post inspired you to think outside the box when it comes to buying “new” pieces for your wardrobe and to research what brands our there are doing to lessen the waste they produce.
Cheers to being thrifty!
-xo
Darcy
