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2nd Hand Clothing and Sustainable Fashion
Updated: 14 hours ago
Following our first blog post, which gave a cohesive history on the rise and fall of trends (check it out if you have not already!), we thought a great segue point would be to discuss 2nd hand clothing and sustainable fashion.
To start, I want to begin discussing what 2nd hand clothing and sustainable fashion are. I am sure many of us have visited a local thrift store or know someone who has thrifted a clothing piece before, or maybe you've purchased something on Depop, Poshmark, etc. These are all great examples of shopping secondhand, but 2nd hand and sustainable shopping can look like many different things. 2nd hand can be defined as an item that has already belonged to or been used by another person. So, in the context of our topic, fashion, secondhand would be purchasing and owning clothing pieces previously owned. Sustainable fashion is similar to secondhand in the sense that shopping 2nd hand is a sustainable habit. But sustainable fashion is not limited to preowned clothing; it is more closely defined as “clothing, footwear and accessory production, distribution and consumption carried out in a way that minimizes environmental harm and promotes social justice” (Lindenwood University). In this blog post, I will be going over the importance of shopping secondhand, adopting sustainable fashion habits, the dangers of fast fashion, different ways to shop secondhand/sustainably, and lastly, sharing some of our group's favorite secondhand and sustainable places.
Now that we've explained a bit of what 2nd hand and sustainable fashion are, I want to begin on why it is so important to consider purchasing more preowned and sustainable pieces. I think for a lot of us, we may think it is an easier or better decision socially to choose a new product that has been mass-produced by a fast fashion company to follow fast and ever-changing trends to fit in socially or just to mitigate the extra effort of having to secondhand shop and sift through the huge and never-ending racks of clothing in these stores. Even when shopping online, it can be difficult to find the exact piece you want with the right look, price, and size.
However, I think we need to consider the quality of our clothing and how much we want our clothing to last, how quickly trends recycle, and how to distinguish between a clothing piece you actually like or will throw away by the time that trend has passed. These points are not to be made to question anyone's objectivity and style, but more to raise an important question to consider in our current times, where we are running out of resources and space for the mass production of clothing. These are things I have much difficulty with as well. As I'm writing this, I can glance up at people in passing, scanning all of the clothing pieces I see in repeat and questioning if this is something I want to wear because I like it or because it feels nice to give into the trends as someone who loves to see what the new fashion girlies are wearing.
Beyond this, as someone whose closet is 75% thrifted, a lot of the things you are seeing at clothing stores, you can easily find secondhand because trends are always recycling; it's just a matter of looking. It is no secret that you can find that piece you've been eyeing on a secondhand online store, and it will be more environmentally conscious.
Although thrifting and Goodwills have become a lot more popular in our youth with the rise of resale culture, resale culture in itself is something that has many upsides and just as many downsides. Although resale culture has made it difficult for those who depend on these thrift stores to buy themselves and their children clothing in the most cost-efficient way, with the prices at Goodwill slowly rising to counteract the extreme rise in resellers flooding thrift stores and Goodwill bins, I think that this popularity has also reduced the stigma behind wearing clothes someone else has worn before.
Before thrifting became considered “cool,” there was a stigma behind buying clothing that someone has previously worn. Thrifting has a long history tied to class and poverty. For context, I want to provide a brief history of thrifting. To begin, we will start with the post-Industrial Revolution, where the mass production of clothing had begun. In the TIME article “People Have Been Reusing Clothes Forever But Thrift Shops Are Relatively New. Here's Why,” they mention, “the more affordable it became to buy new clothes, the more people thought of clothes as disposable.”
As a result, rather than mending and reusing the same clothing, it became much more socially common for people to throw away their belongings. During this time, there was also social backlash towards people wearing clothing that another person previously owned and towards the people who sold them. These ideals were pushed by articles saying that the clothes could harbor diseases. However, the religious roots of organizations like the Salvation Army and Goodwill, names many of us still recognize today, helped establish public trust and credibility. During this period, charitable giving also became more common among Americans, contributing to the growth and acceptance of thrift stores. By the 1920s, thrift stores had been modeled into department stores, very similar to what we see today. During the Great Depression, donations to thrift stores became much more common for extra money. Then, by the 1950s, “vintage” pieces became more sought-after by those who wanted luxury products at a more affordable price. Today, according to an IBISWorld report, thrifting is a 14.4 billion dollar industry.
Now that I've provided some historical context on 2nd hand shopping, I want to discuss the environmental impact of fast fashion. Fast fashion has detrimental impacts on our environment due to the excessive water use, toxins, greenhouse gases, and clothing waste it creates. When we choose to purchase from any fast fashion companies, like SHEIN, Zara, H&M, Forever 21, Uniqlo, ASOS, Mango, and Gap, we are heavily contributing to the pollution of our waterways and the mass overabundance of clothing waste. These companies use synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon that do not break down for hundreds of years and are treated with harsh chemicals (Towner, 2019).
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing. Furthermore, “Textile dyeing is also the second largest polluter of water globally, and it takes around 2,000 gallons of water to make a typical pair of jeans.” Not only does the production of fast fashion clothing heavily pollute our water, but every time we wash our clothes that contain synthetic fibers like polyester, we release millions of microplastics into wastewater. A single load of laundry can release anywhere from 700,000 to over 18 million microplastic fibers into wastewater (Ocean Conservancy).
Microplastics that seep into our lakes, rivers, and bays are consumed by the wildlife living in those waters, which has an extremely harmful effect on the biodiversity in these bodies of water and significantly lowers the health of wildlife and humans. Not only do these synthetic clothing pieces severely harm wildlife and the environment, but the fast fashion industry also exploits the people responsible for making them. Garment workers are often subjected to unsafe working conditions, long hours, and extremely low wages as companies prioritize maximizing profits and keeping prices low.
This relentless pursuit of capital gain fuels the never-ending cycle of trends and overconsumption, at the expense of the vulnerable factory workers making these clothes. These companies allow these factory workers to suffer in unlivable conditions for profit. According to EarthDay.org, the industry employs approximately 60 million factory workers worldwide, yet less than 2% earn a living wage. Not only are they severely underpaid, but these workers are subjected to crowded, dirty, unsafe conditions and face danger and physical abuse daily. Furthermore, there is extreme gender discrimination in these factories, with many women experiencing sexual harassment. Although we may not directly contribute to the horrific mistreatment of these workers, through financially supporting these fast fashion companies, we are indirectly supporting the brutality these factory workers face every day.
Now that I have provided some reasoning as to why it is so important to shop secondhand and purchase sustainable clothing, I will talk about some ways you can adopt these habits! As I mentioned earlier, thrift stores like Goodwill are a great way to shop secondhand. I also urge you to visit your local thrift store, as prices have risen over the years due to increased operation costs and online selling. Many local thrift stores are much more cost-efficient and can have really great clothing pieces.
There are also great secondhand shopping options throughout Georgia, including Rag-O-Rama, located in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood, and Uptown Cheapskate, which has locations in various parts of the state. These stores curate their selections to feature trendy, higher-end pieces, offering a more selective shopping experience than traditional thrift stores like Goodwill, which accept a wider variety of donated items. You can also donate to these stores, which I highly encourage everyone to do when wanting to recycle unworn pieces. They can offer you money for the clothes and/or store credit.
There are also many clothing swap events and pop-ups you can find in your local area through social media. Where I attend at Kennesaw State University, we have Owl Swap, where you can come in and swap some of your unworn pieces for the clothing that you like in there! If you prefer shopping online, there are some great places to shop, like Depop, thredUP, The RealReal, Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Craigslist. The list goes on! These are also online places where you can both purchase and sell. You can also purchase handmade pieces sold online, like on Etsy.
As I mentioned earlier, you do not always have to purchase preowned clothing items to be sustainable. By choosing places that sell natural fiber clothing and actually pay their factory workers a livable wage, you can lessen the environmental impact that these fast fashion brands cause. Some sustainable brands you can shop from include Patagonia, Everlane, Reformation, and Cottonique. Not only do these brands practice sustainable clothing efforts, but they also make commitments to fight against sweatshop and child labor in clothing production. Although these brands do come with a higher price point, they create clothing built to last.
Now that I have gone over some ways you can adopt 2nd hand fashion and sustainable clothing habits, I encourage you to take small steps toward reducing the ever-growing problem of clothing waste and challenging the fast fashion industry. Whether it’s shopping at thrift stores, reusing pieces you already own, or being more intentional about your purchases, every choice makes a difference in creating a more sustainable future for both our planet and the people who make our clothes.
Below, you can check out our group's favorite places to shop secondhand in the Kennesaw, Marietta, and Metro Atlanta area!
Caitlin's Favorite Place to second hand shop at is Rag-O-Rama. Located at 111 Euclid Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 and Depop.com
Amanda's Favorite Place to second hand shop at is Ecologie Reasale & Vintage located at 2615 George Busbee Pkwy NW #12, Kennesaw, GA 30144, Last Chance Thrift Store located at 2935 N Decatur Rd, Decatur, GA 30033, and Junkman's Daughter located at 464 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 for more expensive and curated clothing.
Rodie's Favorite Place to second hand shop is also Ecologie Resale & Vintage and America's Thrift Stores & Donation Center located at 2949 Canton Rd, Marietta, GA 30066.
Fatima's Favorite second hand shopping hacks is that she feels people should know about is looking for moving sales and closet cleanouts! You would be surprised at how many good things people are willing to sell for super cheap just because they’re moving, making space, or simply trying to get rid of stuff they no longer use. A lot of times, it’s not even that the items are in bad condition or anything, people just want them gone! One thing I recommend is going on Facebook Marketplace or other secondhand shopping apps and searching phrases like “moving sale,” “closet cleanout,” “everything must go,” or “downsizing.” You can come across anything from cute clothes and shoes to furniture, home decor, and even some really nice designer pieces for way less than what they originally cost. And here’s another little tip: since these sellers are usually in a rush to get rid of their stuff, they tend to be more open to negotiating prices. So even if something is already listed for a good price, it never hurts to politely ask if they’re willing to go a little lower, especially if you’re buying more than one item. You might end up getting an even better deal than you expected! Of course, not every seller will be willing to negotiate, but that’s all part of the fun of secondhand shopping. Sometimes all it takes is a little patience, good timing, and knowing what to search for to find some hidden gems without spending a ton of money :).
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