Fast fashion is known for its convenience and affordability. In order to meet consumer demands, companies rush to get the newest trends and styles in stores and usually not in ethical ways. These pieces are often made with low quality and non-biodegradable materials that contain microplastics, which negatively impacts our health and our oceans.
According to CNN, it is estimated that 551,155 tonnes of plastic microfibres pollute our oceans just from washing clothes. That’s the equivalent of more than 50 billion plastic water bottles.
I know many people rely on the affordability of fast fashion, but let’s try an eco-friendly approach like thrifting. Thrifting itself is a fun adventure. You never know what you’re going to find, and that’s the exciting part about it. You’ll be surprised by just how many beautiful, high-quality, and gently used pieces you can find in your city.
3 Reasons Why You Should Start Thrifting
1) Save Money Thrift stores offer a huge selection of gently used items at a massive discount. Whether you’re looking for a new sweater, purse, or jacket, you can be certain to find something that suits your style and budget.
Did you know? Fast fashion is responsible for nearly 10% of global carbon emissions.
2) Quality It can be tempting to spend money on an affordable piece of clothing versus paying for something that’s of higher quality. With thrifting, you don’t have to sacrifice your budget or the quality. When you own higher quality pieces, you’re less likely to replace them down the road, meaning they’ll last you for many years to come.
Did you know? On average, an Ethiopian garment worker only makes $26 a month.
3) Low Waste The main reason why fast fashion poses such an environmental threat is because of the amount of waste created and resources needed for production. By thrifting your items, you’re ensuring no extra waste is created, ending up in the landfill, or polluting the planet.
Did you know? Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in the landfills. If this trend continues, we can expect to see 134 million tonnes of fast fashion waste by the end of the decade.
More Sustainable Fashion Tips
• Before you decide to throw away or replace a piece of clothing with rips or tears, try repairing them first. If you need some assistance, there are helpful videos on YouTube that walk you through how to mend jackets, t-shirts, jeans, and more.
• Read the label on how to care for your clothing, such as washing in cold water or laying flat to dry. Proper maintenance is key for the longevity of your clothing.
• Buy clothing made from natural, recycled, or environmentally friendly materials such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, hemp, and bamboo linen. Natural materials require less energy and water to make and don’t contain chemicals or toxins that synthetic materials do.
• Create a capsule wardrobe and invest in high quality pieces. It’s a sustainable approach that will last you many years to come and your outfits will never go out of style.
The choices we make, no matter how small, have the ability to bring positive changes. It’s okay to indulge in new fashion trends once in a while, but I hope this post inspires you to check out your local thrift store before spending your money on fast fashion. Do you like thrifting? If so, what’s your best find? Do you have any sustainable fashion tips? I’d love to hear your thoughts. For more eco-friendly posts, visit my tag here.
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I love these tips you’ve shared. Thrifting can be such a fun shopping adventure, and the opportunity to grab a bargain without sacrificing quality is really tantalizing.
Beautifully said Heidi! It’s a win for us and a win for the planet. Thank you for reading!
This is something my husband and I are getting back into as we used to do quite a bit of it a couple of years ago. All the thrift shops we used to frequent ended up closing down but we’ll look further afield and see what we can find!
I hope you find some new stores to visit Molly! Thank you for reading!
I def want to start buying second hand in 2023. Not only are clothes expensive but it is also better for the environment and sustainable. 😌
Absolutely! You can come across high quality pieces at a fraction of the price. Thank you for reading!
Thrifting is such a good way to practice sustainability in fashion! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Absolutely! There are so many benefits. Thank you for reading Lucy!
With everything getting more expensive these days, thrifting is definitely the way to go. I was not always into thrifting, but I see the benefits more and more lately! Great post!
I agree, it’s a great way to save money. Thank you for reading Christina!
Great information! I aim to put together a capsule wardrobe that’s travel-friendly too. I love quality over quantity. Thanks for the tips!
That’s a great idea Jodie! I’m looking into building a capsule wardrobe. Less is definitely more! Thank you for reading!
Thrifting can be a lot of fun too because you never know what you’re going to find. We’ve tried to start thrifting more and finding local hidden gems. These are all great reasons to thrift more.
Exactly! I’m glad to hear you’ve come across some great finds. Thank you for reading!
My best thrift buy as a Christmas jumper! I didn’t see the point on spending lots of money on something I’d wear two or three times a year. Thankfully, I found one which looked brand new in a local charity shop and about paid around £3 for it.
That’s wonderful Nikki! It’s a win-win situation, especially if it’s a seasonal piece too. Thank you for reading!
Like you said you never know what you find. Thrifting is my way to afford high street brands on a budget.
Absolutely, it’s a great way to acquire high quality pieces. Thank you for reading Magdalene!
We do need to end fast fashion and I agree that thrifting is part of the answer. Great blog post!
It’s one step in the right direction! Thank you for reading Jamie.
These are the most important reasons to have a better life. Its good that this help with saving money. Thank you for sharing these reasons.
It’s such a great way to save money, while acquiring high quality pieces. Thank you for reading Fransic!
I love this. Our Fashion Communcation Students collection is a thrift and flip. And thrifting is such a huge trend at this moment
That sounds like a wonderful and creative project Anke. Thank you for reading!