Thrifting- a sustainable way to shop
By Olivia Penhall
I believe that everyone has that one friend or at least knows someone who has such a unique, fashionable style, and you are left wanting to know their secret. Well their hidden recipe has been revealed and it is pretty simple; it is thrifting. The problem is when you usually picture thrifting, there is an image of old, discarded, and dirty clothes that are cheaply sold at the local Salvation Army or Value Village. While some might not see thrift stores in this light, the majority of shoppers are turned off by the idea of wearing used clothes, no matter how inexpensive they might be.
While the economic benefit might be the key reason most people choose thrifting over purchasing garments from the fast-fashion industry, there is also a large environmental impact that is being minimized by this consumer choice. “Each year in the U.S. alone, 13.1 million tons of textile waste is created, with 11 million tons ending up in landfills” (Levi Strauss, 2016). Currently, the best alternative to avoiding this problem is to partake in purchasing “thrifted” clothes, to give them a new life. This practice also prevents the environmental impacts that would be caused by the unethical, mass production caused by the fast fashion industry.
Still, for many people, they are intimidated by these larger stores, like Value Village and the Salvation Army, as the hidden gems are often very hard to find. When I have “thrifted” in these stores, I often find myself wasting time browsing through outdated clothes. They resemble something my grandparents would wear on a trip to Florida, but not in a cool way.
Luckily, I have a tip for all shoppers: Waterloo’s very own vintage and consignment boutique, Luster and Oak found at 5–2 King Street South. This literal hole in the wall is located in Uptown Waterloo and is therefore easily accessible from the Ion Rail. Their business model consists of purchasing the clothes from Value Village and the Salvation Army and creating the perfect culmination of stylish clothes that will appeal to shoppers. This formula saves the customer time and energy, while ensuring that they will find items that they love. The only downside to this boutique is the price.
Unfortunately, Luster and Oak are forced to markup the price on their clothes in order to stay in business and generate a profit. This makes purchasing their products more of an economic burden. However, purchasing “thrifted” clothes is still relatively cheaper than purchasing anything new, and are typically better made than the mass-produced clothes from the fast-fashion industry.
On Friday, I was able to visit Luster and Oak, and I was extremely impressed by their selection. Although their space is very small, the amount of fashionable clothes that they can fit is truly remarkable. I picked out five unique items, and almost all of them fit perfectly. I was able to find items that I had always been searching for. For example, I found the perfect pair of mom-jeans, a super warm sweater, a colourful turtleneck t-shirt, and a cool, ’80s era neon fleece.
In total, the purchase cost around $125, which seems like an obscene amount of money to simply purchase used clothes. However, if I were to have bought these products brand new, I would have had to pay over $200 easily, which would easily surpass my weekly budget.
To summarize, I deeply urge everyone to consider switching their shopping habits and to start thrifting. It will save you money, as well as benefit the environment by minimizing your ecological footprint. You will be left with the most unique selection of stylish clothes and a guilt-free conscience knowing that you are taking steps into living a sustainable, waste-free life.
StaffLevi Strauss & Co. (2019, May 30). Levi Strauss & Co. EvrNu Create First Pair of Jeans
From Post-Consumer Cotton Waste. Retrieved February 15, 2020, from https://www.levistrauss.com/2016/05/11/levi-strauss-co-evrnu-create-first-pair-of-jeans-from-post-consumer-cotton-waste/
