Don’t worry, when I say second chance, I am not talking about your toxic, cheating ex. I am referring to clothes! With over 10,000 landfills in Canada, it is important to keep as many clothes out of dumps as possible. Thrift stores, consignment stores and online re-sellers are seeking to disrupt the fashion industry’s wasteful norms and encourage consumers to rethink how they shop.
Right now, 85 per cent of all textiles end up in dumps each year thanks to fast fashion. A main cause of this problem is the fact that there are ever-changing clothing trends. People want what they see on the runway, on the street or on their Instagram feed; and they want it NOW!
In a Treehugger article, Mary Jo DiLonardo reports, “items often aren’t ethically made. Factories are often sweatshops where laborers work in unsafe conditions for low wages and long hours. In many cases, children are employed, and basic human rights are violated.”
Fashion is cyclic, and when the wheels turn, something that was once out of fashion comes back into fashion. Take the poofy sleeves, for example, which were popularized in the 1980s. Guess what? They are back in fashion now. One quick scroll through Instagram, and you are going to be bamboozled with ads showing this silhouette. With festival and party season around the corner, it is almost impossible to miss the resurgence of this trend.
No one is asking you to walk down the aisle anytime soon, but a walk down the aisle at a thrift store is sure to leave you shook. If what you are looking for is a more curated selection, I’d recommend hitting up local hotspots like The Loot Vintage or Elsie’s Consignment. They will surely have something that will tickle your fancy.
So, what are you waiting for? Going consignment store shopping is something that can turn into a great bonding activity for a first date or an excellent group activity for friends. What’s better than going treasure hunting as a bonding activity? The best part is you not only get a bag full of memories but a bag full of higher quality clothes.
Thrift stores give you the freedom to explore and experiment with your style. In doing so, you can try out countless items and then decide what works for you. The best part is that you get to choose outfits from different decades in one place.
Most of the items in a consignment store are of high quality. They run through quality checks and, sometimes, are even authenticated and dated if they are luxury brand products or vintage pieces. Personally, for someone like me, who always accidentally mixes his laundry, the best part about these clothes is that they do not shrink.
Bid fast fashion goodbye and enjoy a fast night on the town with slow fashion clothes that are sustainably made and have as much character and personality as you.
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