ARE THRIFT RESELLERS REALLY GENTRIFYING THRIFT STORES?
From hand-me-downs to locally thrifted, secondhand clothing is finding its way into more people’s wardrobes than ever before, but not everyone is onboard with the new trend.
For a long time, thrift stores were seen as a place full of worn, shabby clothing for people struggling to make ends meet. Leading the way with providing low-priced goods to the less fortunate was The Salvation Army and Goodwill, with stores popping up everywhere in the early 20th century. The christian organisations saw a gap in the community and used thrift stores as an outreach program to help the less fortunate. But these days, thrift stores are seeing their doors opened by many people, regardless of a person’s budget.
The rising interest in thrifting, a term commonly used to describe the practice of shopping in thrift stores, has to do with a cultivation of many things. But there is no denying the interest in vintage, sustainable fashion is high on the list.
Many people online are also taking this practice a step further, and have become resellers of their unique finds. Turning one person’s trash into another person’s treasure is Jasmine Clift, a young vibrant lady who has created an online business out of thrifting. Her passion project, Still Standing Wardrobe, was started early this year after a recent hiatus and rebranding from her old thrifting Instagram page. Returning with a clear stance on supporting sustainable fashion through only purchasing brands with a good ethical reputation, Jasmine is eager to help other people see how fun and environmentally friendly thrifting is.
“I love not contributing to the fast fashion system where clothes are made to be worn for two minutes and then chucked out again. I love going back to clothes that already exist and bringing them to life again,” she said.
Jasmine is not alone in encouraging people to buy thrifted clothes through her reselling business, with many accounts popping up online following the same trend.
Source: @stillstandingwardrobe on Instagram.
Source: @stillstandingwardrobe on Instagram.
Colac Thrift Shop on May 8, 2021. (Kaylah Baker)
Colac Thrift Shop on May 8, 2021. (Kaylah Baker)
'Coffee and Thrifts' is tapping into the growing thrift store trend and has created place for resellers to shop. (Kaylah Baker)
'Coffee and Thrifts' is tapping into the growing thrift store trend and has created place for resellers to shop. (Kaylah Baker)
So how did the trend become so big?
There is no denying Depop, a UK company founded in 2011 with over 21 million users, is a successful powerhouse in reselling secondhand clothing. The platform allows for users to start reselling businesses with ease and can commonly be found linked on sellers Instagram profiles to gain traction. Most notably, social media has been a big key to the rising attraction in thrift stores and secondhand clothing. Thrift-Flipping has also become a trend on TikTok where users shop for their unique finds and then essentially flip them through cutting and sewing them into new creations.
With TikTok having a high amount of young users and 90 per cent of users on Depop being Gen Z, it may not be surprising to discover this same generation is also behind the growth of secondhand shopping, according to a recent study conducted by thredUP.
As a generation passionate about the environment, it is no surprise many Gen Z’s are at the forefront of supporting ethical fashion. But the term gentrification of thrifting has been gaining traction online and being used to describe resellers like Jasmine. The term comes from the belief resellers are ignoring their privilege and are the cause behind thrift stores raising their prices, deeming them inconsiderate to low-income shoppers who are left with limited options. But for shoppers like Jasmine, the blurry line between sustainable fashion and fast fashion is making it seem like there is no right way to shop.
“I wrestled with it myself and thoughts had previously come into my head that it kinda seems like clothes are being taken away from people, but there is no shortage of clothes in op shops. If you care about sustainability and ethical fashion, it’s actually a great idea to support resellers,” she said.
Jasmine is not alone in her confusion with many young thrifters using their TikTok platforms to speak up about the confusion.
If there is an excess of clothes, then should the blame be switched to thrift stores instead?
Keryn Coombes is a Salvation Army Officer and runs a thrift store connected to their Colac church. Not to be confused with Salvo Stores that are more commonly run as big retail organisations.
“We’ve noticed a trend over time where thrift shops are starting to increase prices and become way more retail looking. At our store, we look at what is needed in the town and that was low prices,” she said.
Changing the narrative around the influx of prices, Keryn has changed the stores pricing to be equal and affordable, regardless of brand.
“We need people to buy to contribute to our mission and obviously if we are encouraging sustainable living, where we are not just buying new and chucking out, then that’s a good thing.. I think there is a room for an even mix,” she said.
And while the line may still be blurry and confusing, Keryn is focused on putting “value into people over product”, and ensuring equality remains in their store regardless of who is purchasing the items. Choosing to focus on the benefits the new thrift reselling trend is having on their local missions, Keryn describes it as a “win-win” situation.
Image Sources (if not individually credited): Kaylah Baker
