Buying secondhand clothing used to include perusing the racks at a local thrift store such as Plato’s Closet, located in Downtown San Mateo a few minutes from our school. You could purchase used clothing at a bargain and also sell your clothes for some cash. The warming world has a lot to do with it. As climate change’s destruction and the urgency to combat it increases, people, especially younger generations, have become more environmentally and socially conscious of their shopping habits. And so, thrifting has grown in popularity these past few years. This rise in thrifting is coinciding with the fall of fast fashion, an industry that exploits labor and accounts for a majority of the fashion industry’s already enormous carbon emission which is 10% of the global count, according to the UN Environment Programme. These unappealing aspects of fast fashion are stripped away and turned into a better alternative to affordable fashion: thrifting.
Nowadays, thrifting has gone digital. Sites such as Thredup have gained in popularity, along with a surge of direct online thrifting, whether it be on apps like Depop or even making your own Instagram business account to sell the unwanted clothes in your closet. Many teenagers have jumped on this opportunity, including ones from San Mateo High like Madeleine Rose (11) and Caroline Robbins (11). With so many pieces of clothing that the two have never worn, they didn’t just want to throw those away, they wanted to give them in a way where they “would make a little something off of and it would give the piece of clothing a new life,” said Caroline, while also “participating in a more sustainable clothing exchange,” Madeleine added.
The duo started their Instagram page (@thrifting_thrillz) when they went into high school, but the shelter-in-place really jumpstarted their beginning. Every time they post a picture of the piece of clothing, bids show up in the comments section and in their direct messages. Whoever makes the highest bid wins the item, and the buyer pays for the item and shipping through an online payment system like Venmo. It is similar to how eBay works. There is also another option, called Buy It Now (BIN) in which the price is set and includes the shipping cost. Their micro business isn’t just a one-time phenomenon, there are more and more Instagram accounts like this. As the market fills up, the two have started the transition to Depop, a more traditional direct thrifting app.
Unfortunately, Depop takes a cut so you “are making less,” which makes it a “better appeal to sell on Instagram,” explainsMadeleine. This expansion is truly indicative of where the market is now. From the time Madeline and Caroline created their account, the landscape has changed. Consumers are now scouring for brand clothing, from Brandy Melville to high-end designer fashion. The shift has caused prices to hike, additionally because people are going to thrift stores themselves, buying things “they think are cute for a cheap price, then markup the price a lot,” said Caroline. The whole situation seems like a combination of environmentally friendly and business savvy. With more students like Madeline and Caroline participating in online thrifting, it is no wonder that teens are “among the most environmentally literate and attentive segments of our population,” commented Mr. Appleman, the AP Environmental Science teacher at SMHS. Like the UN stated, buying secondhand is obviously better than buying new and engaging in fast fashion. But Mr. Appleman notes that our current thrifting habits are nowhere near to the habits of a few generations before us, especially if people are only selling clothes to clear their closet for more clothes. Although that may be the case, this online thrifting market is the current best alternative to fast fashion, and this step towards conscious purchases will lead to better future solutions for the overconsumption issue at hand.