In our current day and age, oversized sweaters, vintage ‘mom’ jeans and wacky trousers have become all the rage. And as a result, so have charity shops. But even without the appeal of looking like a walking Urban Outfitters for a quarter of the price, charity shopping comes with a ton of benefits. So without further ado, here are 5 reasons you should start thrifting:
1) Keep clothes out of the landfill
£140 million worth of clothing ends up in the landfill every year. £140 MILLION! That’s a heck of a lot. Buying second hand gives clothes a new chance at life in your closet, and it keeps perfectly good garments from rotting away in the landfill.
2) It’s not just the landfill you’re saving!
On the subject of saving the environment, did you know it takes about 1,800 gallons of water to produce one pair of jeans? Yup. And that’s not even including the washing they’ll go through in their lifetime. If you want a proper read into the environmental impact of the UK clothing Industry, take a look at the WRAP Clothes report. It explains that the average lifespan of an item of clothing is 2.2 years, which really isn’t a lot… Buying second hand increases the average lifespan by heaps, and the less demand there is for clothes, the less will be made.
3) Get creative on a budget!
Okay, heavy stuff out the way. Wanna know my favourite reason to thrift? I get to experiment with so many different clothes I’d never normally go for, and it’s so cheap! Thrifting forces you to think outside the box when it comes to fashion, because you’re having to sift through a lot of ‘interesting’ (I’ll put it nicely) clothes. And the best part? It’s a fraction of the price of fast fashion stores.
4) Buy high quality pieces that will last
I’ve found multiple designer pieces from the charity shops (I’m literally sat writing this blog in Giorgio Armani jeans which were £8 and are the DEFINITION of comfy, high qual denim. Winning.) Not only is it pretty cool to have high end labels in the closet, you can really tell the quality difference. Fast fashion stores often sell clothes which are pretty rubbish quality, and can fluff, shrink or loosen within a couple of washes. If you’ve never thrifted before, at least consider looking for some great basics and wardrobe staples from your local charity shops- it’s really worth it!
5) Oh and by the way, your money goes to charity!
Most thrift stores directly support charity, which means every time you buy clothes from these shops, your money is going to support these charities. I mean, it really couldn’t be more of a win-win. You get great new clothes, and you’re giving money to fantastic charitable causes at the same time!
If you’re interested in finding out more ways you can help the environment as a student, you can read more here, and for thrifting inspo you can check out my Instagram solely dedicated to thrifting (yep, I’m really cool). And if you’re feeling inspired to go thrifting around Manchester, you’re in luck! The city is full of vintage and charity shops, and with a quick Google you can find some great ones to check out near you 🙂