Interviews At The Thrift
With the rise of the Sustainable Fashion movement, thrifting has become increasingly more popular and is being incorporated into the wardrobes of people all over the country. Not only is thrifting sustainable, it allows individuals to have more options and more freedom to dress and accessorize to match who they are. In this article, you will meet just a few of the growing number of people who are incorporating thrifting into their sustainable shopping practices.
MEGAN G.
How would you describe your personal style?
That's a good question! I think it depends on day to day and how I'm feeling. Most of the time it's usually flowy, comfortable, oversized.
What or who got you into thrifting?
Oh, definitely my grandma! Growing up she would bring me, So i've been doing it forever.
What do you think are some of the pros and cons of thrifting?
Pros, it's cheap, especially for college students. I feel like with a lot of fashion cycles it's hard to keep up. But that also kinda goes into the cons where like thrifting is people buy clothes to oversell on Depop from thrift stores and it's all SHEIN now in the thrift. So the quality of clothing isn't as good but the prices are the same.
When you come thrifting what do you look for and what are you looking for today?
Usually my go-to is pants or skirts. Then I go to dresses and then go into the baby tees section for a shirt. I usually don't go in with anything in mind. I’m just like a shopaholic.
Has there ever been something you found thrifting that you find memorable?
Yeah! I found this knitted Talbots cardigan and it has the American flag; which I'm not Pro America but it is so ironically fun and has a giant eagle on it. I wear it like everyday in the fall.
Photo thritspired
ETHAN G.
How would you describe your personal style?
I like to try to coordinate color alot but I also find myself really liking most vintage stuff. I kind of go for comfort on the same level and try to wear things that make me feel good about the way I look.
Before it was introduced to you, did you have a certain perspective of thrifting before you did it regularly?
I think I was pretty ignorant of it. I wasn’t super aware of it up until a certain point. I never had to do it in terms of having to find things for financial reasons which is how some people are introduced to it early on in life. I was not really aware of it being a thing until I started discovering I liked what I could find in stores like that as a teenager.
Photo: That Curly Top
Do you find yourself looking at other sections besides clothes when you're here?
Yeah! I am interested in things that are more like vintage, just different curiosities, knick knack types of things. I am interested in like toys and old technology but for the most part, I am interested in video games and media but that's become much harder to find over time.
You said that when you come to the thrift you look at other sections other than clothes. How do you choose what you’re going to look at when you’re here?
It can almost be like a line of sight type thing. I’ll just follow my eyes and if there is anything interesting I just hone in on different things. I typically like to start at long sleeves, menswear, trying to find different like long sleeve button ups or things that are a nice material or maybe things like Ralph Lauren or L.L. Bean. I do a decent amount of browsing in things I wouldn’t necessarily think I'll find something I am interested in. I try to step out of my comfort zone to find interesting things.
Do you have something you thrifted that is memorable or you can’t believe you found or just wear all the time?
I don't wear it all the time and I didn’t even recognize how cool it was not that long ago but my red crew neck with mickey mouse and he's wearing a sport coat. It is a really cool vintage looking mickey mouse with a cool design on a bright red crew neck. I always thought it was a find that was really cool. I found it in Seattle.
Photo: ecodaley
MEAGAN R.
How would you describe your personal style?
I would describe my personal style as.. I don’t know! I think that it is always ever changing. I like to follow trends to an extent but I don’t like to be like “Okay this is what’s trendy so I’m going to follow this to a T”. I like to grab from what is trendy and then add my own personality to it. I feel like I do have a very… I am very all over the place with the way that I dress. One day you’ll see me wearing low rise flare jeans and a crop top and Nike Dunks then another day you’ll see me wearing giant black baggy pants and like Doc Martens and a huge sweater. It just depends.
Would you say the thrift store is where you get most of your clothes nowadays?
I would say yeah. When it comes to clothes shopping, going to a store-store, I don’t really do that anymore. I feel like if I am looking to get clothes I am always thrifting. I would say eighty five percent of my wardrobe is thrifted.
What do you think the pros and cons are of thrifting?
Pros are always sustainability, ya know, kind of helping to not feed the fire of the growing problem of fast fashion. Also, economically, ya know, it is more cost effective. The cons are just the struggle of having a dry week every now and then and you get discouraged. Especially for me when I am going there, I have an idea of a piece that I want to find and if I don’t find it, I’m like “Well Okay”.
That leads to the question, do you have something in mind when you come to the thrift store?
Usually I will be like, okay, for example, a couple weeks ago I wanted a pair of khaki Dickies. Luckily, I was able to find a pair which was insane! So yeah, I’ll go in with an idea and of course you go in there and look through everything. EVERYTHING. So I’ll start and I'll have the idea of the piece that I am looking for in my head but I still look through other stuff and find gems.
What is one of the most memorable pieces you have found thrifting?
Oh my God. There has been a lot that I have found. I have parted ways with some of them because that’s also part of cycling out with certain things. Which I have to do soon because my closet is a literal fire hazard. One of my most memorable pieces… wow, I'm trying to think. There's been so many. There’s a pair of these low top, pink and brown converse from this Savers actually. I was like “Holy crap. I can’t believe I found those”. Also there vintage Levis I found in Philadelphia.
VALENTINA D.
How would you describe your personal style?
I don’t have a definitive style. It truly depends on the day but it’s a mixture of the dark light academia, skater chic, grunge, streetwear, cottage core, art hoe, monochromatic aesthetics.
How long have you gone thrifting and how often do you go now?
I’ve gone thrifting since before I had my own money to shop. Growing up in a different tax bracket as everyone else in your wealthier town, thrifting was a way to get a whole new wardrobe for school and special occasions without breaking the bank. It wasn’t called thrifting, it was just shopping at second hand stores. We’d go for new school clothes, to get an outfit for any multitude of events. Once I started working myself I’d go “thrifting” as a form of therapy at least once a week.
What are the pros and cons of thrifting?
The only real con of thrifting for me is having to spend hours sifting through trash to find quality, one of a kind pieces. People usually dump not only unwanted clothes but tattered clothing that’s seen a lot just to get it out of their closet without taking into account that people who shop at the locations they donate to don’t have a lot of options in regards to where they can shop. That being said, finding good quality, well kept, vintage pieces for a low price is like finding gold after digging for hours. I’m very passionate about the environment; it is one of the reasons I went vegan. So thrifting is a great way to recycle and upcycle clothing without feeding into the fast fashion that consumerism tells us is necessary to keep up with current trends. There’s such a great community in thrifting but in recent years I’ve seen it take a negative shift.
When you come to the thrift what do you look for and what is the first thing you look at?
The first thing I always look for are pants and jeans. It’s hard to find bottoms that are flattering to my shape. Fast fashion brands cater to the current physical standards of beauty which I can’t conform to without taking drastic measures. Double zero waist, narrow hips, slim thigh complete with a gap…so finding high waisted, straight legged jeans or corduroys that were popular in the sixties, seventies, eighties, is always so exciting. I also try to look for baggy sweaters, statement blazers, and jackets. I don’t think you need to be thin and show off your body or cater to the male gaze to look cool, different, and put together.
What is one of the most memorable items you found while thrifting?
I think one of the most memorable things that I’ve thrifted is a pair of pants from pradas spring collection from the early 90’s. They caught my eye instantly and I was lucky to grab them before someone else did. They fit like a glove and that’s always so exciting. I’m also big into accessories, so I have a huge collection of vintage European shades that I got when I went to Paris. I was able to get 10 unique pairs for under thirty euros.
Valentina offered to send me a professional picture taken of her at a thrift store in Cambridge, Mass called The Garment District.
Guest Contribution by: Emma Smith