Thrifty fashion
Posted: Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
I generally don’t buy my clothes brand new from clothing stores, because I like thrift shopping and the prices are more affordable. Also, I just think there is so much clothing in the world already; most of us have enough clothes that we could wear a different outfit everyday for a month or maybe more. I like the challenge of thrift shopping too, I make a list of things I would like and see if I can get them thrift. Most times I am able to find exactly what I am looking for and I don’t have to go to another store. Thrift stores are a good way to recycle unwanted material objects and give them second, third, or fourth lives. Looking at what I am wearing today, almost everything was bought thrift or given to me. I bought my socks and underwear new and my slippers which I have had for almost 8 years (I need to recover them with some new fabric). I am wearing an old J Crew wool sweater that was given to me because their partner put it in the washer and shrunk it. It was still a bit big for me so I felted it more in the washer and now it fits perfect and is nearly wind resistant. Thrift stores save so many things from landfills just because people want to buy new stuff. New stuff is what makes our economy strong, but most of it is so unnecessary and wasteful.
Even though I seldom buy new stuff ( I do every once in a great while when I like something enough to pay the big bucks for it) I still like to browse and see what is out there. I like to know what the fashion trends are and what colors are most popular. I enjoy examining new styles of clothing construction and touching the fabrics. It makes me happy when I see more companies using sustainable fibers or creating positive green change in the way they do business. Searching online for new clothing companies with a green mission I found Modify. After reading what they are “about”, I found that they specialize in green label apparel brands that are fair trade, organic, use sustainable fibers, and have fair labor practices. Their brand list is quite lengthy and the clothes are pretty hip. Modify also has a blog with a lot of useful information and links to other eco blogs or online stores.