CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM X THRIFTING

I wanted to open the dialogue about conscious consumerism, fast fashion, and minimalism. Conscious consumerism considers the social, environmental, and political impact of the products being bought. Often times, we buy things without considering how it effects the earth. We don’t think about who we’re supporting when we make certain purchases. There are companies we buy from every week that use underage and underpaid children in sweatshops across the globe to produce clothing in mass amounts. These clothes are then sold to people like us, by someone who is very wealthy and depending on our dollar to keep them that way. We spend twenty and forty dollars (or more) every week due to their appealing branding and advertising. These 20 and 40 dollar items are poorly made, will only last two washes, so then we return to purchase more. This is fast fashion.

Conscious consumerism is making the effort to buy things that increase your quality of life. This can look like buying things you love and filling your wardrobe with pieces that look good on you, fit well and will last a lifetime. Conscious consumerism can look like buying things that are ethically made. I cannot yet afford a collection of ethically made clothing, but if I could I’d have a closet full. Another popular option is shopping local, or from small business which is an awesome way to support community. A cheaper way to consume consciously is thrifting. Buy clothes that people are recycling for your use, this makes it affordable for you and the earth ! My favorite thing about thrifting is the one of a kind pieces that you won’t see on anyone else.

Thrifting has always been something I enjoyed. My thrifting journey began in high school when I started to define my personal style. This is a hobby I’ve enjoyed for over ten years ! My relationship with it has evolved over time and now I feel like I’m a pro at it. When I first started to thrift I would buy EVERYTHING I liked, because it was so cheap. Eventually when I got to college, I realized my whole wardrobe was filled with things I didn’t like anymore, couldn’t fit, had a hole in it. I would buy things that were too big and say “I’ll just get it tailored”, but I never did.

I learned to have more discernment when thrifting. Now when I thrift, I ask myself a few questions. How often can I wear this ? Is this a statement piece or a daily wear piece ? Is it good quality? I treat the thrift store like a regular store and shop as I normally would instead of having the “everything is cheap” mentality. Ive become very strict on what I allow into my wardrobe, it is very sacred to me. I average one or two items per visit when thrift shopping. I’ve learned to mix my thrifted pieces with high end pieces to build my capsule. I would say my closet is 50 percent thrifted and 50 percent high end. Most of my shoes and tops are high end, leaving bottoms and dresses to mostly be thrifted. This is a concept I discovered when committing to minimalism.

My wardrobe is small. I wear the same things over and over but in different combinations. My clothing lasts forever because it is well made. Its either a heavy duty, vintage piece or something new, kinda pricey and carefully crafted. The only downside to this is that you can’t dump all of your clothes into the washer, you really have to gently wash your clothes. In these pictures I have on a vintage one piece leotard that I’ve had for at least 7 years and a thrifted skirt I got this year. My shoes are expensive, but were a gift from my boyfriend. I wouldn’t spend over $120 on ANY shoe. My earrings and rings are quite expensive but I do wear them almost everyday.

I will post soon about basics/capsule collections for those wanting to focus on the foundation of their closet.