Civil Dis-robing

Sorry I’m late, but I got here as soon as I wanted to. 

I was shopping – at a thrift store. I needed a pair of shorts. For summer. Whenever it gets here.

Because last year I made a vow of no retail clothes shopping and to eliminate carbs after 6 p.m.
 

Unless of course, I’m invited to the Oscars, which probably lets me off the hook anyways, as I wouldn’t go unless I could sit next to Meryl Streep. 
 

But truly, it’s not a sacrifice. In fact, it’s almost embarrassing – it’s not that noble a principle. It’s something I should have done years ago. 
 

But truly, I’m not new to thrifting. I’ve been doing it for decades, years before it (has now) become fashionable. Sourcing everything from clothes to jewelry to furnishings to books. 

There are many reasons why some of us are enthralled with thrifting. Thrifting is unmapped territory. Thrifting is mysterious – a cluttered Nirvana where the possibilities are endless.

It’s a place where we can swipe through racks of lurid and fabulous faster than swiping through Tinder. Where we can flit through racks of colour coded jackets, some older than we are.

In fact, I’m not sure what more you could ask for in terms of excitement.

In the past, thrift stores, garage sales, and consignment stores had a stigma about them of being for people who couldn’t afford to buy new. But over the last few years, our thinking has switched for a multitude of reasons: humanitarian, environmental, financial, creative, lifestyle, individualism, and the thrill of the chase. It also has been helped along by the surge of the internet, of sourcing transparency within the fashion industry, and of course, Marie Kondo-ing. 

I grew up in a time when consumerism didn’t have such a stranglehold over us. A time where quality, not quantity, mattered. A time when you got one or two new pairs of shoes a year, mainly because your feet grew. A time when a new dress appeared at Easter and another at Christmas. And if you were the oldest, you were the luckiest, because you didn’t have to wear hand-me-downs. 

Just nod thoughtfully.



We’ve all heard the quip about “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.” So say this with me, “I don’t stop reading blog posts until the end.”

North Americans buy more clothes now than ever, thanks to low-wage manufacturing in poor countries and the rise of fast fashion. Clothes have come from being valuable possessions to disposable, leading to a throwaway mentality with things going out of style before we even knew they were in. 

it is estimated that we each throw away between 68 and 81 pounds of clothes a year. 

Many of us have gotten used to having whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted it. Thus not buying new may be more akin to a painstaking ascent over the Himalayans.

I encourage you to do a scary, yet extremely insightful shift –get over the want and become honest about the need. In other words, take an honest look at the things you want and the things you need, and then question whether you actually do. 
 

Desire reveals itself through certain situations – like browsing in a shoe store. Thus the key to life is to ‘not to want’. Because if you want, you have suffering.

I read this on a tea box. 
 

But really, when we look at the place we are at now, all we truthfully need to buy new are underwear, socks and those great candles from Anthropologie.

Here is where the world starts to divide. 
 

These days just about every business is either evolving or risking becoming obsolete. And fashion is one of them.

In fashion, new markets are emerging:
renting clothes online and off, 
sustainable fashion,
major retailers selling second hand clothes, and 
“trashion” (fashion and objects for the home created from used, thrown-out, found and repurposed elements).

All of this is shifting the goalposts.



The resale market has grown at 21 times the pace of the mainstream apparel market in the last 3 years. ThreadUP indicates that the reselling of thrift clothing alone is slated to be a $33 million industry by 2021 and reach $51 billion by 2023. 
 

It’s estimated that the fast-fashion industry produces over 15.1 million tons of textile waste every year, because rather than donating or recycling unsold items, they often burn or toss them. The debris can end up in the ocean where the plastic microfibres are consumed by fish, and subsequently humans. 
 

But what is worse is the industrial water pollution that occurs with the production of textiles. Around 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles. Each year, textile companies discharge millions of gallons of chemically infected water into our waterways. It’s estimated that a single mill can use 200 tons of fresh water per ton of dyed fabric. Not only does this consume vast amounts of water, but the chemicals polluting the water cause both environmental damage and diseases throughout developing communities.
 

Yup, we can always rely on the statistics to make us feel that much worse. 

Modern clothing manufactures use synthetic fibres because they are cheap, but they also require tons of energy and crude oils. Not only are the gases from these oils polluting our atmosphere, but they are also toxic to breathe in and touch. These materials are easily broken down in the wash and end up in our drinking water, as well as making the clothing less durable.

Yes, I am well aware that this is more information than you asked for.
 

But not only are second hand clothes vastly less expensive, but they are often better quality than new ones because if the garment has lasted long enough to be donated, then there is a good chance that it’s durable and well made.

And the longer it lasts, the longer it stays out of the landfill. 

Thrifting is reusing. Point blank. 

By choosing preloved items over newly produced pieces, you’re shrinking your carbon footprint. You’re limiting the amount of natural resources it takes to create new fabric, make the clothing, and ship it hundreds or thousands of miles to a store. Giving a used item new life rescues it from those 26 billion pounds a year going to the landfill by keeping it in circulation. 
 

When you hang onto things you don’t need, you keep them from being useful to other people.

By the way, if you think you are “paying it forward” but dropping off a load of unwanted clothes at Goodwill, think again. 

Many clothing donations never make it to the racks, and only about a third of what does eventually sells.

To really pay it forward, cut down on the amount of clothing you have by buying better quality clothes that last longer.

And just because thrifting promotes sustainability, it doesn’t give us permission to buy more than we need. We shouldn’t succumb into buying something just because it’s inexpensive.

So before buying something, ask yourself, “If I didn’t already own this puce green caftan and saw it at a yard sale for $5, would I buy it instantly with joy?”
 

Against an army of poorly made $50 T-shirts, thrifting is the knight in second hand clothing. Fast-fashion purchases may soon be something that we aren’t so proud of  – not that I necessarily expect you to start carding your own wool and felting hats – but we are all responsible for the quality of life on this planet – yours, mine, and all of Nature.

The way we do things has to change – and it may be hard on your organism.

Because if we don’t shake up the baseboards of society, and soon, we won’t like the alternative. Studying the pilot’s manual is not the same as flying.

Uphold mindless consumption by buying less and buying better, saving money for things that truly matter. Like a good wine collection.

Anyways, thanks for coming to my TED Talk on thrifting.