I have been thrifting & going to yard sale for many years, & I have always found great gems.Of course, I do not limit myself, and I still shop for new clothing as well because you may find great finds. Lately, thrift stores main focus is to make profit. This mentality to me does not make sense as most thrift stores are non profit. Anyways, that is a discussion for another day. I also want to point out that fast fashion has become popular. Also, I no longer find natural fibers at stores anymore. It is either 49% cotton, & some other unnatural fiber, or it is completely polyester.
I understand there are people out there who do not like it when others purchase from thrift stores because it takes from those who might need it, but I have noticed that there is an influx of clothing items that a lot of thrift stores do not have the space for it. For example, in the big cities they have what is called, “The Bins.” After items are unable to sell at regular thrift stores, they are sent to the bins. At the bins, they sell clothing for the pound. In Los Angeles, the pound is around $3 and some change.In other states or bigger cities, the pound might be less or more.
I understand there are people who are called, “resellers,” and they purchase clothing to resell for a higher price. At the end of the day, there is a process for thrift stores to sell their merchandise. If they do not sell, it goes through procedures to sell & their last alternative is to send their unsold items to textile recycling, or it is exported to other countries. I hope I do not get side tracked with this example. For example, I went to the bins for the first time.It has always been in my bucket list, but the thought of people pushing for certain items made me think twice. I have always wanted to go to the bins because I want to be able to find clothing with more natural fibers such as: linen, silk, cotton, or wool. To be honest, I found items with natural fibers the first time I went to the bins. I found a Victorias Secret cami made from 100% cotton. The cami was basically new without any imperfections. This brought me to the realization that in store, I have not been able to find anything that is 100% cotton. If anyone can correct me, I would greatly appreciate it. My ultimate goal is to build my closet from natural fibers. Of course, I do not plan on throwing away my items with unnatural fibers because that contributes to the epidemic of being wasteful.
The reason for this post is because I have been noticing that a lot of clothing items are basically made from one specific material, which is Polyester. I go to the store, & the first thing I check is the tag for the material. It has been so hard to find natural fibers. I am guilty as I still end up purchasing a shirt with fibers such as: Nylon, Acrylic, Polyester, & Spandex(Elastane). Fast fashion tends to use unnatural fibers to meet the demands of those who love to purchase clothing. Have we as a society added to this epidemic of purchasing to purchase to keep up with trends? I wanted to point out that jeans are the only clothing item that I usually find with 100% cotton or 80. The focus is on skirts(not denim), shirts (blouses), dresses, lingeries, & bathing suits.
I have read a lot of research on fast fashion, & it makes me wonder. Why do we even purchase items for such a high amount of money? A lot of brands manufacture their merchandise for less in third world countries, while they sell their items for more. I know it’s for profit. At the end of the day, fast fashion became popular amongst all human beings.
To conclude, I am slowly starting to be more aware of what I am purchasing. I understand it is hard to purchase natural fibers as sometimes it is hard to find pretty clothes for certain events. It baffles me how my focus was not to check for the material in the past. From now on, I am going to be more conscious of what I am purchasing.