"Let's go thrift shopping! There's one at…"
I am sure the term "thrift shopping" has been deeply embedded within Gen Z's vocabulary during the weekends, holidays or even after school. In recent years, there has been a sudden surge in interest towards thrift shopping. Studies conducted showed that Gen Zs are 2.5 times more likely to embrace the notion of thrift shopping. If you haven't already known, thrift shopping is essentially purchasing second-hand items, mainly clothes. With the large influx of younger consumers, many shops have created a robust presence on social media with local influencers flaunting their unique fashion sense. Additionally, many brands have taken it a step further to beautify the image of thrifting by reworking clothing to cater to the new wave of fashion.
Fashion is definitely not linear, it is an ever-changing trend that encapsulates a myriad of styles of various colours, patterns and textures from the Victorian era to a futuristic one. Thrift shopping is the perfect platform to experiment with different styles, to seek fashion inspiration and to hunt for articles of clothing from the past. In today's age, some of the most popular styles include y2k and cottage core. Y2k refers to fashion in the year 2000s, back when classic movies like "Mean Girls" and "Clueless" were at their peak. Y2k fashion was heavily influenced by the entertainment industry and the rise in technology; and is most commonly exemplified through low-waisted jeans, pink cropped singlets, cute small handbags, sleek sunglasses and beaded jewellery. On the other hand, cottage core seeks inspiration from the era of "Romeo and Juliet" as well as "Pride and Prejudice", with puffy flowy cream-coloured dresses adorned in embroidery of flowers, delicately touched upon with laces and ruffles. Just imagine a woman draped in that dress while baking fresh loaves of bread and picking berries in the forest. Such niche vintage fashion styles cannot be easily sourced at commercial clothing stores like Cotton On. Thus, thrift shopping allows for the manifestation of such unique fashion styles to diversify one's wardrobe.
One of the talked about benefits of thrift shopping is being environmentally friendly. For starters, thrifting helps to recycle clothing and reduce fabric wastage, as compared to major fast fashion brands, which causes a tremendous amount of pollution. Did you know that approximately a whopping 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated each year? Such textile wastage contributes to significant carbon emissions and pollutes water as the toxic dyes seeps underground. Moreover, fashion industry network Common Objective stated that nearly half of the fabric used is discarded during the production process, even before the clothes are sold! Thrifting helps to ameliorate such negative effects by actively reducing wastage and encouraging consumers to do their part to save the environment. However, thrifting does have its fair share of critics who view it as a controversial gimmick. Detractors argue that the main reason for textile wastage is rampant capitalism and consumerism in society as shopping for clothes has transitioned from a necessity to a leisure activity. Shopping for clothes has taken the form of "retail therapy" and mindless grabbing to fulfil our materialistic desires, which results in excessive wastage. They argue that the term "thrift shopping" is merely a way to reduce one's guilt and to glamourise the act of purchasing clothes, which in turn fuels our shopping addiction. While this is a valid point, I personally feel that the cumulative environmental benefits of thrifting far outweighs this; and that thrifting is a more sustainable alternative to buying new clothes.
From a logical perspective, thrifting is supposed to be a cheaper alternative because of the second-hand options. While there are cheap thrift stores in Singapore such as those located in Lucky Plaza, there has been a rise in the number of thrift stores with hefty price tags - something that many have taken to online forums to vent their frustrations. The price of a reworked handbag can reach $100, and a vintage jacket can cost as much as $50! Although this can be rationalised by a supply-demand approach where higher demand leads to higher prices (yes econs 101), many are disgruntled as thrifting is supposed to be a more affordable option, especially for those who are financially disadvantaged.
However, there are many affordable options out there to allow us to indulge in the joy of thrifting. I will be providing some recommendations for those interested in thrifting ! Firstly, @commoner's market, located in a quaint corner of the Prime Industrial Building near Marymount MRT station. As someone who walked away with bundles of clothes after shopping, I highly recommend this place. It has a large variety of clothes such as cargo pants, oversized vintage shirts, hoodies and accessories. They also have a seasonal sale of different clothing staples such as Ralph Lauren's sweaters and limited edition vintage jackets. Moreover, their prices are quite reasonable and they even give a free goodie bag of shirts for a minimum spending of $50. Secondly, Lucky Plaza in the Orchard area. Behind this seemingly dull and old building is a thrift shopping paradise spanning several floors, selling everything from trendy korean skirts to comfortable jackets and quirky bags. The prices here are the cheapest you can ever find in Singapore, with price tags as low as $2! Be prepared for a workout though as you have to really dig through the endless mountains of clothes to find your favourite piece.
Happy thrifting everyone!
Written by: Foo Wei Ting Ember (22A15)
Edited by: Li Jiahan (22A14), Khoo Kia Song Kendrick (22A14)
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