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There are a lot of negative connotations associated with the word secondhand. Misguided beliefs and fears about owning preloved stuff are valid, but there’s no cause for concern as long as safety and hygiene protocols are followed. In these times when the general public is more aware of the impact of consumerism, being eco-friendly is a rising and welcome trend.
There are so many things that you can buy secondhand, like clothes, shoes, and accessories. Since fashion is about expressing personal style, many people believe that you need to have the latest stuff on the runway to look good. You can be both a fashionista and an eco warrior because reusing or repurposing old clothes helps deal with textile waste. Here are more benefits of buying secondhand fashion.
Saves You More Money Than You Think
You don’t pay the full price when you buy secondhand clothing, shoes, and accessories. A huge discount is taken out, and you save so much money compared to when you’re buying brand-new from a store. In fact, you can get high fashion brands preloved.
A ton of these preloved items are in good condition, and you can check them yourself. Secondhand clothing stores are on the rise, and these consignment shops are buying and selling almost anything, from fashion items, to electronics, to even furniture. If you want to participate in this trend but find that going to a physical store is not doable, you can always set up an online shop. You can sell whatever you want there and explore other e-commerce sites too.
Always go for reputable platforms because they’re safer. Your chosen e-commerce platform should be established with hundreds of thousands of users to increase your chances of making sales. The money you make from selling your old stuff can be used for other things, so think of it as passive income while getting rid of things you don’t need.
Tangible Support for Local Small Businesses
Deciding to shop preowned clothes, shoes, and accessories means supporting local small businesses. Their effort of obtaining, sorting, and cleaning the items pays off when you buy from them. It’s better to support these shops than have your money go to fast-fashion companies that show no effort in lessening the waste they produce.
Preloved fashion items that are well made have a lot of years left in them. It’s much more sustainable to recycle, upcycle, or reuse them in any way. The local business owners in your area will thrive better with your money supporting them.
It’s Eco-friendly and Sustainable
A significant chunk of natural resources is used to mass-produce items. It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make a cotton shirt, and that is enough water for one person to drink for two and a half years. If you think that’s bad, making textiles also contributes to industrial water pollution. Fabric dyeing alone uses up about five trillion liters of water.
When you choose secondhand clothes, you save them from ending up in Dumpsters and, subsequently, in landfills. Fortunately, there is a trend among eco-friendly fashionistas who believe that you can make a look with thrifted or preloved clothing. Thanks to the power of the internet, more people from the younger generations are becoming aware of the decisions they should make to save the earth for a better tomorrow.
Stops You from Supporting Sweatshop Labor
One of the dark sides of the textile and fashion business is that labor is often outsourced to third-world countries. This is to save money or to profit better with cheap labor. Most of these workers work under unsafe and exploitative conditions and for a meager wage.
For example, in order to fill in massive orders, workers may be required to work for more than twelve hours. At the end of the day, their salary may only be a few bucks. That may be because these countries have a high unemployment rate, so the workers have no choice but to accept low wages rather than be unemployed.
With your pledge to buy more preloved clothes, you help send the message that fast fashion should be stopped. There are more sustainable ways to look good without exploiting other people. The lowered demand for new clothes will make the industry rethink its plan.
What is your opinion about secondhand fashion? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
