Day 8: Hey Macklemore, Can We Go Thrift Shopping?
- Kailee Tones
- Mar 17, 2021
- 5 min read
Agree to disagree, but thrift stores and vintage shops are basically angelic creations sent from the gods. However, some people are just not designed to admire their beauty and significance.
When I walk into the thrift shop here in town, they know me by name. Well, I did just get a part-time job there, SCORE! Peace out Walmart!!!
ANYWAY
Before I got a job at the thrift store, most of the employees did know me to see me (only 2 though), as whenever I'm in town I basically live there every Friday on sale day. Also, WARNING, there will most likely be a lot of Macklemore GIF's as he is Mr. thrift shop. The song is the tits. Also thank you to Ryan Lewis who doesn't have many lyrics but has the voice of an angel. FEAT. Wanz. If you haven't watched the music video you should: https://youtu.be/QK8mJJJvaes
Also, this is another weirdly amazing music video y'all should check out, and you'll see what I mean about Ryan Lewis' voice: https://youtu.be/JGhoLcsr8GA I wish he did solo songs.
ALRIGHTY THEN.
When I was younger, my mom used to bring me thrift shopping. My sister would sometimes come too, but when she was young she didn't get the price factor. She just thought it was nasty touching others clothes. Now that she has to fend for herself, and has a child I think she has looked past what she used to think, and is now the ultimate bargain shopper. I remember my younger years of hunting through racks and racks of interesting clothes. I remember when we still had the Goodwill in our area, and you could get a sweater for a dollar. That was the best!
I must mention though, thrift stores were initially designed for low-income families. Which is something that should be kept in mind when shopping in them. There is always a lot of donations, but that doesn't mean you should clean out the store. Some families really rely on low priced clothing at thrift stores.
I also really developed my sense of style through the years of thrift shopping. Nowadays you will catch me in sweatpants and a sweater probably four days a week if I don't work more than three days. I guess that's the pandemic life though, especially with online school. I for one am not motivated to get properly dressed each day for classes where my camera most likely won't be turned on.
Other than the fact that thrift stores develop personal style, and have saved me a lot of money, (rather than shopping at new clothing stores) there are more benefits. I have briefly mentioned this in another blog post or two, but I want to expand on the subject. The fashion industry plays a large role in climate change. An industry which must lessen the amount of harmful chemicals and synthetic materials if we want a healthier planet.
Most of the knowledge I am sharing is based on fact, which I had learned from studying fashion design at Seneca College (Shout-out to Sabine, and Jennifer). We were required to take two courses which taught us about sustainability and what's going on around the world in the industry.
To expand on harmful chemicals, by chemicals I mean the non-natural dyes that are most commonly used to dye clothing. The most harmful being that of indigo which is used mostly to make blue jeans. Indigo dye needs many toxic chemicals, one being formaldehyde. Which creates a substantial amount of pollution. Often times, where the denim mills are located, the rivers near the mill runs blue. This causes major damage, killing the fish which live in the rivers, as well as affecting workers, and nearby residents health. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/have-scientists-found-greener-way-to-make-blue-jeans-180967902/
This is how the basic 'blue jeans' are made with synthetic indigo.
The reason for the dyes getting into rivers, as I learned in school is because of the process. It's the amount of times that the yarn/fabric/or full clothing piece is put into a dye bath. The amount of water that must be used to dye clothing is insane, that is another reason why the industry is bad for the planet. (Water usage) Most factories do not have a proper means of disposal for their dye baths, so they release it all outside the factories, which is the worst possible thing to do.
There are plenty options for dying materials naturally, it just may take more time, and patience. Most of the materials you will need to dye fabric naturally, you can find in your fridge, which is how you know that it won't affect the planet-as much.
I say as much because the fashion industry is never going to be perfectly sustainable. Now that you have sustainable dyes, we have to talk fabric. The majority of our clothes are going to be synthetic, or a mix of synthetic and natural fibres. This is because natural fibres are typically more expensive. The reason that synthetic materials are basically the devil is because they are made of plastic! That's right. Once the plastic yarn and the natural yarn is mixed together, it can be almost impossible to separate them when disposing them, depending on how the yarns were weaved together. If it is a natural plant fibre, (cotton, hemp, flax etc.) or the less sustainable animal fibres, (wool, alpaca, cashmere, silk, mohair etc.) then they can bio degrade. However, with synthetic materials, (polyester, nylon, rayon, spandex, acrylic etc.) like plastic, they will take hundreds of years to decompose.
AND THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES FOR ALL OF THESE!!!
I just want to mention that the reason animal fibres aren't as sustainable as plant fibres, for one is because it takes more land. More land is cleared for animals like sheep and alpaca, so that they can have land to live on, but they also need land where farmers harvest food for them to eat. Then there's the amount of water used to water their food. (Cotton also has a large intake of water, it is not the best 'sustainable material') Sheep are the worst for sustainability, because like cows, they emit methane gas when they eat and when they use the potty. (methane gas is one of the worst for the planet) There is also the factor that in larger animal fibre companies, there is often animal cruelty and torture to get their hair.
I just realized that I just went from talking thrift shopping to an in depth fibre and dye lesson. Wow.
Anyway, the most sustainable way to go is to thrift shop, (maybe I will talk about fast-fashion another time) and if you are making clothes, the most sustainable way is to up-cycle. You can use your own used clothes, or outsource to friends or thrift stores, and make clothes out of clothes that need a new life. Synthetic clothing has no place in a landfill!
BEE the change.
BEE KIND.
Thanks for reading humans.
ANYWAY, ANYWAY, ANYWAY.
x
Kailee
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