Shopping for clothes sustainably is nothing new for me. I have been wearing secondhand clothes since my childhood years back when my family relatives in America used to send us a balikbayan box of outgrown clothes every Christmas season. And I don’t find it an issue. I’m always happy to dress up and wear something that my cousins used to wear back from previous seasons.
And this was the time when clothes are all ‘Made in the USA’, and the fabrics are so good they last longer.
I wonder what happened in those years.
Most of the clothes we see from the shops are all outsourced in India, Bangladesh, or China due to cheap labor, and the quality of clothes is becoming less and less, and getting more and more disposable, almost similar to the amount of loo paper we use daily (okay I’m exaggerating, but you’ll get my point).
Wearing secondhand clothes is a matter of choice of lifestyle, and fashion tastes you have.
I’ve been blessed with an amount of space in my walk-in closet and the majority of my clothes are sourced from various op shops during my travels, upcycled clothing that I made using the clothes on hand and mixing with other materials from the op-shops, and I reckon only 5% of my clothes are bought brand new (those includes my underwear, lingerie, socks, and swimwear).
Growing up, I’ve never been to the state where I have to keep up with the Jones, or just because the new IT Girl on television wears it. Or being worried about losing my friends because all of them have the latest iPhone14, and I’m using the Samsung 22 (which by the way, I got secondhand from Gumtree).
Every secondhand clothing or upcycled clothing I made always has a story to tell.
Just like when I found this cotton button-up men's shirt from Vinnies along with this pair of white sneakers, that I’ve got several months ago. You will never know what you will get when you visit an op-shop; things that you saw today might be gone tomorrow, or worst just in the blink of an eye.
Whenever I visit an op shop, I always check the men’s rack first. You’ll never go wrong with this loose-fitting shirt which is versatile to wear – you just need a few tricks and creative minds to style it.
If it happens to be 3-times my size and in good quality fabric, I still get the item coz I always know that I can work something on it.
The black biker short is from one of the neighbors who downsized their closet; and the mini handbag that I made using leftover textile from the previous sewing project.
Again, the joy of buying nothing new is amazing – for my current lifestyle, fashion taste, and savings!
#founditatvinnies
PS – never mind the creases of my shirt coz I’ve been wearing it for hours.
I'm such a big fan of thrifting and upcycling. It's a great way to have a really unique style.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree! I love wearing my upcycled outfit knowing it is made by me and it is unique.
DeleteI couldn't agree more with all of this. I didn't have the money growing up to buy all the latest trends, and I'm glad about that. It allowed me to get creative with my style.
ReplyDeleteThe over consumption of clothes influenced by thousands of social media influencers (check those shopping haul vids) are really exhausting, and always makes me wonder, what comes next after filming? That's why I chose to upcycle so that I minimize my textile waste, at the same time enjoying my clothes even longer.
DeleteMy husband and I rarely buy anything new. We like to buy from charity shops or alter clothing to suit. If we don't want things anymore, they go back to the charity shop and sometimes the 'swap shop'.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome!
DeleteThat's interesting, the look is nice as well and the colors would say its new to me haha. Thhe bag is also cool. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you Fransic. Sometimes I found barely worn items in the charity shops. If you are lucky, you can find items with its original tags!
DeleteI love this so much! I try to buy secondhand as much as possible, not just with clothes, but everything!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that I don't buy at the charity shops are underwear, and swimwear!
DeleteAh yes, I no longer buy new things especially clothing....unless if I really have to. I feel better that way.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, nowadays I understand that why my mum shops at charity stores. I have been considering it but I haven't brought myself to actually shopping charity shops. I have worked there before though, they normal keep the good ones to themselves and sell the ones that's left. Since then, I just lost interests. However, there's nothing with second hand items.
ReplyDeleteI love thrifting too, you can find so many amazing wears there. This shirt looks absolutely gorgeous on you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christiana!
DeleteI hardly invest in anything new and if I do I keep in mind that I do good to environment and buy stuffy that I use
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more on your point. I usually go on thrift shops too and it saves me much more instead of buying expensive clothes of stores. - Anosa
ReplyDelete