When Ukay-ukay is life
In a span of one year being locked at home wearing loose shirts and tattered pieces or ‘pambahay’, it is such a tiring view to look at. It seems like everyone’s wardrobe is in outcry to be filled with new clothes. And despite the threat that the Covid-19 bring, the number of people that go for thrifting still heightened during the lockdown. Some of the factors that are being looked at are the Tiktok Fashion trends, the birth of Instagram aesthetics, and some thrift vlog from famous celebrities.
In fact, the success of some local and international thrift shops also influenced the pro thrifters to take the risk and amateurs to explore. Resellers also found opportunities to enter the thrift industry through online shops and live selling.
Thrifting and Fashion Activism
According to Goodwill Mktg. Comm, thrifting is a sustainable process. Through the continuous selling and donating of items that individuals no longer want it creates a sustainable process — buy, donate, buy, donate. Fashion activism asks people to think critically about how they are interacting with fashion. Thrifting is a sustainable process in fashion activism because it is a socially aware way of purchasing goods.
Thrifting, also, by its nature brings people together of all socioeconomic, cultural, geographical, gender, and religious backgrounds. Unlike shopping at many department stores that clearly accentuate one’s wealth, status, and background; thrifting and secondhand spaces completely strip those markers away. Thrifting from a fashion activism perspective puts people on the same playing field when it comes to fashion. People are not reduced to minute aspects of themselves. Individuals are able to be treated in an equitable fashion. People are able to make community in these spaces due to their difference rather than be relegated to the outskirts because of it.
Tips for Thrifting Clothes
Here are some tips from madeinmomjeans.com on how to make your thrifting experience the best.
Don’t pay much attention to sizes
There are a ton of great vintage brands you can find at the thrift store and since clothing sizes have changed drastically throughout the decades and vary from brand to brand, do yourself a favor and don’t only shop in your size section! Make sure to browse through all of the sizes because you truly never know what’s going to fit you.
Take inventory of items you already own (styles, colors, etc.)
Pay more attention to this thrifting tip before ending up with a closet that’s filled with only cream shirts from the 90s. But a good rule of thumb when you’re thrifting is to browse your closet ahead of time or familiarize yourself with style, silhouettes, and pieces you already have. This will help you identify gaps in your wardrobe that you can fill with thrifting and keep you from buying a bunch of stuff you don’t need.
Pay attention to labels
There are a few different reasons to pay attention to labels when you’re thrifting. If you’re on the hunt for specific brands you love then obviously you’ll want to pay attention to the labels but this is also a great way to find new brands.
Shop off-season
The main reason why people go to thrift shops is because of the price. However, the greatest deals you can get is when it’s off season where most of the clothes are discounted. The reason is that items are more likely to be marked down in the offseason and have higher inventory since people aren’t looking for those items.
Surviving the Crisis
Even before COVID-19 hit the Philippines, those whose job it is to thrift used some safety precautions to protect themselves and ensure that the items they sold were sanitary, whether that meant bed bug-free or clean of any stains and smells. Some sellers, for instance, froze their finds to eliminate any germs left on the items, while others used baking soda to get rid of the infamous thrift store smell. Many sellers were also accustomed to machine-washing their just-sourced items using the hottest temperature setting.
Despite the global pandemic and the risk of the job, thrifting stayed afloat and alive — but everyone is advised to be extra cautious on purchasing these kinds of products because it didn’t undergo cleaning and proper disinfection. It’s also important to remember that while shopping secondhand is the better alternative to buying new or fast fashion clothes, it’s still worth asking yourself if you really need this extra piece of clothing because safety should always come first.
