Beyond sustainability: 5 reasons why you should start thrifting vintage clothes
Vintage clothing is not just a way to save our planet. Vintage has become a lifestyle. A feeling. And you should take part in the global thrift hunt.
Many fellow authors have discussed the impact of clothing and if you are talking about sustainability there certainly are better sources than myself. You might not even believe in global warming or the environmental impact of the fashion industry (although I highly recommend watching ‘The True Cost’) and that’s alright.
In the following, I will argue that even beyond sustainability, vintage clothing is just better than new clothing.
1. Uniqueness
Think back to a high school movie in which that stereotypical cheerleader girl gets frustrated because the wallflower girl wears the same dress as her. Some might think “no biggie, that’s just great taste”, but others do freak out and try to avoid being seen next to your doppelganger.
No matter what type of person you are and how big your self-confidence is: We all have the feeling that there is not another person out there like us. And that is what I want to represent in the clothes I wear. I want to be unique and I want to be seen as unique.
Vintage clothing does exactly that for you: it is way less likely that someone else has that vintage sweatshirt you bought on a flea market than when buying a hoodie from H&M.
2. Anti-capitalistic
Major brands earn billions and trillions every year just by selling clothes. It really does not matter if you buy Primark, Nike, or Louis Vuitton — they all make major profits by exploiting their workers and telling us a story about why it is so cool to wear their brand.
They want you to buy their new clothing every time it comes out. Because if you buy pre-worn garments, it is not them who profits. Buying vintage clothes is supporting small businesses, because they pick, clean, and present second-hand clothing to you.
The marketing machines have been running for decades, solely for us to connect emotions to certain brands. And surely I am not free of craving a baby blue Nike sweater with that typical feeling of quality and confidence.
And I feel way better to feel like that while supporting a small business because Nike does not earn twice from that sweatshirt.
3. Cheaper
Money makes the world go around. We depend on it but unfortunately, fashion designers do not seem to care. And especially when you have an affection for branded garments, vintage could be your way to go.
Many people just want to get rid of their old clothes and do not want to check what their market value is. Others sell vintage clothes in kilos and some even purposely sell theirs for cheap on flea markets, just to be able to rotate their wardrobes.
Either way, vintage can be affordable and offers the opportunity for broke students like myself to afford branded, high-quality clothes just by investing some time.
4. Leather
This is super individual and probably not meant for the majority of readers. BUT: Leather clothes are a guilty pleasure. Because I really enjoy being dressed like Neo from the Matrix. Leather gives me a feeling of invulnerability, which I can only enjoy not thinking about the animals that have died for it.
Vintage leather is the only option for myself and my conscience. It is already produced, it was already sold and even worn. No further animals have to suffer, just because we want to look cool. Luckily there is already a lot of leather out there because leather production is just cruel.
5. Nostalgia
Nostalgia is one of the strangest feelings there is. Reminiscing the old days feels great but subtly sad at the same time. Nowadays Nostalgia is everywhere: it seems like there are 32 new Star Wars movies every year, The Weeknd breaks records with synthesizer music and Gen Z seems to find their inner Britneys.
With vintage clothing, it is even more fascinating. A lot of the kids I see running around in clothes that were made during a time these kids were not born yet. Somehow it is possible to feel nostalgia for memories we did not even live through.
When talking to girls my age I find it amazing that their biggest inspirations in fashion are Britney Spears and Rachel Karen Green. Friends finished in 2004 — kids born in 2004 are 17 today.
All that made me realize that it is possible to miss a time period you did not live in. With the ever-changing dynamic of our current lives, I personally wish back to simpler times, and I assume that my generation feels that way, too.
