Fast Fashion vs Thrift Haul + Sustainable Fashion Tips

What do you do when you’re given a non-transferable, non-refundable gift card to an unethical fast fashion store?

Use it to create an anti-fast fashion video!

Check out what happened when I compared purchasing new clothes to secondhand and my top trick for scoring fab free gear with my latest webisode: Fast Fashion vs Thrift Haul + Sustainable Fashion Tips:

Does anyone know why thrift and charity shops price their completely free, donated, secondhand items so high?

Swapping has definitely become the best option for refreshing my wardrobe and household – you can’t beat eco-friendly, sustainable and free!

Thrifting may be a more ethical, eco friendly way to shop but if the prices are the same as brand new fast fashion why the hell would the general public buy used?

The (ridiculous) Devils Advocate Query for Unethical Fashion

Unfortunately there are absolutely zero guarantees that any garment from any era was 100% ethically produced. The unethical treatment of garment workers has been happening since mass produced clothing was invented. Unscrupulous companies have (& will) always find a way to cut costs regardless of labour laws and sadly illegal sweatshops can be found in every country in the world. (read all about it here)

Take the frustration (and cost) out of refreshing your wardrobe, declutter and have a blast all at the same time by throwing an easy peasy swap party with your friends and family!

My Confessions of a Refashionista DIY closet audit + preloved shopping tips e-book will guide you through my simple wardrobe decuttering formula & provide you with the tools needed to create a fab ecofashion wardrobe.

The CoaR: DIY Wardrobe Audit + Preloved Shopping Tips & Tricks includes:

The Wardrobe Audit
Thrifty Diva Thrifting Tips
Refashionista Thrifting Tips
My Top Tips for Thrifting Vintage
How To Clean Vintage Clothing
Banish Thrifted Footwear Odour
How to Clean Preloved Leather
How to Clean Preloved Suede
Bonus: My Refashionista Closet Tour (+ tutorial links)

(grab all of my groovy CoaR tutorial collections right here)

Please carefully read the terms and conditions regarding CoaR e-book sales.

4 Comments

  1. RW says:

    I suspect the companies that own thrift shops are trying to take advantage of the up use of consumers to use second hand. It has become trendy to wear used or “vintage” clothing. Thank you Macklemore!
    Also any thrift shop that is owned by for-profit or non-profit(not not-for-profit) see the chance to make money and have gone for it.
    I have purchased something at Dollar Tree(our version of dollar store) then gone next store to a charity shop to find the same exact item for 50 cents to 2 dollars more. What a rip.
    I would LOVE to see you video a swap. Especially an adult both genders one. People around here swap kids clothes all the time.

    1. It’s bizarre that the powers that run the thrift/charity shops would think that raising the prices of their free, donated merchandise would make them more money but I totally agree that it seems to be part of their pricing logic – selling more for less would be a much better idea and would absolutely go a long way to keeping more textile waste out of landfills. 🙁

      I recall thrift shops raising prices in the mid-90’s when my generation was discovering the awesomeness of vintage & secondhand shopping so I don’t think Macklemore’s song from 2012 has had anything to do with the price increase 😉 every generation has “hipsters” that shop preloved (in my day we were called “alternative”) and those running the businesses and charities will always hike up prices to try to take advantage of customers & make even more money. A never ending cycle that is just as bad as unethical fast fashion.

  2. Mea says:

    I noticed the same thing at thrift shops in my area – they have jacked up the prices. It is now more affordable to buy new in many instances.

    It’s pathetic! And makes me not want to shop in the thrift stores anymore. Guess they’ll figure out they did wrong when their clientele drops.

    1. Thrift/charity shops should definitely have to follow some kind of pricing guideline or change their names to secondhand/used stores as by definition they can no longer be called “thrift” (the quality of using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully) when their prices are equal to and higher than new. 🙁

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