Why I Thrift!

This post was inspired by a question asked by thriftpic.com on their blog recently, "Why do you thrift?". What a great question! Growing up in a family of seven children, six girls and one boy, I almost always wore hand me downs. When my parents could not afford to purchase new school clothes, I could always rely on my sisters to hand me down something fabulous. From a young age I appreciated used clothes. They were new to me, and nobody else in school would look like me. However, I envied the kids with the name brands and the new trends.

As I got older and began purchasing clothing for myself, I became addicted to shopping. It was a way to express myself creatively but it was also a temporary fulfillment that was almost always accompanied by a low. I always felt I needed something new, so I bought it, and then I felt ashamed and unfulfilled, so I bought more. It was a vicious cycle. I used my love for fashion as an excuse to spend irresponsibly and as a result I incurred a significant amount of debt and found myself in need of an alternate solution. For a long time I avoided shopping all together and forbid myself from stepping inside a mall.

I never actually considered shopping at a thrift shop until my friend Sarah and I decided to throw a 90's themed skate party for her 22nd birthday. We visited a few thrift shops to collect our attire. I was immediately hooked. These clothes were not just clothes to me, they were stories. They brought back memories. They represented our history as a country. The patterns, colors, fabrics, and designs all reminded me of the clothing I saw my older siblings wear growing up, the things my parents wore, my teachers, my friends, my favorite TV show characters, and things I wore myself as a kid. They reminded me of holidays, birthdays, school dances, people, places, music, and the list goes on. I am always overwhelmed with nostalgia when I walk into a thrift store. And I am satisfied walking out with only one or two items because its the experience that invigorates me, not the purchases. I am not consumed with shame or guilt after a thrift shop haul, but instead I am inspired by the endless possibilities and the amount of money I saved. I feel responsible and I know that I am doing something good for the planet by not increasing my water footprint, and not supporting sweatshop operated businesses. I thrift because it is who I am, embedded in my fabric, and sewn in my heart.