By Sara Fabek Zovko
So how did it become so gentrified that it transformed into a major trend?
Thrifting has dominated the fashion scene for several years, its influence growing in both the physical and the virtual shopping spaces. Depop and Vinted, Crisis shops on the streets of London and the stores lining Brick Lane, all with allegedly the same aim: giving new life to old clothes.
Though thrifting is far more sustainable than shopping from fast fashion retailers, it has also become too expensive for what it is in some cases. The gentrification of thrifting has been addressed with in-store prices rising, as well as the insistent pattern of middle-class people thrifting pieces at low prices and “upcycling them” before selling them for more.
As the prices continue to rise, so too does thrifting itself. Having begun as the almost shameful ritual of buying second-hand clothes by working class families, the process of thrifting has climbed through the ranks of society to become a major trend. Public figures ranging from influencers to singers and actresses have opened their own Depop accounts to sell pieces that have been unworn for years. Young people who were given debit cards at age 13 have begun thrifting stores instead of purchasing clothes from Shein. To say thrifting has been gentrified is an understatement.
Gentrification is an issue widely spread throughout a city like London; however, it doesn’t encapsulate the social climb thrifting has undertaken for the past decade. A rise in not only prices but the social class and perception of thrifting, is one that has significantly changed the modern fashion landscape.
While we are called upon by climate activists and the fashion world itself to employ more sustainable practices, one of the easiest ways to do so becomes less and less accessible for most as it makes its way upward in both prices and societal perception. At the same time, the overconsumption of clothes continues — it’s just more expensive. Along with thrifting, it is perceived as more sophisticated not to repeat an outfit too often. With two of the most accessible ways to practice sustainability when it comes to fashion effectively climbing their way out of said accessibility, the concept of thrifting and shopping second hand is becoming almost counterintuitive.
As thrifting continues to grow into a cool activity that means landing unique pieces and finding a vintage Versace crop for only double digits, the question of how far this can go hangs in the air. How long will it be until thrifting becomes out of our league, too?