Online thrifting
The continued growth of second-hand shopping online is making sustainable choice that much more achievable. By
Beyond saving money, thrifting – the practice of buying used items, especially clothes – has a lot of environmental benefits, like reducing one’s water footprint and using fewer chemicals.
In South Africa, there are a lot of ways to go thrifting, be it in the inner city, on Bertha Mkhize street (Victoria Street) or the “dunusa markets” in Downtown Johannesburg, or at weekly markets.
Cities such as Johannesburg also have Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein, Market on Main in Maboneng and Fourways Farmers Market; in Cape Town, the Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Milnerton Flea Market and Thrift Fest in Wynberg offer plenty of opportunities to thrift. Meanwhile, in Durban, the Shongweni Farmers’ Market, The Litchi Orchard, as well as the Stables Lifestyle Market are among many options to go second-hand shopping.
In addition, social media platforms like Instagram have given thrifters a platform to sell garments and second-hand items through pages on the app. I spoke to
Ben Dedekind, a thrift page owner with a modest following but who manages to source garments from popular brands like Carhatt, Tommy
Hilfiger and The North Face. He believes it’s important for thrift page owners to educate their followers on sustainability, adding that “it’s an opportunity to raise awareness, constantly”.
Dedekind also mentions other ways in which he practises sustainability in his small business.
“Leftover stock that hasn’t been sold is donated to charity instead of being disposed of, leftover denim items are distributed to a smaller company, which repurposes them. Packaging is all biodegradable and easily recyclable. Items of clothing are ethically sourced too,” he notes.
Dedekind also believes that trying to sell and trade in a sustainable way should be the main selling point of thrift pages on
Instagram.
“I’m sad to say that ‘sustainability’ seems to have become a secondary selling point, instead of a direct focus.
It’s so easy to put in your Instagram bio ‘sustainable fashion’ but whether that’s actually true or not is unknown, people can’t be sure if you source your garments ethically, or if you even care about the environment. They just have to take your word for it,” he adds.
Durban-based thrift page owner, Rorke Stainton, who runs BeforeUs clothing, also believes that thrift pages on Instagram shouldn’t be regarded as a mere trend.
“Trends usually last for a season or two and then it dies out, but I feel like the game (thrifting) has picked up so much and there’s a lot of online content that provides people with so much information about sustainable fashion – instead of the idea of vintage being a trend for a particular season.
“It’s clear that sustainability in fashion is making a positive impact.”
Stainton also recognises the growth of the industry online, noting that “the more pages that start popping up on Instagram, the bigger the marketplace gets and more start to realise how fast fashion has impacted the environment”. He wants to emphasise that his business is more than about profit.
“We want our followers to be influenced by the importance of sustainable fashion and we are looking into initiatives where we can work with organisations or companies that combat pollution in fast fashion and that are using ocean plastic and recycled items as a means to create garments.”
Although the word sustainability has been widely used in fashion and can be interpreted in different ways, for Durban-based fashion designer Minenhle Memela, the co-owner of streetwear brand Refuse Clothing, sustainability is directly attached to the fabric used in the creation of garments.
“Sustainability is a priority... As a small business, we sometimes struggle to fully depend on natural fibres because of the availability and the costs of the treatment that have to be done to achieve some colours and feels on the fabric.
“We are taught (at design school) why it is important to use natural fibres and we are encouraged to do so, but to some of the students it’s not practical because they do not know where to look. That is why I believe it’s a choice. We take it upon ourselves to find sustainable fabrics.”
Embracing sustainable fashion is more than about shopping ethically and being minimalist with your wardrobe, it’s about embracing sustainability as a healthy lifestyle choice that could see us living on a healthier and long-lasting planet.
Sustainability in fashion also has a lot of layers; from shopping more sustainably by thrifting online or at markets to buying from brands that make their garments out of sustainable fabrics such as hemp and other recyclable fabrics. Will it be enough to shift consumers away from fast-fashion and finally propel the global fashion industry to conserve and protect environmental resources? Probably not, but it is a move in the right direction.
Embracing sustainable fashion is more than about shopping ethically and being minimalist with your wardrobe, it’s about embracing sustainability as a healthy lifestyle choice that could see us living on a healthier and long-lasting planet.
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