Navigating affordability within sustainable fashion
Janine de Castro, Staff Writer & Daria Orth, Staff Writer |
Sustainable fashion has become increasingly popular amongst the younger generations. Many are starting to make mindful choices when considering the place to buy their new outfit.
Creators on apps such as TikTok often showcase their thrift finds–which catapulted the ‘buzz’ around the concept of thrifting.
What once were places of necessity for low-income households, became a breeding ground for the ‘fashionistas.’
Some saw this trend as a business opportunity to re-sell desired and curated pieces for a hefty profit.
These pieces are being sold online, at pop-up markets, and even in stand-alone stores.
Amy Jordens has been thrifting for the past decade, and reselling clothing for the past two years. What started as a closet purge, snowballed into a full-blown business called @prettyoldclothes on Instagram.
She has showcased her clothing at markets in Victoria, B.C., as well as Calgary’s largest vintage market called Seconds Collective (IG:@seconds.collective), and currently has a collection located at Bú Vintage Shoppe in Chinatown, Calgary.
“I don’t resell current or fast fashion brands,” said Jordens. “It’s certain brands I look for that were popular when we were younger. So like Juicy Couture, bebe, stuff like that.”
When choosing the prices for her items, she uses the price she paid for it as a starting point in combination with how ‘vintage’ and rare the piece is, which drives the price up.
“I would say that I am on the more affordable side. I know a lot of guys who are into reselling graphic t-shirts–mostly band tees and those obviously go for a lot, ranging from $150 and up.”
Examples of Value Village price tags, taken on March 19th, 2024. Photos and graphic courtesy of Janine de Castro.
“As for people’s frustrations around the prices of curated clothing, I totally understand where they’re coming from,” she said. “However, I think that the big increase in reseller prices has been due to the increase in thrift store prices, so obviously we have to raise our prices as well.”
Jordens said that she feels that thrift stores have caught onto the idea that reselling has become more popular thus resulting in a price hike.
“I just think it’s a little bit greedy for the thrift stores to be doing that when they’re already profiting regardless since it is all free donations,” said Jordens.
As thrifting keeps becoming more and more trendy, many have noticed popular thrift stores such as Value Village have increased their clothing prices due to the popular demand for these unique items.
City News Everywhere, posted an article in 2022, regarding Value Village prices going up, which was already a problem two years ago.
Clothing that is being purchased second-hand, is being sold for prices similar to if you were to purchase it brand new. Thrifting is supposed to have more affordable deals on various already-worn items, which can even include designer brands, vintage styles, and good quality fabrics.
Because of this, finding affordable clothing can be hard for individuals who struggle financially.
Goodwill is a great alternative option to finding second-hand clothing for reasonable prices, as the company strives to make sure anyone can afford to have a nice wardrobe without spending a small fortune.
The Goodwill Calgary Impact Centre and Outlet Store, also known as “the bins”, presented itself, ready for hopeful shoppers in April 2023.
Like its nickname, their customer’s unique shopping experience consists of rummaging through clothing and accessory-filled blue-bins, which are frequently rolled out by the workers. The competitive space can get chaotic, as their clothing goes for $1.35 per pound.
Doug Roxburgh, the director of Brand Integrity at Goodwill Industries Alberta, highlighted that the organization is about affordability to give back to the community, as well as finding new homes for perfectly usable attire rather than ending up being thrown out.
“Just with the institution of the Calgary Impact Center, we’ve already diverted a million extra kilograms from landfills,” Roxburgh said. “And we want to see that increase. We want to be leaders in terms of innovation of the environmental footprint as well as our mission capabilities.”
Goodwill not only has very accessible clothing for all types of customers, but it also brings in a variety of all kinds of styles to choose from at random.
“Usually it’s fashion that has gone out of date, and fashion is obviously cyclical. All of a sudden that fashion becomes in-date at a certain moment in time.”
Roxburgh underscored that Goodwill’s main priority is to make a difference in society for the better, whether that’s taking costs into account due to economic inflation, or simply to support consumers and our planet.
