THRIFT VS. NEW
As a way to understand certain concepts, ideas and sustainability in fashion we compared two local thrift shops and two of our personal favorite fashion houses. In this day in age sustianability is the most important thing we can achieve, with scientisit saying this is save the damage we have made to our planet, the best thing we can do now is be as sustainable as we can and hope that we can slow down the process of climate change. According to the BBC the fashion industry accounts for 8-10% of global emissions. Thats from sweatshop factories, man-made fabrics like nylon, fast-fashion brands, and waste of fabrics and micro-plastics. By buying a new dress you will probably wear onee we all are guilty of slightly contributing to that percentage. After learning this we asked ourselves is it really better to thrift than it is to buy new. Obviously it limits the amount of emissions put into the atmosphere from factories, because we are constantly reusing and recycling our clothes. Buy a dress form a thrift store, wear it once, donate it again. Or buy a hoodie from a thrift store revamp it, add new designs, make it your own and maybe vetually give it to thrift store where another person does the same thing. Ofcourse you can buy new and then give it to the thrift store but thats not always the case, some peoply return it and most of the time companies take the returned clothes where they end up in the landfill and illegal markets. So is it more sustainable to thrift or buy new. We asked two thrift stores in our area the same questions, and researched the TRUE sustainability of bigger fashion companies like higher end fashion houses, and even fast fashion brands such as Shein and Temu.
THRIFTING AT THE LIVERMORE GOODWILL
Walking into the Livermore Goodwill, I was immediately hit with the familiar scent of fabric softener mixed with a little bit of history (and maybe a hint of grandma’s perfume). It’s the smell of clothes that have lived a life before getting tossed onto a metal rack, waiting for their next adventure. And honestly? It’s kind of thrilling.
First observation: There were so. many. dresses. I’m talking rows of them, most leaning toward the older, more mature side—think church lunches and PTA meetings rather than Met Gala. But hey, a little tailoring and some styling magic can turn anything into a statement piece. The sizing, though, was interesting—larger sizes dominated the selection, which made me wonder if that’s just what gets donated more often or if thrift stores unintentionally cater to different demographics than mainstream fashion retailers.
Then came the fast fashion graveyard. Shein, Forever 21, Old Navy—racks overflowing with barely worn (sometimes brand new with tags) pieces. It’s weird seeing how quickly these clothes cycle through people’s closets. Bought, worn once (or not at all), donated, repeat. Shein especially had a major presence, which makes sense considering how cheap and trend-driven their pieces are. But knowing that these clothes are packed with 600 legally allowable chemicals? Yeah, not exactly the kind of thing I’d want sitting against my skin for hours.
What I found even more fascinating was Goodwill’s process for dealing with unsold items. Clothes don’t just sit around forever—after about a month, they get sent to a warehouse, rotated to other locations, and given one more shot at being bought before eventually being discarded. It’s a full-on fashion relocation program.
Oh, and let’s talk about resellers. They were everywhere, sifting through racks with a trained eye, phone in hand, probably scanning for hidden gems they could flip for profit. Part of me respects the hustle, but another part just wanted to snatch up anything cool before they could get to it. (Thrift shopping is a competitive sport, okay?)
Overall, Livermore Goodwill was exactly what I expected—chaotic, full of surprises, and a reminder that fashion is way more disposable than it should be. But at least thrift stores give these pieces a second life before they disappear into the abyss of textile waste. And hey, if it means snagging a vintage find or a designer piece for $5? Count me in.
- Ming
THRIFTING AT THE WARDROBE PROJECT IN BERKELY
Everytime I step into a new thrift store it feels like i’m stepping into an entierly different realm of fashion, and when I walked into The Wardrobe Project it was no different. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, with that fmiliar scent of gently worn clothes, softened with oils. it;s th ekind of place where clothes seem to have history, each piece holding a memeory from its previous life. of being worn at a wedding, or a concert, or graduation or even a night out with a friend, it makes the entire experience of shopping better.
There were piles of sweaters, jackets, shirts, of all differeent colors and textures, from chunky knit pieces that scremed 90s to more modern, minimalist styles that you could imagine wearing to brunch or a laid-back hangout. Because this wasn;t just a donation center but a cintage shoppign expeirence, each piece I found was unique and in good condition. Because the selection there was a hard chance you would find something from Shein or even Forever 21.
Each piece was unique to the shop as it was unique to its previouss owner. It was nicee to see thrift stores embracing smaller designers and sustinable options, proving that seconhand shopping doesn’t always have to mean compromising on style. The Wardrobe Project lived up to my expectations. It was great to see such diversity of product, and the experience shows how much clothes can mean even if we don’t think it does. Because the cute sweater I snagged for 15$ probably had meaning to its previous owner, it could be a sweater their ex gave them or a sweater that was worn for a first time ski trip. It always fun to think about that. Not to mention thift and vintage stores such as this one have a nice selection of designer pieces aswell for a fraction of the cost, thrifitng overall really just saves u money.
- Tati