Vast Vintage Threads

Vast and Unique Style

People love showing off expensive name brand clothes that everyone wears, while thrifting clothes is a great way to separate yourself to your own style. Deciding what to throw on each day can be a challenge, but it can also be a game of how you want to stand out from the crowd that day. Vintage clothes have unique designs and are made with higher quality attention to details which stand the test of time. The variety of different items that can be discovered is so much bigger than from your local mall because you are searching through all the clothes that were made in previous decades.

 

Previous Decades

Avoid current trends and take a blast from the past by rocking vintage clothes that are full of crazy colorways, trends, and designs. The odds of finding the same vintage piece twice are slim since there is such a vast selection of clothes that were made during previous decades. By vintage I am generally referring to a piece being 20 years old, but the selection of clothes I would call vintage were made in the late 1980’s, 90’s and early 2000’s. This was a great period for clothes as companies began to figure out how to make designs crazier and the clothes with higher quality materials and labor.

Vintage Closet

            It takes time to build a closet out of thrifted clothes, but it is possible to find any article of clothing in any colorway if you search often enough. Realize that vintage expands across all different categories and styles; note that “My Finds Page” is sorted by shirts, sweaters, and button-ups. My point is anything that you are missing is out there somewhere, and you can find it vintage whether you need pants, jackets, hats, or even ties (my tie collection is a little too big). Regardless if you are going to an interview or getting a cop of coffee you can do it in recycled clothing.

Drip

            On top of recycling and saving money thrifting is also one of the greatest place to find clothes that are awesome and make you look amazing. Anytime I go out in a vintage garment it seems like I get multiple compliments from several people, and this hardly ever happened before I started getting my clothes second hand. People notice clothes that stand out and that are not seen every day. You will never go out in mass-produced new clothing once you realize how awesome vintage clothes are and how great you look wearing them.

Profitability at Thrift Shops

Searching through hundreds of donated clothing you will soon discover that valuable things are donated amongst all the unwanted items. Traditional thrift stores generally price clothing (and everything else) well below the value of clothes, especially vintage clothes, which are sought out by a lot of people. For the sake of this story I will focus on the values in the clothing racks, but realize that there are all sorts of great deals in all areas of thrift shops. It’s time to look through the racks to find underpriced valuable clothes, and save yourself money on a vast selection of garments.

 

What is Valuable?

Despite the previous owners no longer wanting their old clothes, so often they have no idea the value their pieces have maintained. You are looking for amongst the masses of donations for name brands (new and old), quality designs, and vintage and collectible clothes. To find out what is valuable you can Google search the general description of the piece or look on Ebay or Depop to see what people are selling that item and similar items for. As you continue going to thrift shops you can accumulate a valuable closet and do it entirely on great deals.

 

Make Money and Find Your Style

The beautiful thing about thrifting is that you can shop for items for personal wear and you can also find awesome items that your friends and others want and would pay for. If you find an awesome vintage piece, but it’s the wrong size or you only want to wear it a couple times someone else is still going to want it. So, if you want to make some money while thrifting, or just build up your collection they are both very feasible.

 

Hobby or Side Hustle

Thrifting is a trending hobby in recent years as people have found joy in the treasure hunt that is searching for vintage clothes. There is no doubt it is fun finding amazing clothing that you love wearing, but also the opportunity to sell some of your finds and make money. There are some people that sell thrifted clothes as their main job, but it is obtainable for anyone to just sell your un-needed clothes and put a little money in your pocket. Help keep some clothes out of the trash, support recycling, build your thrifted vintage collection, and make some extra money.

 

 

Truth of Clothing Manufacturers

It is crucial that people understand the effects of clothing manufacturers and how thrifting is one of the few ways to save the environment. This is not the future generation’s problem it is ours, and this sustainability issue is something every person can control. Fashion retailers are far from perfect and their high sales numbers and leftover inventory create excessive waste in our environment.

Thrifting, Recycling & Sustainability

People are fixed on constantly buying brand new clothes and we want to begin the correction of this problematic tendency. Nowadays, the fashion industry has shifted to fast fashion (companies producing mass quantities of trendy clothes) and that people are purchasing clothes more frequently and keeping them for half as long. Individually we can’t stop these shopping patterns, but we can try to extend some of this clothing’s life.

Effects of Fast Fashion on the Environment

According to the World Economic Forum “The fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply.” If everyone keeps constantly buying new clothes every time they go shopping it is only going to hurt the environment me some ore and more. It is more important than ever to recycle clothing and to do your part to eliminate some of the waste.

Make a Change

The fashion industry is clearly not designed for our environments best interest. Large factories are over producing clothes and pumping out as much new inventory as possible. It is not possible to simply shut down these large companies just because they are unsustainable, but it is possible to stop supporting them; like a vegetarian giving up meat. Go to thrift shops and stop supporting large manufacturers and help eliminate extra clothing simultaneously.

Just Another Reason to Thrift

It feels good shopping for clothes second hand for so many reasons, but for the benefit of the environment is always overlooked. Thrifting eliminates human manufacturing waste, is way cheaper than fast fashion items, is more unique than the brand-new clothes, and is a modern day treasure hunt. There is no way to know what will  end up at a thrift, but clothes can last for as long as someone is willing to wear them. Be resourceful, recycle and do what your planet a favor and get your clothes second hand.

Learn More

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44968561

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/#:~:text=Fashion%20production%20makes%20up%2010,of%20plastic%20into%20the%20ocean.

Find Success in the Thrift

Knowing the value of thrifting is awesome, but not everyone knows how to thrift successfully. In the world of thrifting time and effort play a big role in the probability of finding the perfect vintage attire. There is always a chance that the thrift you are at has no clothing that you want, but if you follow these suggestions you can someday have a closet full of unique vintage clothes.

Be Thorough in Your Search

The first recommendation is to thoroughly search each store, and this is a step even regular thrifters screw up on. When inside a store it is important to look at every shirt that is hung up on the rack and to not skip any pieces or rack sections (by size or gender). Since each store has a different layout this is not as easy as it sounds: when I first started thrifting there were a couple stores with specific racks such as clearance and sports racks that I missed located in different parts of the store. Often these racks are better than the normal racks, and there is no reason not to explore the store layout and make sure you are enabling yourself to find everything you might want.

Frequent Local Thrift Shops

In order to find as many crazy finds as possible you should go to a store as frequently as possible. Realize new clothes are being donated and put out every day and is important to know how to thrift successfully. The more often you stop at a store the more likely you will be to find a vintage gem. Consider going early at a time near to open to find out when new clothes are put out, and I have noticed early is a good time, but mix up what time and day of the week you go. Attempt to visit the same store at least few times each week according to your schedule.

Thrifting Trip

This last tip might be the most important: go to multiple different thrift stores. Every time you go thrifting I strongly recommend to plan on going to a couple other nearby stores afterwards. This is a good strategy because if you find a few things at each store that is building up your closet faster than just going to the same store repetitively. Also don’t be afraid to take a small trip to a nearby town and test your luck in these new stores. The bigger the city the more thrift stores there are and the more frequently clothes are donated, don’t be afraid to expand your comfort zone. Go to as many different stores to increase your odds to thrift successfully.

Recognize Your Needs

• To get things started you first need to assess your needs. This can be accomplished by peeking in your closet. First, look at all your tops and see if you have a bunch of shirts that you have been rocking for many years? Are you lacking a variety of clothing for different occasions? By this I mean do you not have any formal wear, like nice button-ups or sweaters that you enjoy wearing? If the answer to any of these questions is yes then you my friend have a fantastic opportunity to find unique, affordable, and timeless pieces. Consider the items of clothing you like wearing the most and what types of clothes you are lacking and continue reading.

 

Benefits of Thrifting

• Besides saving a lot of money you also are also making the most environmentally friendly decision if you decide to go thrifting and look at recycled clothing. We stress the importance of donating clothes you no longer need and buying the clothes someone else no longer needs as a great way to practice individual sustainability. Recycling clothes is a means of not contributing to large manufacturing clothing companies which constantly produce new clothes. Buying used clothing further eliminates the waste that would have been created if the clothes had just tossed into the trash and been dumped into landfills. Plus, the price of used clothing at thrift stores is usually a fraction of the original prices that stores levy upon their customers. Do your wallet a favor and do not be afraid to buy anything that could be of use to you. Anytime you walk into a thrift store you have no idea what you will find, so what does it hurt to stop by?

 

Thrifted Clothes

• Save money, be more sustainable, and find clothing that your friends will never find at retail stores. Searching through racks of preowned garments is a modern-day treasure hunt as you search for the gem that only you will be rocking. Vintage clothing is a huge market that is largely undiscovered amongst the general population. The quality and attention to detail that vintage clothing has often does not compare to modern clothing. With of high-quality threads, heavy embroidery, and crazy or beautiful designs, finding vintage clothing while thrifting is often considered a novelty of the second-hand finds experience. Style never dies. It is also common for people to outgrow their old gems and end up donating clothing that is just not being warn. Thrifting offers the opportunity to find both new and old fashion and combine them into a style that is entirely your own. Stand out from the crowd in your one-of-a-kind outfit and embrace the fruits of your savings and thrift searching. Our culture has developed a cycle that consists of religiously buying clothes and continuously buying more new clothes, so there are more than enough clothes for everyone. There is an abundance of clothes, and both donating to, and shopping at, thrift stores is a great way to add your personal wardrobe without breaking the bank and go against the crowd. Now is the time to search for the amazing pieces that fall through the cracks. 

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.countryliving.com%2Fshopping%2Fa18198848%2Fis-goodwill-a-nonprofit%2F&psig=AOvVaw1Y-CM0lQPTvdC3uqvsOs8k&ust=1603422692007000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCPjRypOdx-wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

Get to Work!

• Not exactly like shopping at the traditional clothing store where clothes are perfectly assorted next to one another, thrift aisles are a vast mix of items coming from different places. To find vintage pieces that fit your style perfectly you must put in the effort to search for them. Sifting through all the clothes, you will realize not everything is desirable. Most of the clothes are not anything you will want to wear as some are just modern clothes with designs you wouldn’t wear or you might find clothes in poor conditions with stains and signs of wear. As you continue to thrift over time, you will notice that the store’s available selection changes almost daily. Shoppers benefit from going consistently because you never know when the clothes you want are going to be there, or if there will be a new gem to discover next time. It also helps to go to more than just one thrift shop: consider going to multiple stores and give yourself an increased chance to find vintage threads. Bring your friends for a fun time and a great experience. Just know it is impossible to always make good finds, but there is always a chance to find something that is perfect for you. If it’s a bad day for clothes keep your head up and look for something else, you need besides clothes. This website is going to continue to post blogs for how to thrift and improve your closet, but just keep an open mind and consider taking  a look next time you drive by a thrift shop. Vast Vintage Threads will continue to bring you insight on thrifting through these blogs and I hope to make thrifting and vintage a popular topic in the future.

 

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