Historically, thrifting, or charity shopping as it’s more often known as in the UK, has usually been associated with the working class. It served as an opportunity for people with less money to buy second hand clothes at an affordable price. Now, second hand shopping has become an expensive hobby, with vintage stores hiking up prices of used branded clothing to make a profit.
Sheffield boasts an interesting retail scene, with numerous vintage stores and even more charity shops. The city is home to over 60,000 students, and this year it was ranked in the top 10 most affordable cities for students by NatWest. Despite this, the cost of living crisis has hit many students hard, and our student loans are simply not going as far as they used to.
With rent and bills taking up much of our budgets, it’s no surprise that students are having to look for various ways of trying to save money when they can. For many, that means ditching the overpriced fast fashion and looking in charity shops for discounted clothing.
Angus, a third year engineering student, spoke about why he prefers second-hand shopping over buying new: “It’s an affordable way to get new clothes, especially considering the rising costs of everything right now.”
He also commented on the concerning alternatives of fast fashion: “The only other clothes that are of a similar price are found in places like Primark or using Shein, which have dubious ethical practices.”
Fast fashion has become a growing problem over the last few decades. The fashion industry itself contributes 10% of all carbon emissions, making the entire production process an environmental nightmare.
This year, Oxfam encouraged shoppers to join their Second Hand September campaign, where the aim was for people to donate any clothes they do not wear over the course of the month. In a study run by the charity, they suggested that shopping second-hand for clothes would reduce carbon emissions equivalent to 261,000 flights from Heathrow to Athens.
Considering this, perhaps the reason people are turning to second-hand stores is that we are becoming more environmentally conscious. Students and young people are part of a generation that is eco-centred and cares about the future of the planet. Second-hand shopping allows people to express their fashion choices in an environmentally friendly way.
For others, the beauty of thrifting is that it avoids the monochromatic style that can be found in mainstream stores. Randomised donations mean that charity shops have become a lottery of securing a one-off find that no one else will have. “You end up with more unique and interesting clothes,” said Florence, a third year biochemistry student. “You can find stuff that you would never find in a normal shop.”
The University of Sheffield was ranked in the top 10 of UK universities for action on sustainability this year in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, showing that sustainability is clearly at its core. The same can be said for the University’s Fashion Society, founded by Emily Duff.
“When I started Fashion Society, sustainability was always at our core,” Emily said. “Fashion Society runs under the belief that shopping secondhand should be accessible for everyone – and that’s one of the brilliant things about Sheffield’s scene. You can go to Division Street and head into Savage Sister to scout some mega designer pieces or head into Scope and bag some bargains.”
Whilst the charity shops may provide some bargains, the same cannot be said for the vintage stores that hike up the prices of used branded clothing. Thrifting is no longer an inclusive activity; old jeans and jumpers now carry a heavy price tag that exclude people looking for cheap secondhand goods.
Whilst there may have previously been a financial motive for shopping second-hand, most vintage stores now lure in their customer base through an aesthetic of cool and quirky fashion that cannot be found elsewhere.
Hamza, who previously worked for a popular vintage store chain in Sheffield, commented on the demographic he would see day-to-day: “Students were our main focus and occupied most of our customer base,” he said. “I think vintage stores advertise as being very 90’s or 2000’s, and as very anti-establishment, so I think students come in to go against the grain of the mainstream.”
For students, thrifting holds two purposes: getting a bargain in a charity shop, or spending your loan on an item that stands out from the crowd. Whilst thrifting was once looked down upon, it is now largely considered one of the main forms of shopping, with apps like Vinted and Depop offering clothes at a discounted price as an online alternative to scavenging through shops in the city.
Obviously, this has its benefits: the environmental impact of second-hand shopping limits the catastrophic effects of fast fashion and mass-production. Whilst the economic impact may be beneficial for charities and independent vintage stores, it could be argued that the shopper is the one now out of pocket, as prices increase for used items that thirty years ago, would have been dirt cheap. Overall, thrifting serves as a creative way to find interesting throwaways and investment pieces, but regardless, the changing face of thrifting continues to have its ups and downs.