National Second-hand Wardrobe Day

 Secondhand Wardrobe Day is coming up on August 25th. Since 2017 the day has encouraged deals and savings each year across the United States. You may find steals in secondhand and consignment stores on gently worn clothing for all ages. Secondhand shopping for your clothing offers numerous benefits beginning with the savings, for a fraction of the price of retail, thrifty shoppers can fill their wardrobe while pocketing the savings. This day benefits the Earth as well! Chances are, you have a clothing item (or 10) in your closet that you don’t wear, haven’t worn since the previous solar eclipse and have no plans to wear here or in a parallel universe. Instead of ending up in a landfill to join the 13 million tons of textiles disposed of each year those items can get another go around while freeing up some of your closet space. So why allow the stigma of wearing used clothing beat the scenario of  recycling, reusing, re-purposing. Plus, many local secondhand stores are set up as nonprofits raising additional funds for charitable organizations.  Try it! You may even find the experience fun. Thrifting is a treasure hunt where you never know what you'll find. 

The purchasing of second-hand clothes has been around since the 17th century. During this time, European secondhand merchants were buying and selling vast amounts of stock, bringing in huge amounts of money, making the venture quite profitable. In Venice for instance, courtesans procured clothing, by buying or renting, from such secondhand sources. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the use of pre-worn clothing was an experience familiar to nearly all classes in society. During World Wars I and II the profitable potential of worn clothing increased.

From there, the nature of the second-hand clothing grew in appreciation, and thus, markets for second-hand clothing grew creating an alternative option for clothing that encourages environmentally-conscious choices and a longer lifeline for clothing. In today’s economy, not only have thrift stores become popular among mainstream culture but online thrift shopping has begun. Companies such as ThredUp and Poshmark give people the opportunity to resell their clothes.

My experience with these stores began when I lost quite a lot of weight. I needed a cost effective way to buy my clothes as my weight went down. After doing this I just couldn't bring myself to buy one blouse for the price I could buy a whole outfit at the thrift store. When I tire of them I just redonate them and grab myself a little something at a bargain price. 

Enjoy the day and have fun. You just may find me there looking for a treasure.