Since I was a little girl, I have always been passionate about fashion, style, and beauty. For fun, I would comb through my closet and piece together my clothes like a puzzle. I looked forward to both fall and spring fashion weeks, telling my friends that this was my Super Bowl. However, as I grew up, I began to notice the negative environmental impact the fashion industry has on the world. Massive amounts of secondhand clothing from the Global North are shipped to places like Ghana (Kantamanto Market), Chile (Atacama Desert), and parts of Southeast Asia. Human beings are working in unfair conditions to mass-produce garment after garment. This forced me to seriously inspect my relationship with the fashion industry.
So I started thrifting, and before I knew it, over half my wardrobe consisted of second-hand items. Thrifting completely changed and enhanced my sense of style. Instead of purchasing clothes because everyone “has to have it,” I was buying clothes that I truly loved and were potentially one of a kind.
Now, thrifting and finding vintage clothes is a part of my everyday life, as dramatic as it may sound, it’s my life force. A full body creative surge runs down my spine as I step into a building with hundreds of opportunities to create a look I never knew could be mine.
So, my diligent reader, I challenge you to find something second-hand (preferably at fulfilled.) Remember that your clothes will exist on this planet longer than you. Be conscious about what you are buying; you, as an individual, have power. Buy more clothes that already exist, instead of buying clothes that will be poorly produced and brand new.
I know you can do it, and the Earth hopes you will too.
With Love,
Kaitlyn
