Thrift culture is slowly gaining popularity in our country, especially among the youth.
Thrifting refers to the practice of purchasing pre-owned gently used products, mainly clothing.
Thrift wear or upcycled products are those that are already used by someone, cleaned, retouched and, if needed, embellished and sold. These clothes are sold at a comparatively lower price than the original ones. Thrifting is more common among the Gen Z as it combines fashion and sustainability. It also does not burn a hole in the pocket.
It serves a larger goal of environmental protection. The fashion industry produces more than 150 billion pieces of clothing a year globally. About three in five of these clothing products become waste within years of production; they end up in landfill sites or incinerators. A dress made of polyester, a form of plastic, could take up to 200 years to decompose completely.
Thrifting and upcycling serve the purpose here. Second-hand clothes are eco-friendly as they are being reused with little or no modifications, thereby reducing the carbon footprint. The damage caused by the fast fashion industry is a driving force behind the shift towards thrifting.
This mode of fashion is pocket-friendly. It saves our money. The thrifting culture saw a huge rise during the pandemic when the world was going through economic turmoil. Thrift clothes cost much less than new clothes. It also provides an ample amount of choice.
Due to a change in the mindset, thrifting has become more acceptable in India, where wearing second-hand clothes was once looked down upon. While there are a few physical thrift stores in the country, online stores are more popular.
Unlike Western countries, where thrift shopping is quite common and there are large stores dedicated to it, the concept is relatively new in India. But with a steady demand, physical thrift stores have started coming up in Tier-1 cities. Physical stores are helpful because the clothing can be checked for fit before buying.
Thrifting will continue to thrive and it is in the best interest of people and the environment.
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