Thriving Thrift Culture in India – Sustainable and Pocket Friendly Fashion

The thrift culture, which is a Western concept is slowly catching up in our country, especially among youths. As a cultural trait and also largely influenced by our tradition religious practices, wearing hand-me-down clothes, and that too those belonging to strangers is looked down upon. But it seems the youths have no qualms about it, so long as they keep up with the Joneses. Thrifting refers to the practice of purchasing pre-owned gently used products, mainly clothing. Thrifting or upcycled products are already used by someone, cleaned, retouched and if needed made necessary changes to it, and sold. These clothes are sold at a comparatively lower price than the original ones. Thrift is more famous among Gen Z. They have their reasons which make sense in today’s world, thrift culture combines fashion and sustainability. This trend is also economical and does not burn a hole in the pocket.

Sustainability

Thrifting seems to be more of an ethical choice. It serves a larger goal such as environmental protection. After a few years of use, the garments end up in landfills or get burned, which is a huge problem for the environment and climate change. The fashion industry produces and sells more than 150 billion garments a year globally, roughly up to 21 articles per human being on this planet, about three in five of these clothing products become a waste within years of production. Most of the clothes these days are made up of materials such as polyester which is a form of plastic. If not managed properly, old clothes that do not biodegrade in a landfill and could remain there for more than 200 years before decomposing, can be a serious threat to our ecosystem and lead to serious damage to our planet in the long run. Thrifting and upcycling serve the purpose here. Second-hand clothes are eco-friendly as it is reused again with little or no modifications, thereby reducing the carbon footprints. The damage caused by the fast fashion industry is a driving force for people to turn to thrifting. 

 Pocket friendly

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. It costs much less than the usual new clothes and provides an ample amount of choices. Fashion got more acceptance in tier 1 cities in India as people over there tend to think twice before spending on fashion due to the high cost of living in those cities. The young generation prefers thrifting due to economic reasons as well, this allows everyone to stick to the current fashion trends without spending much. 

Cons of Thrift shopping

The biggest cons of thrift shopping is the non-availability of garments of different sizes. Though the thrift culture is thriving in India, yet the country does not have more offline stores, it largely depends on online stores based on social media platforms. Similarly, as it promotes second-hand clothes, the parent company can file legal suits under different intellectual property rights, which can hamper the business of the retailer. So it is recommended to explore all legal aspects before embarking on this venture. Sometimes old clothes get damaged in the process of upcycling and need to be checked before buying. As it has become a trend among youths, retailers are taking advantage of it and selling it at an elevated price.

Guide to thrift shopping 

Thrifting will provide many choices so one should think and decide beforehand as per the need. Second-hand clothes will sometimes not be fit so it is ideal to check sizes before buying. The background of the seller and feedback from the customer must be considered prior buying from any store. Product return policy of the retailer must be enquired enough for easy return and exchange in case of damaged products.   

Due to the change in mind set, thrifting has been accepted by the Indians which once used to be a taboo. Thrift stores are available in both online and offline mode with the former being more popular in India. Unlike other Western countries, where thrift shopping is quite a norm and there are large stores dedicated to it, the concept is relatively new in India. Most Indians would rather not be seen buying offline, what is called second-hand stuff, the fashion industry is thriving in social media and online platforms. Looking at the demands, offline thrifting has already come up in tier-1 cities. Thrift culture has revolutionized the fashion industry and Indian homes. Thrifting will continue to thrive and it should for the best interest of people and the environment.