Is thrift shopping always ethical?
Fortunately, more and more people become aware of the background and negative effects of the fast fashion industry and turn to sustainable shopping alternatives such as thrift shopping. Thrifting not only benefits the environment by reducing textile waste and energy which goes into textile production, it also boycotts fast fashion brands which are responsible for the underpayment of their workers and support factories with awful conditions. Buying second-hand clothing seems like the most ethical option, but is it always as ethical as we think? There are definitely a few things we have to watch out for when it comes to online thrift stores such as Depop, Vinted, etc.
Due to popular demand in the last two to three years, thrifting has become more expensive. Of course, we can expect a higher price for vintage high fashion items, but when we scroll through Depop, we also notice excessive prices for normal skirts, shirts, bags, or cardigans. A lot of Depop shops are owned by middle class people who can afford to buy large amounts of clothing in charity shops, which they then sell for marked up prices. A piece of clothing which can be found in a charity shop for £5 can be sold on Depop for £35 just because it fits a certain popular aesthetic or the current trend. The positive aspect is that bulk-buyers donate to charity, however, working class people or people who belong to lower income communities, who actually need to shop at thrift stores, lose access to nice and good quality clothing. Thrift shopping is a good alternative to fast fashion, but there is a difference between thrifting for yourself or thrifting excessively for profit and the intention to resell clothes.
So, what can we do? Before we buy from a Depop or Vinted shop, we should check out the store! Do they have multiple sizes or colours of the same item? If this is the case, they could also be buying cheap fast fashion items. By buying these items, we would therefore support fast fashion and reinforce this cycle, since the seller consequently buys more clothes from those stores. Do they sell normal clothing for unreasonable prices? Do they frequently upload loads of clothes at once? Asking ourselves these questions makes it easier to identify online shops which encourage gentrification and exploitation. If you want even more detail on this topic, check out these videos which helped with my research:
Written by Joana Köhler