Whether it’s vintage, consignment, or a good old-fashioned thrift at your local Goodwill—shopping secondhand is truly a unique and immersive experience. Every piece holds a life of its own, and with each sift through a stuffed clothing rack or peruse of a dusty jewelry box, your imagination takes you back in time to all the eccentric characters who may have touched those pieces before you did. Your grandfather’s Dean-esque leather bomber from his teen years, a 1970s sex worker’s leopard pumps, a long-forgotten but well-loved frilly-dressed baby doll… no matter the item, thrifting is an act of time travel.
Manufacturing and production processes are not the same as they were 50 years ago. In fact, they aren’t even the same as they were five years ago. Overconsumption and fast fashion have possessed the trend cycle—so what does that mean for the future of thrifting?
A quick recap on fast fashion: the term refers to the business model of producing inexpensive, trendy clothing that mimics popular styles with the goal of getting the clothing to retail stores as soon as possible.
The traditional fashion trend cycle has five stages: introduction, rise, peak, decline, and obsolescence. Now because of technology, trends have become shorter and less predictable. The rise, peak, and decline stages continue to move faster and faster. That coupled with the rise of influencers, overconsumption is at an all-time high.
TikTok personalities like Alix Earle and Monet McMichael among others have skyrocketed with popularity in the last couple of years, and their audiences look to them for the latest products and trends. Even A-list celebrities like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Hailey Bieber are inspirations for street style.
The desire to emulate the style of these pop culture figures contributes to a constant need to purchase the latest and hottest fashion. According to biologicaldiversity.org, the number of new garments made per year has nearly doubled over the last two decades, and global consumption of fashion has increased by 400%.
Trends used to run on a 20-year cycle, but the dawn of social media and emerging popularity of online shopping shrunk the trend cycle into the current one we experience today—one that seemingly moves at light speed as fast fashion giants like Zara and H&M crank out new microtrends every couple of weeks.
So, how will our “vintage” stores look in the next 10-20 years? Will racks of handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces be replaced with hundreds of mass-produced SHEIN crop tops that more or less look the same? Will brick and mortar vintage stores dissipate entirely as online resell sites like Depop and Poshmark continue to dominate the market? Many sellers buy in bulk from thrift stores like Goodwill and resell them online at a higher price—what will that do to harm the affordability of thrifting? Where will that magic of the vintage shop go?
Since the pandemic, there has been a push towards slower fashion, purchasing second hand items, and shopping with sustainable small businesses. There are brands out there that hand make their garments from scratch and are dedicated to a more sustainable future for fashion and a reversion to a more traditional trend cycle. Some brands that sustainably make trendy garments with more limited product drops are Bella Venice and Shop Mann.
The more people are educated about the importance of sustainable fashion, the more likely it will be for consumers to redirect their buying decisions and buy quality, long-lasting pieces that could lead to a vintage resurgence in the future.
A focus on these practices of “rebelling” against fast fashion could be the key to keeping the art of thrifting alive for future generations.