Secondhand September: What It Is And Why You Should Do It

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Many people embrace September that the much-loved fall season is here. It’s time for sweater weather, pumpkin everything, hoodies, and a wardrobe seasonal swap! With the swap of wardrobes, fast fashion companies are popping up everywhere – on your Instagram feed, Facebook, TikTok. Everywhere you turn around there is some cute, really inexpensive clothing item trying to squirm its way into your wardrobe. Enter Secondhand September! This challenge will not only help you get the cute Fall Wardrobe you want but also help fix the problem of Fast Fashion.

Why is Fast Fashion a Problem?

Fast Fashion makes cute clothing readily available for incredibly cheap, but why is it a problem?

1. The fashion industry has a huge impact on our environment and climate change. Fast fashion is one of the biggest culprits. In fact, The U.S. throws away up to 11.3 million tons of textile waste each year—around 2,150 pieces of clothing each second. Not to mention the impacts of the creation of the garments. For example, Polyester fabric is actually plastic and it’s made from oil – which is also why it is so hot and doesn’t breath very well. The problem is in both the creation and the end of life for each garment.
2. Being a conscious consumer. There is more than enough clothing already in existence, and humans currently have the largest wardrobes we have ever had. Historically, humans kept their garments for years and mended, altered, and adjusted for different fashion styles as they needed. When they were finally at the end of their life – they were turned into something else that was usable for the owner.
3. Human Rights Violations. Fast Fashion is directly linked to a number of human rights violations. The most common of these violations are the use of child labor, low and unfair wages, unsafe working conditions; and labor trafficking and forced labor. If you see a garment with an impossibly low price tag, there is a human on the other end being exploited.

So, how can you become a conscious consumer and still refresh your wardrobe? Introducing Shopping Secondhand!

What is Secondhand September?

Shopping secondhand goes by many other names, like shopping for pre-loved clothing, shopping used, thrifting, wearing vintage, retro style. Ultimately, shopping secondhand just means that you are purchasing a garment or item that someone else had purchased before you.

Oxfam created Secondhand September in 2019 to challenge people to shop only secondhand for the entire month. This challenge will help reduce the impact of shopping on our environment and also spread the love of thrifting. No matter what day in September you start, all you need to do to participate is shop secondhand for 30 days.

Ways to go Beyond Secondhand September

• Beyond the 30-day challenge, shopping secondhand can continue the positive impact on our environment, as well as, your wallet. No longer is thrifting only accessible by your local thrift shops, there are many online shops and apps that allow you to shop secondhand! Some of my favorites are:
  • Poshmark
  • Mercari
  • ThredUp
  • Facebook Marketplace

And don’t forget to look out for garage sales, local thrift stores, rummage sales, and even curb alerts.

Benefits of Buying Secondhand

As you can see, there are a number of benefits to buying secondhand – well beyond the month of September. You will be doing your part to help alleviate the environmental impacts of fashion on the environment and the human collateral of fast fashion. In addition, thrifting give you access to truly unique items. You have the pleasure of hunting for your favorite pieces that no one else will have. Shopping secondhand also helps you save a lot of money – especially if you extend the ideas of thrifting beyond just clothing and also start looking for household items. Thrifting also removes you from the consumerism mindset and puts you in control of your buying decisions. Then you will be shopping for things you truly need or love that also align with your values – like Simple Living.