Making the decision to buy more ethically definitely has its challenges.
It’s pretty hard when you’re swamped in aisles and aisles of sale product……50, 60, 70% off??….OMG…..is Black Friday coming?? ….. to keep your ethical head straight. To motivate myself, I’ve been applying the 3 R’s of environmental conservation to my fashion choices. Bonus points if you can time travel back into the 80’s and remember them:
Reduce Reuse Recycle
Let’s start with REUSE.
Buying vintage doesn’t have the sting that it use to. The once disdainful expression one once received when you mentioned your blouse was from value village is now replaced by a courteous nod and smile: “ohh vintage hey?”. I have to admit, when you first hear “used” you might turn up your nose at the idea that someone has worn those fab rags before, but honey, that’s what soap and hot water is for!
Vintage shopping is also great way to inject some unique pieces into your daily style; sometimes you can score an exceptional one-of-a-kind piece you just can’t find in the mass produced market. And if you’re still not sure the thrift shop is cool, have you checked out Macklemore’s music video Thrift shop?
Environmentally speaking, the gently-used market is great for keeping loads and loads of high-turnover goods from the landfill. Its often surprising how long clothing items actually take to degrade in the landfill. I still have a few clothing pieces from high school that are wearable today.. and its been.. well.. a good 2 decades now. Thank goodness fashion is cyclical.
So putting words into practice. I wanted to jump on the ripped jeans trend and decided to scope out the choices at my favorite consignment shops. I found this Rag and Bone-made in USA gem at SavEdge for a pretty good deal. Matched with the hordes of stuff I have amassed over the years, I put together a nice lounge-day outfit.
Here are some other noteworthy consignment hunting grounds in town:
- Vespucci Calgary – A huge 2 level store containing tons of everyday and high end designer used clothing and accessories.
- SalvEdge Boutique – Used to be called Better on You, located in the downtown core. Small but great selection on women’s and guys clothing/accessories/shoes too.
- Trend Fashions – Pretty decent selection in trendy Kensington where you can find some goods by local designers as well.
So when the shopping crave hits, go guilt-free hunting at these places. You may just save a piece from horrible landfill existence.
