Guiding principles on how to shop second hand
Top: second hand from #InspoSTHLM
For the ones who are used to fast fashion, moving into second hand shopping, can be a little bit confusing. To know what to buy, where to find the best products and how it relates to sustainability can be difficult. Here comes a few principles that might be good to know to really make the best choice for you and your closet.
A purchase of second hand clothing can never be a waste environmentally. That principle apply even if you only use it once! To buy something already produced is always a better idea for the climate and the environment than buying something new. By making sure the clothes doesn’t end up in a bin, you’re doing our planet a favour!
A purchase at an NGO is even better for social sustainability! Okey, some second hand shops might be owned by small scale entrepreneurs and of course that is contributing to social sustainability too. We want businesses that has sustainability as a part of their business model. However, with organisations like the Red Cross, the money goes to local, national and global humanitarian work. So even if you buy something you never use, you have just been donating money to charity!
A purchase of second hand clothes that you never use is still not sustainable for YOU. Yes, even if you rescued some clothes and you’ve been donating money, there is no need to keep clothes that are not being used. It causes you stress and difficulties to navigate in your closet and that item of clothing could have been used by someone else.
A purchase of second hand clothes that you use ones and do not sell, donate or circulate after some time is still not environmentally friendly. Yes, the whole idea is to use and look after what has already been produced and if you don’t use it, it’s time for someone else to do it.
Misstakes to avoid when buying second hand:
If doesn’t fit - don’t buy it. It doesn’t matter how beautiful it is, if it doesn’t feel and look good on your body and you don’t happen to have amazing skills of sewing, don’t do it!
If it’s damaged - don’t buy it. Again, same as above. If you don’t have amazing skills to fix stuff on a regular basis it’s probably not going to happen now.
Don’t buy it just because of the brand. Just because the Gucci dress is not as expensive as in the magazines and just because those Dolce & Gabbana shoes feels exclusive, don’t buy them if you sincerely don’t like the look and style of them (and they fit you).
Don’t buy it just because it’s trendy. That pink skirt might remind you of the ones in the fashion magazine, despite it’s form the 90s and have a complete different style, but you buy it anyway because you don’t find anything else that’s pink. Sorry, a colour can’t be the only reason for something moving into your closet.
Things you can do:
Experiment with your style. As long as it fits and you love it, why not? You can always give it back if you realise it’s not your style.
Buy something for one night and give it back to the NGO. Congratulations, you just got an amazing outfit for the party and you’ve been donating to charity.
To summarise, when you’re shopping second hand, you don’t need a long-term perspective of this item belonging to your closet forever. You can simply use it for a short time as long as it’s handed over. You can also still your need to change and explore your style without buying fast fashion. However, not to make the whole experience horrible, don’t buy things that doesn’t fit or look good on you. It’s easy to be a littlebit flexible of what you really love and want just because you want to consume second hand. But if you buy things you don’t love as much as new clothes, your whole association with second hand is not going to be good. So look at second hand as a fun complement but make sure your relationship is sustainable in the long run.