There’s still a lot of stigma surrounding thrift shopping, with people who shop in charity shops often labelling their clothes as being “vintage” rather than “second-hand”. But honestly, what’s the big deal? You’re saving money, saving the environment and usually also donating to a good cause. Fast fashion is becoming increasingly popular because people find it easier to walk into a shop on Grafton St rather than trying to find a vintage shop. Environmental Society and Global development Society are here to change that by joining forces to take you on a Thrift Shop Crawl today at 3pm.
Talking to The University Times by email, Guoda Treciokaite, who was involved in organising the event, rightly pointed out that “the environmental impact surrounding fast fashion is a big issue at the moment”. Discussing the reasons why people aren’t choosing to shop vintage, Treciokaite highlighted the aspects of the stigma surrounding it: “Some people associate the places with bad quality clothes” or see them as being “messy”. Most of Treciokaite’s clothes are “from charity shops and second-hand shops from all over Europe” and anyone who knows her knows she’s got a damn good fashion sense. Her favourite thing about shopping vintage is the fact that all of her clothes “have a history”.
As students are constantly conscious of saving money, why bother shopping for big brands so you can look like everyone else, when you could be saving money and getting a more unique piece of clothing that no one else will have? “There’s always something for everyone, people just need to dig a little.” The thrift shop crawl will take you all over Dublin to all of the best and most individual clothes shops, each with “their own vibe and style”. It is the aim of the Environmental Society and Global Development Society to show that thrift shopping “is easy, fun and that every cent people spend will go to a great cause”. What’s to lose by going along? Unless, of course, you’re afraid to end up “looking slick and having a great time”.
