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How to thrift ethically and efficiently in NYC and beyond

By

Alison Stewart

Published Feb 20, 2024

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By

Alison Stewart

Published Feb 20, 2024

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Some thrift for the thrill of the hunt, to find something well made, or because buying used can be good for the environment.

Although it's trendy, thrifting appears to have staying power: The secondhand global market is expected to double in the next three years and reach $350 billion by 2027, according to an April 2023 report from online resale site ThredUp.

Few people know thrifting better than Emily Stochl, the host of the Pre-Loved podcast and the advocacy manager at Remake, a nonprofit organization that advocates for climate justice and better working conditions in the fashion industry.

Stochl caught up with WNYC’s Allison Stewart on a recent episode of “All of It” to discuss dupes, capes and more. Listeners called in to share their favorite spots for vintage, used and pre-loved clothing around New York City. Below is an edited version of their conversation.

Alison Stewart: How can you tell if a garment is well made?

Emily Stochl: Always check the seams. Sturdy seams are a good indicator that it's well made. The other thing is fabrication. I love natural fibers if I can find them – things like cotton or wool that are purely those natural fibers. They're meant to last longer than some of the textiles that are made today.

You had a podcast episode about finding gems at a “meh” thrift store. You mentioned that moment you walk in and you're like, “Oh, there's nothing here.” And your guest was like, “wait a minute.”

Wait a minute. It just takes a little bit of imagination – because if you're used to a retail shopping experience, you are used to things being beautifully merchandised on the mannequins, and the imagination is all done for you.

In a thrift store, you have to be the one to picture, how would this look outside of the context of this thrift store? How would it look styled in my wardrobe?

I think that little creative exercise is good for us. It makes us better stylists. When you put that hat on, I think you will be surprised by the things you find in the rack that you might have passed over before.

Why is it important to you to talk about issues in the garment industry?

It matters to me because I care about the people who make our clothes. There is so much abuse in the fast fashion system, which is where a vast majority of these clothes are made today.

By choosing secondhand, I feel that I can remove myself from that exploitative system and instead, support small businesses, people who are curating this clothing that already exists. I'm doing good for both the planet and for people as well. Both those things matter to me a great deal. I'm sure to many of the listeners, too.

You had this great list at the end of the year of your “ins” and “outs” for 2024. Let's talk about one of your ins: “value over volume.” What do you mean?

I want the clothes that come into my closet to be something that I value and I love forever. I'm more concerned with the value than I am accumulating tons of volume.

I think the whole fashion industry could benefit from thinking about producing in that way. Making clothes that people are going to value and keep rather than focusing so much on cranking out large volumes.

Another thing on your in list for 2024: attainable buy goals. Can you say more about those?

Sometimes we start the new year and we want to make resolutions. A lot of people will say, “I want to buy less this year.” That's wonderful – but sometimes when we set up goals, we set rules for ourselves that can be hard to achieve. Then we stumble and we're like, “I failed. I have to give up the resolution.”

I want people to set goals that feel attainable to them. At Remake, we talk a lot about trying to do three months of no new clothes. “No new clothes” to you can mean checking out secondhand shopping, trying to transition to buying less that was produced new. I think that's a way to approach sustainability that could feel attainable. If you can stick with it, it's going to be sustainable in the sense that you can do it for a long time.

You mentioned that have a “thrift list” that you create from photos, but you don't include photos. Can you talk a little more about this?

People do Pinterest mood boards and things like that. I think that's wonderful for collecting inspiration, but sometimes, if I'm looking at a photo, I get too particular about, “Oh, I want to recreate their outfit.”

It goes back to the idea that sometimes it just takes a little imagination. Maybe you don't find the sweater that's exactly the same color that the girl in the photo has, but it's still a very nice sweater.

What I do instead is: I will write out in the Notes app on my phone what I'm looking for and try to describe what I’m after. Maybe I want a nice wool sweater in a solid color, but it still leaves a little open for interpretation. Because the reality is, when you walk into a secondhand store, you never know what you're going to find.

I want to get to some of the things on your “out” list for 2024: clothing take-back programs. This seems like a good idea: Bring back old jeans, get new ones. What's the downside?

It is a fine print thing. Many of these clothing take-back initiatives were started by fast fashion brands. They might put a thing that looks like a trash can out in front of the store. Maybe it's green. It invites you to put something that you don't want anymore into the bin and then maybe you get a discount to buy something new. That's what gives me pause: Why are we incentivizing buying something new? This is supposed to be about reusing what's old.

The unfortunate reality is that many of the items that end up in those take-back programs that are sponsored by big fast fashion brands, end up destroyed, landfilled, or exported to countries in the global south, where communities there may try to resell them. But because there is so much clothing, and some of it is just of not very good quality, it ends up in those local landfills as well.

What I encourage people to do instead is to try to keep it in these local economies – like a church-run thrift store or their local secondhand industry. That way you can make sure that that item is going to someone in your community who needs it, who wants it, rather than some of these things that we maybe don't know exactly where the piece is going to end up.

Also on your list: dupe obsession. What's a dupe obsession?

“Dupes” is an internet culture term that's short for “duplicates.” This is the idea that a lot of fast fashion designers will try to make duplicates of other pieces, and so they'll copy the design and sell it for cheaper prices.

Again, let's take it back to that “value over volume” idea again, is that really what we value, or are we really just concerned about consuming, consuming, consuming?

For the best dupes – if you really want to go in that direction – look at vintage pieces. Because the reality is that a lot of what is created new these days is meant to look like something that is from the past anyway.

Some questions are coming in. People are asking, "If I'm shopping at places like Goodwill, am I taking clothes away from people who maybe can't afford to go someplace else?"

Yes, great question. The thing that I would want listeners to know is that the unfortunate reality is, there is way too much clothing on this planet than can ever go around.

What I always tell folks is that the best thing we can be doing is not adding any new clothing into that system and reusing everything that is in circulation. Don't worry, there is way more than needs to go around.

You made a prediction that capes are making a comeback.

I think it can be done in a really chic way and it's very cozy, and so keep an eye out for vintage capes. I think you might see a resurgence.

Tell me the story of something you're wearing today.

I'm wearing a pair of 1970s plaid vintage trousers, a vintage graphic T-shirt, and vest. Then this is an upcycled charm necklace. It's made from all different kinds of charms that a maker has taken and added them all together onto a necklace chain.

Thank you, Emily.

Here are some of suggestions from readers and listeners:

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