It’s hard to resist buying that $12 outfit from Shein with one click of a button, but we all need to overcome this urge and appreciate the value of clothing. Clothes play a huge role on the world as a whole, but they hold a special significance for youth. 

With a Y2K fashion trend last week and a skater trend this week, it’s hard not to constantly buy new clothing. Luckily, many teens are shifting towards thrifting and the sustainability of reusing clothes.

Kalamazoo especially is thriving with thrifting opportunities, with great places all around the city. The well-known places are Goodwill and Plato’s Closet, but younger people like senior Austin Thomas, enjoy shopping at smaller stores. 

“There are a lot of spots around here, but my favorite spots to thrift are New Way, and Kalamazoo Pickers which is downtown. Those are both pretty solid,” said Thomas.

Thomas doesn’t just thrift because he enjoys the clothing, but because he and many other teens have realized the harsh reality of fast fashion. Fast fashion not only releases high levels of carbon emissions, contributing to the destruction of our planet, but also uses child labor. 

The American citizens indulging in fast fashion are even perpetrators to the 170 million child workers making textiles and garments to satisfy the demand of consumers in the U.S., according to Josephine Moulds, from the Guardian.

“The use of children in modern production is disgusting,” said senior Sam Bistrek.  “There are so many other ways for companies to produce clothing. Child labor is completely unacceptable.”

Although thrifting is a great alternative to buying fast fashion, it can still be difficult to find clothing by shopping second hand. Some second hand stores, like consignment shops, are selective with the clothes they accept, while other stores may accept all clothing given to them. This gives your thrifting a sporadic and diverse experience each time.

“You can’t be discouraged by the clothing you find at thrift stores the first couple times,” said Thomas. “It takes a couple tries before you find something good.”

Despite the tedious process of thrifting, it’s worth it to push through the negative experiences of thrifting and join the unique community of thrifters. 

“I love thrifting not only for the clothing but because everyone I meet is always cool and will help me out if I have any questions,” said junior Cristian Vargas.

With the increase in thrifting teens are transforming their monotonous closet to a vintage galore, as most are looking for that 90s look. Teens are switching from the matching Nike Tech to a sweater some blue collar worker in 1994.

In addition to meeting new people, a lot of young people thrift because they prefer the look of vintage clothing.

“I like finding vintage clothing that you can’t find at places like JCPenney,” said senior Benjamin Rodriguez. “All of the clothes nowadays just look basic and boring. I think more people should thrift rather than shop at these big brands.” 

Follow the footsteps of these adventurous LN teens, by contributing to the fight for a more sustainable American future. The world is constantly changing, but let’s not let our closets go down the same path.