Say less to the dress: why I’m cutting back on secondhand clothes shopping

While the intention behind buying preloved is often rooted in sustainability, I’m uncomfortable enabling our culture’s shopping addiction

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I once fancied myself a savvy secondhand shopper, diving into thrift stores and online marketplaces with a sense of purpose. Armed with the goal of being eco-friendly, I was determined to give preloved clothes a new lease on life. It seemed like a win-win: unique pieces and a reduced environmental footprint. But after a few years of this pursuit, I faced an inconvenient truth: secondhand shopping wasn’t working for me.

First, let’s talk about the wardrobe explosion. My closet became a museum of mismatched pieces, each with a quirky backstory but collectively forming a chaotic narrative. The dream of a curated wardrobe quickly turned into clutter. Many of the clothes I bought were impulse buys, driven by the thrill of a bargain or the admirable notion of repurposing something old.

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