Americans are buying more clothes now than ever. Clothing items have never been cheaper and this is thanks to fast fashion. While fast fashion is a highly profitable business model, it is detrimental to the environment. Producing a pair of jeans requires 2,000 gallons of water and emits the same amount of carbon as driving a car for 80 miles. The fast fashion industry leaves a giant footprint in the environment and is responsible for a tenth of all humanity’s carbon emissions. The fashion industry is also considered as the fourth most polluting industry under food retail.
A way to avoid spending money on fast fashion is thrift shopping. Thrift stores sell used clothing at an affordable price. That way, you can save 2,000 gallons of water every time you buy a pair of jeans at a thrift store. Thrift shopping allows you to be environmentally conscious while also saving a few bucks. So here is a list of stores you can thrift at in Austin, Texas:
Buffalo Exchange
Located on the corner of 29th and Guadalupe St. Buffalo Exchange works to protect the environment by reusing and recycling clothing and gives clothing a second life. Make sure to stop by the store on April 22nd because they are having a $1 Earth Day Sale in support of charities and environmental causes. More information can be found on their site: https://www.buffaloexchange.com/
Pavement
Located on 611 S Lamar Blvd and 2932 Guadalupe St.
Pavement is a larger than life buy/sell/trade shop. The thrift store has buy counters where you can drop off clothing you want to recycle in return for some extra cash. Visit their site for more information: https://pavement.store/
Uptown Cheapskate
Located on 3005 S Lamar Blvd
Uptown Cheapskate promotes sustainable fashion. Their website is full of insightful information on the environmental impact of fast fashion and the benefits of purchasing used clothing. Uptown Cheapskate has raised close to $600,000 in donations and have helped build 13 schools through their Charity Fill-A-Bag Sale. More information can be found at: https://www.uptowncheapskate.com/upcycling-impact
Austin Pets Alive! Thrift
Austin Pets Alive has 3 locations in Austin: 1409 West Oltorf St., 5801 Burnet Rd., and on 5102 Clarkson Ave.
Austin Pets Alive is a boutique style thrift store, all their net proceeds go to directly support their lifesaving programs and animals. Fosters actually receive a 20% off on in store purchases. More information can be found at: https://www.austinpetsalive.org/shop/thrift
These are just some of our favorite thrift stores out of the many you will find in Austin. Thrift shopping is a simple way you can make a big impact towards the betterment of the Earth. You can save 700 gallons of water if you buy a cotton t-shirt at a thrift store instead of purchasing a new one. That is an insane amount of water you can be saving just by thrifting! So go out and find yourself a nice outfit. (Wearing a mask, of course!)
Tags: Thrift Shopping, Thrifting, Sustainable Fashion, Sustainability
Citations:
https://www.planetaid.org/thrift-center/thrift-center-blog/the-thrifting-movement
https://healthyhumanlife.com/blogs/news/what-is-fast-fashion
https://www.levistrauss.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Full-LCA-Results-Deck-FINAL.pdf