Originally published in print November 2022.

Image courtesy of Anneleven via Getty Images.

It can be hard to pass up a good retail therapy day, especially as a student who loves fashion and who is pursuing a stressful masters in environmental science. Yet more and more, I have heard the negatively connotated ‘fast fashion’ thrown around school and college. Fast fashion can be described as relatively inexpensive clothing that is produced rapidly in response to the latest trends. While this does not seem obviously harmful, it can be socially and environmentally detrimental. According to a report conducted by Princeton University, the fashion industry is responsible for more carbon emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. If this is to continue on the same trajectory, the fashion industry will eventually become an even greater contributor to greenhouse gas emissions than it is already (which we don’t need more of – in case you haven’t heard).

In addition to thinking about climate, sustainability also comes into play when talking about money. If you’re someone like myself who is intrigued by fashion and the expressive nature that comes along with it but who remains on a student budget, it can be difficult to give in to the trends or new wardrobe in general. There is an answer that solves both of these issues.

Without boring you with scientific or monetary details, hopefully you’ll now be asking something along the lines of: how can consumers reduce this problem or contribute to a more sustainable shopping routine?

 

The answer: THRIFTING! (and upcycling if you have extra time).

 

While it is time-consuming, thrifting can produce rewarding outcomes and Dublin has a lot of options to offer – some only a ten minute walk away from Trinity. All of these  contribute to keeping clothes in circulation rather than ending up in landfills.

 

Dublin Vintage Factory

In Temple Bar, right across from the tantalising Urban Outfitters, is the Dublin Vintage Factory. Most of my personal favourite thrifts have come from Dublin Vintage Factory, and as long as it’s open, I will never stop browsing there. They offer a kilo of clothes for only twenty euro, which sounds like a lot, but you do get your money’s worth. For example, I got a vintage corduroy L.L.Bean winter jacket at Dublin Vintage Factory which would be around 150 euro retail price for 29 euro! A huge difference for your wallet and for the climate.

 

Tola Vintage and Nine Crows

Tola Vintage and Nine Crows are similar to, but more pricey than, Dublin Vintage Factory. So they would not be my recommendation for someone trying to keep to a small budget. However, if you do have the time, patience, and money to be able to check these places out they still produce good finds.

 

George’s Street Charity Shops

While this would be the most time consuming option, there are three great and well-priced charity shops on George’s Street. These are Oxfam, Enable Ireland, and the two-story NCBI. All of the shops offer a small, but unique, selection of clothing, books, and accessories with the two-story NCBI giving in and labelling items as “vintage”. While it can be frustrating trying to find just what you’re looking for in charity shops, it is ultimately worth the reward. Out of these three charity shops, the one I personally have been surprised by the most is Enable Ireland, mostly because I found a Timberland rain jacket (which I use all the time because … Ireland) for 19 euro when they are normally close to 100, if not over!

 

Alternative options: 

 

Eventbrite 

Occasionally, on Eventbrite, shops or individual sellers will list clothing swaps or sales around Ireland where you can bring old clothes to exchange or buy second-hand clothes. Not many people think of checking Eventbrite for sustainable swaps, but I would recommend it because they are more common than it would seem. An example would be a Dublin pop up kilo store on the 29th of October in the Radisson Blu Royal. Events like these provide opportunities to shop sustainably or even to just browse as most of them offer free entry.

 

Depop

Depop is an alternative to in-person thrifting, which thankfully has a lot of Irish sellers on it. It is a very convenient shopping platform because it allows you to search for specifics as well as just browse.

One thing to be wary of with Depop is that some people will thrift clothes from charity shops and then sell them at their original retail price, so I would encourage you to look up the original pieces on Google or the brand website to ensure that you are not getting ripped off. While this can have the same time-consuming aspect that would come from in-person thrifting, you also have the luxury of delivery right to your door.

Despite this, one thing to keep in mind with having orders shipped is that it will produce a carbon footprint because of the transport it requires. So, if you do have time, shopping in person would ultimately still be the best .

 

All of these options are essential in keeping clothes in circulation which ultimately lessens those that end up in landfill each year. Small changes lead to a big impact.

 

Upcycling

Another option besides thrifting that can increase the circulation of pre-existing clothes is upcycling. Upcycling is essentially reusing the clothes you currently have rather than buying new ones. Some of the easiest examples of this would be using iron-on patches or painting designs to cover stains as well as using embroidery thread to sew up holes, turning the old into the new. There is endless amounts of upcycling content on YouTube and Pinterest, and you can find options based on whether or not you can sew and how much time you have to work on a piece. Another option, if the clothes were no longer wearable, is that you can cut the fabric into long scraps to be used as ribbon for things like wrapping Christmas presents or even to add onto a different piece of clothing or using them as cloths for cleaning. There are endless amounts of applications of old clothing, but it does sometimes require thinking outside of the box.

Although these options can be time consuming, ultimately they give you an outlet for creativity, to give your wallet a break, all while helping reduce reliance on the fast fashion industry.

 

Extra info: 

One of the most accessible introductions into the dark side of the fast fashion industry is  ‘The Ugly Truth of Fast Fashion’ by the Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. The video is available on YouTube. Hasan explains the negative impact of fast fashion with accessible scientific terms, giving concrete examples for easy understanding.

An Irish example of writing about the sustainable fashion industry is an article in The Irish Times entitled ‘Sustainable fashion: 10 Irish brands for the mindful shopper.’ One thing to be wary of is the fact that the article focuses on designer clothes, which are more expensive than those that you would find at vintage or charity shops. But if you are in the position to support local, potentially more expensive designers, then it would be worth the read.