6 Reasons To Buy Secondhand Over New

Did you know that a single piece of t-shirt takes 2,700 litres of water to manufacture – from fibre to garment? Shocking, right? That’s how we felt when we got to know about this fact and our perspective toward clothing changed entirely. We now see every piece of clothing as an output of earth’s precious resources combined with a ton of hard work, effort, and manpower. 

 We believe that fashion should make you feel confident and consuming fashion should not be full of guilt and at the cost of the planet or people. Fashion is a way of communicating who you are – it is a form of an artistic expression. So, how can we continue to buy fashion that we all love and not feel bad about it? This is where thrifting comes to the rescue!

And now, we are here, giving you 6 solid reasons to why you should buy secondhand instead of new :

#1 SAVES MONEY

Fashion does not have to be expensive for it to be in style or good quality. Thrifting brings you the same set of things that you wanted to purchase for a fraction of their cost. If you are worried that thrifting in any way means compromising on the quality, you are mistaken. We at Curated Findings aim to get you the best quality of clothing – every article goes through multiple stages of quality check, so you can receive the thrifted treasures that are like-new because really, you deserve nothing less!

#2 YOU MAY END UP FINDING RARE, VINTAGE, AND ONE-OF-A-KIND ARTICLES

Thrifting does not mean that you cannot afford to buy new. It is simply a lifestyle that you choose and a commitment that you make to buying better and making conscious choices. And well, thrifting often brings you one-of-a-kind finds. A thrifter knows that their wardrobe is full of unique pieces that no one else (possibly in the entire world) is going to have. If you are a fashion freak just like us, you are definitely going to enjoy thrifting! If you are looking for some vintage finds, check our Retro Edit.

If you are new to thrifting, click here to read our especially curated tips on how to thrift consciously.

#3  A BUDGET-FRIENDLY SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO FAST-FASHION

Fast fashion is made at the cost of the planet and people. It is not a secret anymore that fast-fashion brands pay the people who make our clothes the bare minimum and sometimes, even below the minimum wage. As a consumer, you have the power to make a difference by choosing to spend in the right ways. 

Even if at thrift stores you find clothing from the same fast-fashion brands, you are still not contributing to their revenues or buying new. You are choosing to buy fashion while ensuring that it closes the loop and increases its life cycle. The money you spend goes towards a different source and not a billion-dollar conglomerate that exploits the earth’s resources and pollutes the land, and people.

#4 AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE TO SUSTAINABLE FASHION

While we all wish to buy from sustainable brands, it does not always fit in the budgets of many. For those who want to make conscious choices within budget, thrifting is the best option to buy sustainably without burning a hole in your pocket. What’s better is that when you thrift a garment, it does not consume another set of fabric, water, and energy that goes into the making of a new garment. By choosing to thrift, you buy something that has already been made and you ensure that it is given a second chance of wearability!

#5 GOOD FOR THE PLANET

Let’s look at some facts. Every item is curated from an existing wardrobe which makes it sustainable and once sold, displaces about 17.4 pounds of carbon emissions, saves 34 kilowatts of energy, and 292.6 litres of water. Buying an existing item prevents the usage of water, and energy, and emits way less carbon emissions than buying new. All this, and your thrill of shopping is retained with a feeling of utmost satisfaction, because now you know the impact of your choice. Saving the planet comes in little steps at times! 

#6 PREVENTS WASTAGE AND LAND POLLUTION

Social media has convinced people to wear-post-throw. But this throw-away culture does a lot of harm to our planet that is often oblivious to the gram. Discarding clothes as soon as you upload them on social media is the new norm but have you ever wondered what happens to them once they leave your trash bin? They end up in landfills. “Globally, an estimated 92 million tones of textiles waste is created each year, which is equivalent to one rubbish truck full of clothes ending up in landfill sites every second”, states Business Insider. 

Why is this so bad? Because most of these clothing are made up of synthetic fibres like polyester which takes more than 200 years to decompose. The landfill waste rots and decomposes to produce harmful gases like methane and carbon dioxide. So, when you buy thrifted, you give the same clothing a second chance and you ensure that it completes its life cycle before being discarded.

We know, you are convinced enough to either continue thrifting or begin your thrift journey. Trust us, it is wonderful! Try for yourself by choosing from over 300+ styles listed on our website. Get Thrifty!