By Dylan Roddy

Thrift stores are surging in popularity among university students as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, offering shoppers a way to give clothes a second life by styling their wardrobes while reducing waste. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 66% of U.S. textiles are sent to landfills, and less than 15% of those textiles are recycled. The fast fashion industry has had a huge impact on the environment and is responsible for large amounts of textile pollution. Fast fashion refers to low-cost clothing that can resemble current luxury brands. There are two major reasons for the growth of fast fashion. The effects of online retail shopping and COVID-19 have inclined customers to shop more for clothing and accessories online which has increased the popularity of fast fashion. The fast fashion market in the U.S. is estimated to reach $59.85 Billion by 2030, according to Coherent Market Insights.

“There are enough clothes on this planet to clothe the next eight generations of people,” said Old Soul Exchange Owner Rachel McCartney. “If you look, people think that plastic is their biggest pollutant, but it’s textiles.”

San Marcos stores such as Love Buzz, Old Soul Exchange and Uptown Cheapskate are among several popular local thrifting locations that facilitate an eco-friendly environment for fashion.

“I think it really has gained popularity and I think it’s just this whole sustainability movement that we’ve been having, people you know are seeing the state of our planet and they want to do something about it,” said Uptown Cheapskate employee Nora Allender.

The rapid production and consumption of fast fashion can have big impacts on the environment such as increased greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation. Younger generations of college students, such as Generation Z, are starting to realize thrifting can help fight global waste issues and be cool and trendy.

“Everything is so wasteful nowadays and just the fact that you can repurpose something by just wearing it and buying it at a good price, it’s just a great concept and it’s fun,” said Ashley Vipond, a Texas State student. “Also it’s super normalized like thrifting is very normal, it’s not shamed upon at all, if anything, if you’re good at thrifting, it’s kind of cool.”

Love Buzz employee Timarie Luker thrifted locally for two years before deciding to work as a cashier there. Luker said there’s no reason to not wear a shirt just because somebody else owned it.

“I find that a lot of older clothing tends to be well made, sometimes even better made than most clothing today because of the whole fast fashion life cycle of it all,” Luker said. “And if we just keep buying clothes that have been pre-worn then we can cut down on that textile waste.”

The price tags associated with fast fashion are also starting to hurt the wallets of college students who are already struggling financially.

“If you go to a store that sells brand new stuff, most of the prices are $60 to over $100. Most people can’t afford that, mostly because of tuition and costs on a daily basis,” said Julio Noyola, Old Soul Exchange shopper and university student. “So having thrift shops that have more affordable prices is better to at least level-up peoples style.”

Uptown Cheapskate encourages low prices so students and even local customers can afford fashionable clothing.

“We do a lot of sales here and I think it just draws it in and it really benefits that we’re in a college town because a lot of college students are very broke, myself included,” Allender said. “So it just helps that there’s a place to go where you can get really cute, stylish things.”

McCartney works with students in the Fashion Merchandising Association at Texas State by providing real-life work experience through fashion shows, weekly meetings and thrift pop-up fundraisers.

“I’ve built a lot of really cool relationships with the college students. You know, people are young in a college town, they’re coming out of their shell,” McCartney said. “They’re learning how to express themselves and to be able to help do that and help you find your fashion is, like, super awesome.”