Last month, hip-hop artist Macklemore dropped his new single “Thrift Shop.” The video racked up more than 3 million views on YouTube, rose to number 82 on iTunes Top 100, and has resonated with a significant portion of New Trier students who participate in “thrifting.”
If you’re not familiar with the art of thrifting, it’s quite simple. The shopping movement emerged as a way to find interesting items at a cheap price from, flea markets, garage sale and charitable organizations. The act is also part of a larger philosophy that celebrates recycling. A thrifter could range from a person with no economic choice but to buy secondhand, an activist in the anti-consumer movement, a shopper trying to reduce their carbon footprint, or simply a vintage hunter.
Macklemore’s video features him and his beat producer Ryan Lewis decked in fancy furs, Coogi sweaters, jean jackets, Hawaiian shirts, and bolos with cowboy boots. Before its release, he Tweeted, “My collection (of thrift clothes) is worth anywhere between $70 and a million, depending on who’s appraising it… It’s recycling. And recycling is beautiful, am I right? That’s what this song is about.”
Macklemore has gained considerable popularity in the past year. The same can be said about the popularity of thrifting. The popularity of thrift stores increased during the recession as families turned to cheaper sources for their clothing. Teens and young adults have since caught on, as some thrift stores purposefully market themselves as hip and trendy. Combining a vintage and hip selection with much lower prices, second hand stores became especially appealing to high school students.
As high schoolers gain more financial independence from parents, they make their own shopping decisions. Junior Anna Sweitzer commented, “Thrifting just makes sense from a monetary standpoint. Instead of spending $50 at a designer store for one shirt, I can get an entire outfit for less than $20 at a place with cooler clothing.”
Fellow junior Will Belliel is also an avid thrifter. “I started thrifting the beginning of my sophomore year when my brother took me to my now favorite store, Unique. Now, I get about all my clothes at thrift stores. Prices start at around five dollars or less, and because they receive so much donated merchandise, they mark down a lot of items even further.” Belliel’s Unique was rated the best thrift store in the Chicago land area by a Squidoo.com poll. Other local favorites include Winnetka Thrift Shop and the Salvation Army store in Skokie.
Kevin Miner, a frequenter of Winnetka Thrift Shop, said, “I got this dope throwback Michael Jordan jersey for five bucks. I searched for it on online and it was selling for more than seventy bucks on eBay.”
Nonetheless, thrift stores do come with some downsides. With so much merchandise moving in and out of the store, clothing is usually organized by color and finding the right size can be a hassle. Also, any purchased item should be sanitized thoroughly. Used clothing can come with permanent stains, small holes, missing buttons, or reeking of cigarettes. Belliel mentioned, “I bought an awesome jacket one time only to realize when I got home that the zipper was missing.”
But even if you’re not interested in buying your normal ckothes second-hand, thrift stores offer whacky, cheap clothing perfect for costumes. Senior Kevin Bode commented, “My turnabout group wanted to dress up as cowboys and Indians for our theme. I didn’t have a cowboy hat laying around my house so I went to Salvation Army and bought one for five bucks. It was that easy.”
Even for a high school on the North Shore with students who can afford full price North Face jackets, thrifting has become popular. Who doesn’t like saving money? Still, hit up your local Target or Walmart if you’re buying any type of undergarments. Guy or girl, no one should be subjected to wearing used underwear. Please thrift responsibly.