Fashion waste experts estimate that there is enough clothing in the world today to clothe the next six generations. Think about that for a moment… staggering, isn’t it? Now consider the environmental and social impact of producing all those clothes. Natural fibers have been increasingly replaced by synthetics and labor has been sourced farther afield to help bolster the fashion industry’s bottom line, not to mention that transporting these products contributes to the world’s CO2 emissions. Fast fashion, the practice of mass producing the revolving door of newest clothing trends to satisfy the appetite of consumers, is not sustainable.
When starting this business a year ago, I knew that I wanted to be part of the solution. It seemed logical to work to rein things in by building a community, locally, to help slow down fashion in our corner of the world. No small task. I learned early on that this can’t be done alone and have been extremely fortunate to be supported by family and friends (old and new). So now we are working as a team to figure this out as we go.
The store started with an abundance of donations; initially from Smith College as they were cleaning out student housing at the end of the year (a common problem that we plan to explore in a future blog) and from a friend who needed to purge due to a major downsizing of their home (another topic for another day). Once word got out that I was opening a thrift store it was rare that a day passed without items being dropped off.
As we began organizing piles of donations, we sorted items into four categories:
Ready for sale
In need of laundering/cleaning
In need of repair
Perfect for upcycling
Technically there’s a fifth pile needing attention – items too far gone for use in the store. We’re still working on figuring out this component but once we get a solution nailed down, we’ll be sure to share it with you. With the scale of products coming through our door this can get expensive but thankfully our customers have been sharing things that are still in good condition and have a lot of life left in them. We’ve recently been introduced to a potential local solution and plan to do some homework to be sure it’s a good fit. More to follow on this!
Of course, having items that could be put on the floor for immediate sale was great. However, the opportunity to bring new life to an item that might otherwise become discarded because of a stain or tear, opened a fresh take on thrifted clothing. Upcycling takes on a life (and room) of its own at Thrifty Bootique.
At the shop you can find a wide assortment of Upcycled products including hand tye-dyed, stamped and/or uniquely patched clothing, baskets woven from shopping bags, jewelry created from game pieces, purses and bags from reused fabrics. We are thrilled to currently feature 6 artists in our Upcycling Room and that list is growing!
We hope that our upcycling room will give consumers an opportunity to see old items in a new, fresh light and maybe try creating something new with their own items. We love that our Upcycling Room gives opportunities to local artists to feature and sell their work in the spirit of reducing waste and reusing old items in a new way.
To support this upcycling movement, guests are welcome to use the MMUCC room (MMUCC stands for Meeting, Mending, Upcycling, Creative, Crafting) and its materials at any time to repair, mend or reimagine an item that might be destined for the trash. We recently added a new rockstar to our staff who works on site during business hours to tackle our pile of mending and can help you as well with yours. Check out the MMUCC room calendar to see her availability. We are also offering mending and patch nights after hours as well as knitting and crochet classes and plans for more activities to come. This growing little community has become a hub of imagination and collaboration and we’re so excited to watch it grow!
Keep an eye out for future posts that spotlight our Upcycling Artists. We invite you to consider yourself an upcycler as well – whether it’s a piece just for you, gifts for family and friends, or your own curated line. Together, we can make a difference and be a part of the solution.