Secondhand September

Secondhand September- Why it matters!

Have you heard about the initiative for Secondhand September?  The basic idea is to not buy any new clothing or shoes for the month of September.  This does not mean you can’t go shopping!  Of course September is a crucial time, we are still filling the kids' closets for the new school year, and gearing up for winter weather.  This simply means, take the challenge to use items that have already been produced.  There  are enough articles of clothing and shoes (and we include home decor too) to satisfy your family’s needs.

Why take this stance on Nothing New for September?  Fashion industry and production of clothing is a large contributor to environmental waste.

Some quick stats:

• The fashion industry makes up 10% of Global carbon emission
• Americans throw away up to 14 MILLION TONS of clothing and textiles EVERY YEAR- doubling in the past 20 years
• It takes over 713 gallons of water to create 1 cotton T-shirt
• Textiles can take up to 200+ years to decompose in a landfill
• Production of new garments has doubled since 2000

Wow, let’s take a look at some of these stats.  10% of carbon emission due to new clothing being produced.  Why do we think we need so much new clothes?  Why aren’t clothing pieces that someone else has owned, which many pieces come to us with new tags still attached, good enough?  Is there still a stigma against clothing someone else has worn?  What about items tried on at the new store?  Is it still new, or is it now “used” because someone else wore it?

Remember growing up?  For some of us, it’s been a few years.  But at least in my world, we regularly traded hand-me-downs between siblings, cousins and friends.  Our families didn’t think anything was wrong with that.  Were our childhoods any less happy because we had clothes that other children had previously worn?  No, the clothing didn’t make our childhood happy or not. 

The other stat that really jumps out to me, is it takes 200+ years for the clothing in landfills to decompose.  Why are we giving this burden to our kids, and grandkids, and great grandkids?

Oxfam in England originally started the idea of Secondhand September to encourage the idea of focusing on clothing already made, already produced for just one month to make an impact against these stats and more.  

We wholeheartedly agree!!  

Frankly, almost all of my wardrobe is secondhand.  Of course I’m surrounded by it daily, and get to see all the items first.  But there are so many great pieces that come through our store, there’s no reason to buy items at a new retailer.  Not only do you get to help against the problems of fashion production for the environment, you also get items no one else has.  By not shopping at a store that has a whole rack of the same item, you never have to worry about someone else wearing the same dress or jacket to the event you are going to.    

You also get the opportunity to shop all sorts of brands in one location.  Think about it- if you go to a traditional new retailer, you only get the options of the brands they carry.  There are so many more brands out there.  By shopping in a secondhand store, you get a great mix of all brands in one store! 

They say extending the life of one fashion item by 9 months (either you wear it for another 9 months, or someone else does), it can reduce the carbon footprint for that item by up to 30%!    

Wow, that’s a real impact.

We haven’t even discussed the real savings you can get from shopping secondhand.  In general, secondhand items can save you at least 50% from shopping in a new store.  Saving 50%, getting better selection, and helping the environment- Yes Please!!

So, join us for the month of September to pledge Nothing New-  join the Secondhand September idea to reuse items already produced.  Shop secondhand in the months to come to continue your positive impact on the environment, and help your budget too!