Vintage Vibes

If you haven't been paying attention, fashion is one of the biggest contributors to water usage, waste, and not-so-sustainable practices.

Coming from someone who works in the fashion/retail industry, I can confirm this, and it scares me. It should scare you too.

While there are companies who are finally taking the initiative to do better by looking into their product lifecycles and manufacturing processes, there are companies that will not change their ways unless we make them.

Fast Fashion≠Slow Fashion

Do you understand that?

Why are you continuing to buy mass fashion when it makes you look like everyone else? Where is the fun in that?

The only way to continue to be a fashion consumer, and care about the environment is to look to more sustainable options. It also means you should be buying less.

With that being said, what is an easy way to start thinking about how we can reduce our footprint together?

I've been an avid fan of thrift, vintage, and antique stores since I was little. Who doesn't love to play dress up? The best way to find fancy clothing for reasonable prices was through thrift stores.

There is no denying that there are pieces of furniture, clothing, accessories, and then some, that still deserve the love they once had from their original owner.

Times change, designs fade, but the love of high quality items will never die. Things today are not made like they once were. This has been forgotten in a frenzy of consumption, consumption, consumption, but I think a movement is occurring with emphasis on sustainability.

I will admit, there are some thrift stores that are overwhelming. With large stores, like Goodwill and Savers, there is no use for visual merchandising. The easiest way to create a worthwhile layout is by categorizing.

This is overwhelming to some, BUT it does not mean they are not worth spending a few hours digging through.

However, nowadays, with the uprising of thrift and vintage stores, there are smaller boutiques that feel posh, and welcoming by adding those visual merchandising and design elements. They are a little less scary to those just starting their journey in the three R's.

From era, to color, to style, the possibilities to create an ambiance that changes the consumer's mind about vintage shopping are endless.

Recommendations

Because I am a Midwestern gal, and I love to share recommendations, if you're in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I have a few suggestions of places to start your reduce/reuse/recycle fashion journey:

• Golden Pearl Vintage (NE Mpls)
• Rewind Vintage (NE Mpls)
• Everyday People (St. Paul)
• Tandem Vintage (NE Mpls)
• Minneapolis Vintage Market

The Twin Cities have a great vintage/thrift scene, and it only continues to grow. This is a step in the right direction.

Again, Slow Fashion Versus Fast Fashion.

• Do you know the difference?
• Are you willing to make the change?
• Why are you buying in mass quantities when those items are not lasting you more than a few wears?

Slow Fashion is a standard that we all should be striving towards. Yes, trends are important to fashionistas, but trends pendulum, and are predictable. That is why you can find relevant fashion in thrift and vintage stores today.

It is hard enough to create content/designs that are new, and not influenced by another creation, so why not get inspiration by using what is already made. You can combine different pieces to make it your own.

We also need to consider the companies that are taking the initiative to recycle our recyclables into new products, or that are recycling other products into new products of their own.

For example, the company Freitag takes old truck tarpaulins and makes them into a variety of bags. Each one is unique, durable, and sustainable. This company knew there was a way to make a product that would consider the consumers needs, rather than just their wants. They are a company that is considering the past, what is going to landfills, as well as the future; how we can keep these products out of landfills.

It is all about looking to the future with fashion. We can look to the past/present for the items we need, like at thrift and vintage shops, but we also need to be aware of the future, and what it holds for us. If we continue to contribute to so much water use, chemical use, and plastic use, we may kill the planet single handedly with our throw-away attitudes.

Right now, if you're looking for trends for SS'19 in thrift or vintage stores, look for jumpsuits, 80s dresses, beaded bags, and shell accessories!