As the Millennial’s influence on hipster culture on the West coast continues to spread, the effects can be clearly seen in the clothing style Generation Z adolescence today. When children begin maturing in high school, one of the results is the development of their own style of fashion. In combination with the currently trending urban and vintage style, thrift stores have become increasingly popular for those looking for an economic, ethical and environmentally friendly alternative to retail stores.
“I think that shopping at thrift stores is more ethical than shopping at retail stores. Oftentimes clothing from retail stores is very expensive and the store makes up to four hundred percent or more than what they pay their employees and the people who make their clothing,”senior Katie O’Shea said.
Because of the abundance of collections and styles when browsing thrift stores, finding the desired shirt or jacket can be incredibly thrilling. Junior Sam Snow offered some insight into the topic.
“I usually look for polos or jackets, but finding a pair of pants that I’ve been wanting is really exciting because that’s the least likely to find” Snow said.
With a whole store containing attire from almost any era imaginable, select tailors are usually what shoppers look to find and wear. From shoes to jackets, almost every garment possesses unique features that would otherwise not be available at your traditional retail store.
“Personally, my style is late 80s-early 90s. I’m really inspired by bold silhouettes and textures, but my all time favorite thing to find are really weird and specific t-shirts. When I thrift I mainly look for high quality fabrics and fits of clothing that will best suit my body,” O’Shea said.
When asked about which thrift stores they like to shop at, both Katie and Sam said Goodwill was one of the most favored.
“I routinely shop at Goodwill, specifically because I think they’re the most responsible in practice and have the lowest prices,” O’Shea said.
Outside Thousand Oaks, Sam says that the Melrose Flea Market is also one of his favorite places to shop.
“If I go [there] I’ll spend forty dollars and get a couple jackets, couple shirts and maybe some pants. They even have shoes there for like ten dollars, it’s crazy,” Snow said.
Different from shopping at retail stores, coming out of thrift stores with multiple articles of clothing is an often occurrence, and generally more guilt free.
“Maximum I’ll spend like twenty bucks, and depending on where I go, like if I go to Goodwill I can get like three shirts and pants,” Snow said.
“On average I spend around twenty dollars at Goodwill, which will get me anything from a couple pairs of jeans, a bunch of t shirts, a couple jackets/long sleeve shirts, or a combination of items.”
