Nick Kril loves to browse the racks at thrift and vintage stores to find distinctive looks for his closet.
“One of my favorite things about shopping secondhand is that everything is unique. There’s usually only one of each item in the store,” said the Philadelphia resident.
Kril also works as an inventory director at The Wardrobe, a nonprofit that provides free clothing to anyone who needs it, and operates a storefront full of secondhand clothes.
“I really love older things, and I’m very picky about things like fit and fabric,” he said. “So, I’m always turning things inside out, looking at how they’re made, looking at what they’re made of, looking for those really wonderful fabrics that you don’t find in fast fashion.”
Fast fashion produces lower quality clothes at a fast pace for consumers who want to replicate designer trends at a low price. The industry also has environmental consequences. Online consumers are encouraged to buy more clothes and wear them less frequently — meaning more items end up in landfills.
But as the trade war between the U.S. and China puts a strain on the fast fashion industry, prompting some online fashion stores’ app usage to plummet, thrifting proponents hope more shoppers will turn to sustainable clothing.
“I am hoping that people turn more to thrifting,” said personal stylist Tia Jones. “I feel like I’ve seen an increase in it in the last couple of years.”
The founder of styling company Tia Couture said shopping secondhand reduces waste.
Items for sale at B-Bop Vintage in Philadelphia’s Queen Village neighborhood. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
More than 11 million tons of textiles were sent to landfills in 2018 alone, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Fabric in landfills don’t decompose and release climate-warming greenhouse gases. Toxic chemicals and dyes from textiles can also leach into soil or groundwater. Much of the waste generated in the U.S. is exported to other countries, such as Chile and Nigeria, polluting their environments.
“We’ve come to rely on inexpensive materials, which ultimately are predominantly coming from fossil fuels, which then impacts the environment,” said Clare Sauro, a fashion and textile history professor at Drexel University. “And then, of course, we’re consuming a lot, which winds up in landfills.”
Sauro hopes trends shift as President Donald Trump imposes tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods, prompting Chinese online fashion brands Shein and Temu to increase their prices this week. Shein’s and Temu’s online stores, known for low prices, have attracted millions of U.S customers.
The new tariffs when added on to existing ones means some companies could be hit with tariffs as high as 245%. The Trump administration also rescinded an exemption that allowed Chinese companies to ship smaller value items duty-free, and avoid some customs documentation. The result could ultimately mean a delay in shipping items to customers.
Sheng Lu, a professor of apparel sourcing and trade at the University of Delaware, said fast fashion will be hit hard by the tariffs because the industry earns thin margins and imports millions of items.
Lu said a universal 10% tariff on other countries may also impact fast fashion brands that produce outside of China.
B-Bop Vintage’s owner said that they keep prices in line with discount retailers like TJ Maxx. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
The tariffs could also mean fewer sales, as consumers typically buy less clothes during a time of economic struggle, he said.
“Before consumers have money to buy clothing or they’re willing to buy clothing, they first have to prioritize utilities, rent, gasoline,” Lu said.
He said the result could mean companies cancel existing sourcing orders, or postpone placing existing orders.
The tariff’s silver lining
Environmentally conscious shoppers and designers are calling the tariffs a potential silver lining, however. Sheng said he agrees it’s possible some shoppers may turn to more affordable — and environmentally friendly — second hand stores.
“The number one issue facing [the] industry is there are too many suppliers out there, and there is too much textile waste, and there is no perfect way to handle this textile waste,” he said.
“So, maybe through the tariff war, we can reduce the supply of textile waste, and this is maybe some silver lining of the tariff war.”
But increased thrifting, along with fewer donations as people hold onto clothes to save money, could also result in higher price tags at thrift stores, Lu said. If so, that could defeat the purpose of affordability, and could reduce interest, he said.
“A lot of studies show the top reason for consumers to buy secondhand clothes is not because of sustainability. Instead, it is because of the low price,” he said.
B-Bop Vintage in Philadelphia’s Queen Village neighborhood. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Personal stylist Jones said she too is concerned the tariffs could drive prices up at the thrift store, and reduce quality.
“That’s just a concern of mine, [not] having the good quality pieces because people might not donate,” she said.
Still, secondhand clothes will never be hit with tariffs that ultimately trickle down to consumers, business experts say. Thrift and vintage store owners say they are hopeful their sales will boost during this time.
Dani Feher, founder of Philadelphia-based tailoring company Pransome, said they hope the tariffs will encourage people to shop for quality clothing at local stores.
“I think with those tariffs, it’s really giving us a moment to pause,” they said. “Don’t just buy it. Don’t buy it from another brand or another place and have it expedited.”
However, there first needs to be a shift in people’s mindsets that assume new is better, Sauro said.
“There’s very high-end online retailers,” she said. “If you reframe it as, ‘This is a collectible, and I’m a connoisseur and I am crafting an artistic and beautiful wardrobe that will last, rather than fall apart after a few wears,’ I think that is something worth promoting. But a lot of consumers are uncomfortable with the idea of wearing something that previously was worn by somebody else.”
