Despite Forever 21’s recent filing for bankruptcy, fast fashion shows no signs of slowing down.
The number of brands offering fair, ethically and sustainably sourced fashion areis on the rise, but for students who are both price-sensitive and environmentally/socially conscious, one sustainable option ranks at the top: thrifting and second-hand shopping.
On campus, the student initiative named Trash to Treasure seeks to bring the rich thrift culture of Austin on the grounds of UT Austin through outdoor pop-up thrift experiences.
"So many people in Austin do thrift,” said Diego Allison, a project leader of Trash to Treasure. “But there are still incoming freshmen who come from all over and don’t really know [about thrifting].”
Founded in 2005 by the Campus Environmental Center, a student organization at UT, Trash to Treasure hosts annual donation drives that divert unwanted items during dorm move-out season and resells them to incoming students the following year, all for $1 each.
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One of the core purposes of the initiative is to bring to light the environmental and social equity impact of fast fashion and how students can play a role in the solution by supporting the practice of thrifting.
“Creating conscious consumers is a big part of [Trash to Treasure]. It is a one-dollar sale, so people will come buy a lot, but really thinking about what you need is important... Are you actually going to wear that?” said Abbey Lehr, another project leader of the initiative.
Discussing the popularity of fast fashion, Lehr pointed out that consumers are enticed by the recreation of “styles that are similar to what luxurious celebrities are wearing.”
However, with awareness increasing around the negative impacts of fast fashion, Lehr hopes students see that thrifting allows them “to develop their own style” while reducing their impact on the environment and developing countries—all while saving money.
Highlighting thrifting as a viable source of building a wardrobe, not just a way to kill time, is another purpose of Trash to Treasure.
“It’s not just trash. There are really good finds,” said Allison. “Hopefully [coming to a sale] urges them to go to thrift stores around Austin and explore them in general.”
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From clothing to home goods to even pricey textbooks, Trash to Treasure offers a variety of items that can provide value to students year after year.
With the money raised at the sales, Allison and Lehr are able to host a wide-reaching donation drive that has locations in dorms all across campus. During the last move-out, the team collected over 13,000lbs of goods, including nonperishable food items that were immediately donated to UT Outpost, a provider for food-insecure students on-campus.
For students looking to either attend a sale or get involved in a volunteer capacity at a sale or donation drive, information is updated on their Facebook Page and they encourage inquiries to their email: trashtotreasure@utenvironment.org
The next sale is Wednesday, October 30.
This story was written by Anthony Rivera, Texas Sustainability intern and Moody College of Communication advertising senior
