Embracing Hand-me-downs And Finding The Joy In Recycled Clothes

You wake up, it’s a lovely day, and you know that there’s only one thing that will set the tone for the day: your outfit. You look in your wardrobe with naive hope, and the Fashion Gods let out a pitiful laugh, as it suddenly dawns on you that you have nothing to wear!

Now the best solution to this issue has and always will be to go and raid someone else’s closet. You seem to stop looking at clothes with stale and uninspired eyes when they don’t belong to you. But why not save the moment of despair every morning and have a closet that is filled with fresh and exciting pieces without actually having to break the bank? How is this possible? – Invest in recycled clothes!

I’m lucky enough that my mother is a very sentimental woman, meaning that she kept a good portion of her clothes from the 90s and the 2000s. And as the only daughter, I get dibs! Call it archival, call it karmic goodness, I don’t mind as long as I get to call it mine!

I’ve found that the clothes which are buried in the depths of my attic, left-over from my mum’s youth are the ones that I love the most. This realisation made me wonder: why is it that recycling clothes feels so much better than buying new?

Hidden treasure 

We get a thrill like no other when we spend time (more than we’d like to admit) elbow deep in the bins at the thrift shop and it pays off. This is probably the reason why we cherish the finds so much – we must work for them. After the treacherous hunt for something cute, we feel like we really deserve whatever we’ve found. And anyone who has found themselves in a thrift shop will know that you really do have to search through piles of outdated clothing with questionable stains (in questionable areas), just to find something half-decent. Maybe the reason we treasure the finds so much is because we have to tell ourselves that the work is worth it, and it’s not just the copious amounts of inhaled dust lapsing our judgement.

Chic on Cheap 

It might be that the reason we like it so much is because of its price. Simply, it’s cheaper to recycle than it is to buy new. With today’s economic state, buying something new seems to hurt more than it used to. So, we opt for searching and saving. Although, the clothes are often considerably cheaper, this isn’t always the case, thanks to increased demand - the joys of something becoming trendy! Though, it’s still worth the occasional saved penny!

Feeling good about the goods 

It’s arguable that we like recycling clothing because it makes us feel good about ourselves! Buying second hand is much more sustainable and better for the environment than buying new. It doesn’t support wasteful practices such as fast fashion, so makes us feel like we’re doing good, and not wasting our time by scouring through vinted. Not only do we profit with our new, old clothes, but we can actively feel good about ourselves in doing so – and we’re right to, because an ethical find is the best kind!

Thriving and Trending 

Hand-me-downs are massively beneficial on a practical and ethical level, but it’s important to also recognise that there is value in wearing vintage on a personal level too. Sifting through clothes that aren’t directly in style can really help you to develop your personal taste and embrace your individuality. It assists you in deciphering whether you actually like something, or if it’s just on trend.

Equally, you might accidentally stumble across something that is on trend. You know what they say, fashion trends cycle around every 20-or-so-years (evident in the current renaissance of Y2K), so you might actually get lucky.

Not to mention that some timeless classics never go out of style – you can’t beat a good pair of jeans that fits you well, and in a dark corner of a thrift shop, you could just find your soulmate in pants-form.

Flourishing in someone-else’s favorites 

Whichever way you use to justify it, stealing clothes from the past is our future. A sustainable, ethical, and economical way to shop that feels very rewarding is always going to be a personal favourite of mine. It can’t be denied that looking at old clothes with fresh eyes can be the difference between having a meltdown on the morning of what would’ve been a lovely day, and taking a breath and enjoying it with an outfit that you’re proud of. It’s a simple as raiding someone else’s closet, and living in recycled clothes!