Members of Generation Z have made it clear to big corporations that they think about where their clothing and shoes are made.
From climate change to social justice, this group of people born between 1997 and 2012, are leading the charge for change to combat many of the globes most pressing matters.
This holiday season, Anna Coon, president of UThrift, the University of Miami’s thrift swap pop-up store, encourages the University community to seek clothing, shoes, and gifts that are truly sustainable as the environmental impact of wealthy and middle-class people has contributed to increasingly destructive fashion practices. According to Earth.org, of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 93 million tons end up in landfills.
To help promote sustainable fashion ahead of the holiday season, the student group hosted a fashion show in October on the Lakeside Patio along with Distraction Magazine, and Elevate Runway Fashion, to encourage their peers to see that thrifting for clothes can be stylish. Everything that the models wore in the show was second hand.
“The whole point of our fashion show was to show that sustainability is fashion,” said Coon, a senior studying broadcast journalism and political science. “You can keep up with trends and look cute without going to the mall or shopping online.”
UThrift makes it easy for students and faculty and staff members to thrift on campus thanks to its ideology of swapping items, which promotes conscious consumerism and slow fashion. The group accepts lightly used clothes, shoes, books, and anything else in good condition. At any time, a thrifter can take one item without donating. And for every item donated, the person gets one in return, plus a bonus item. “[For students], it’s a lot of stuff from their peers, and a lot of stuff that they’re looking for in the stores anyway,” said Coon.
Caroline Bernet, UThrift sustainability director and a junior majoring in psychology, said shopping second hand this holiday season will help to reduce waste, provide a more meaningful gift-giving experience, and possibility provide a chance to support a charity.
“It challenges the idea of what a gift is,” said Bernet. “You can find some really awesome things from companies that are trying to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Bernet shared a few examples of sustainable gift-giving for this holiday season. Last year, she purchased a designer skirt from Girlfriend Collective, a sustainable women’s clothing brand ethically made from recycled materials, for her mother. And her mom wears it all the time, she noted. Another cool idea could be purchasing a second-hand scarf to wrap your thrifted gift.
“It’s really cool and fun because you can be unique with it,” said Bernet. “My generation, as a whole, is becoming more interested in shopping sustainably, and I think it’s more than a trend. I believe we are becoming more aware and changing the idea of what a gift is—there’s nothing wrong with a second-hand item.”
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