Students at UNC Asheville and members of the wider Asheville community choose pre-loved clothing now more than ever as concerns over affordability, sustainability, and individuality rise.
“Affordability is a huge part of it. There is also a wave of individualism and an exploration of self Generation Z has, which has a lot to do with clothing and expression,” said Ariel Garcia, 24, coordinator for Asheville’s Zen & Now thrift store.
According to ThredUp’s 2024 Resale Report, the U.S. secondhand apparel market grew seven times faster than the wider retail clothing market in 2023. College students opting out of fast fashion and buying pre-loved clothing instead were a major contributor to this. The report also said the secondhand apparel market will reach $73 billion by 2028, as the trend of buying secondhand is expected to gain further popularity.
The Student Environmental Center at UNC Asheville operates a free store on campus where students can exchange clothing and other usable items with campus community members. According to Isabella Bascom, project coordinator and eco-representative for the Student Environmental Center, the store aims to provide a more sustainable clothing option as students become increasingly conscious of the fast fashion industry and its environmental harm.
“The free store was something we really pushed for and was unique to us. It is definitely something that came out of an interest in sustainability,” Bascom said.
Bascom said the free store has struggled to find a permanent place on campus. Last year, frozen pipes caused the walk-in store to switch to donation bins in front of the ACE office in the Highsmith Student Union. Students can leave unwanted clothing items in the bins, which will be displayed at pop-up events on the last Thursday of every month.
Buying pre-loved clothing is also a trend in the wider Asheville community, as younger residents moving into the city bring a more sustainable and affordable lifestyle. Lori Dawson, owner of Mine & Yours Asheville Resale store, said students from all colleges in the area now come in regularly as they enjoy purchasing clothing they may normally be unable to afford.
“The numbers increased after the first year of COVID. In 2021 it was a little scary, but by 2023 I had completely recovered from COVID and it was the best year I’ve had in 24 years,” Dawson said. “Young people are certainly for helping the environment, and this is reflected in their clothing choices at the store.”
As a longtime thrifter and Asheville local, Garcia said affordability is a huge reason why young people are fixated on buying pre-loved clothing in the city. She also said Zen & Now’s mission of making a healthy lifestyle, including accessible good-quality clothing, enables young people to find their own style and uniqueness.
“The process of exploring clothing is really fun to me. I love the discovery of it and not really knowing what you’re going to find,” Garcia said.
Buying pre-loved clothing is less harmful to the environment than buying from larger manufacturing companies, as it reduces carbon emissions and saves resources, water and energy. According to ThredUp’s 2023 Resale Report, if every consumer in 2024 bought just one secondhand garment instead of a new one, it would have lowered carbon emissions by more than 2 billion pounds, equal to taking 76 million cars off the road for a day and saving 23 billion gallons of water.
There is still a cost to purchasing things you don’t really need. Overbuying of pre-loved clothing still ultimately increases landfill waste. The popularity of fast fashion also means low-quality clothing appears at secondhand stores, which can have a negative impact on families thrifting out of necessity.
“Bigger establishments like Goodwill can get overrun with things people don’t even touch,” Bascom said. “I think it all starts with who is making the items too, which could be answered by bigger corporations who control these things.”
In its 2022 annual report, Goodwill Industries International said it recovered more than 4 billion pounds of used goods and 17 million pounds of electronics, an increase of more than a billion goods compared to its 2020 report findings. Bascom said a better filtering system and more mindful donation tactics could stop places like Goodwill from exacerbating the problems stemming from fast fashion.
Goodwill’s prices are competitive with popular online fast-fashion retailers Shein and Temu. According to Goodwill’s official website price list, the standard price for women’s shorts is $4.99. On Tuesday, Shein’s official U.S. site showed women’s shorts starting at $2.37. Bascom said this could present a dilemma for students wanting to remain environmentally conscious but looking for affordable clothing.
According to the 2024 Ethical Fashion Report, conducted by Tearfund and Baptist World Aid, Shein scored 5 out of 21 for environmental sustainability, and Temu scored 0 out of 21. Temu ranked in the bottom 20% overall for protecting workers and the environment.
“I do think some websites are becoming more popular, such as Shein and Temu, as they have more affordable options and are more widely accessible. But overall, I don’t think thrifting is going anywhere,” Garcia said.
