Vintage and secondhand shopping is not only a trend or a way to create a more personal style. It is also a way to minimize one’s negative impact on the natural environment.
With the recent unusually heavy rainfall in Korea, it’s hard not to think about how climate change will affect our daily lives in the future. While experts debate whether severe environmental changes are preventable or not, most agree that there are little things that every person can do to slow the process.
The fashion industry, like any other, is dependent on profit to develop. It thrives on the people’s need to have the latest on the market. In a world where trends change by the month and clothes are used only for a season, the speed of manufacturing is faster than the time it will take for Earth to naturally dispose of the waste we leave behind.
Because of that, the need to change our consumer habits increases each day. We need to find ways of living that will leave as little damage as possible for future generations while still satisfying our own needs.
In Korea the global trend of shopping secondhand is becoming more common. From a consumer’s perspective, the choice of buying previously owned items is not only beneficial for minimizing environmental damage but can also be a way to save money and to create a personally unique style.
The best and the worst things about shopping secondhand are really two sides of the same coin. There is only one item of a kind. It can be troublesome to find the right size, the right shape and so on. On the other hand, once you do find that perfect piece, it’s almost certain no one else will be wearing the exact same thing.
Therefore we will now provide you with a quick guide for how to shop and what to buy in different types of secondhand shops to make the experience easier and more enjoyable. Vintage and secondhand shops are all different, and where to successfully go shopping depends on what item you are hoping to find.
In a distinct vintage boutique you will most probably find carefully selected high-end items like luxury hand bags and shoes that will probably be expensive. But as they are often in a close-to-new condition, this might be a place to go if, for example, you are looking for a particular brand of handbag.
In a more down market secondhand store, where people leave their old unwanted clothes and accessories, you’ll find clothes of all sorts cheap but often completely unsorted. Going into this kind of store often requires an open mind and a clear schedule, basically because it can be rather messy. Outerwear, scarfs and ties, old accessories, and quality shirts are things to look for in these kinds of shops; those are the items easiest to find, and you can find real bargains.
If you are on the look out for vintage dresses, jeans, hats, or other clothes with a trendy feel, it will save you a lot of energy to go to a well-sorted store. Shops that specialize in picking out secondhand items to go with the current trends have become recently popular in Korea and around the world. It will cost a little more than going to the first drop-off secondhand stores, but can save you hours of effort.
Some find it therapeutic strolling around unsorted multi-colored racks, while others don’t. Some find pleasure in wearing exclusive bargain items, others don’t. But regardless of enjoying the exclusiveness of vintage clothing and the treasure-hunt-style of shopping, there is always something positive that comes from it. You will know that, at least concerning clothes, you will contribute a little to sustainable development for the future.
Paula Ponzer is a Swedish grad student of environmental science living in Korea. She also runs the two-year-old Korea pop-culture/fashion Web site noonablog.com. <Jeju Weekly>
<Paula Ponzer contributor@jejuweekly.com ⓒ Jeju Weekly All rights reserved>
