Social media has seen a surge in online thrift shops due to the ongoing pandemic. Nagaland, a tiny state in the northeastern part of India, is leading by example, with many young people setting up accounts as sellers and others rushing to purchase. It’s a good thing that the timing is right because there has been a global shift in focus on sustainable fashion.
Social media has seen a surge in online thrift shops due to the ongoing pandemic. Nagaland, a tiny state in the Northeastern region of India, is perhaps leading the way. Many young people are setting up seller accounts, and others are rushing to purchase.
As a child growing up in Nagaland, we wore thrift clothes and accessories a lot, especially during the winter. The sweaters and jackets we bought at thrift shops were not only much cheaper but also warmer, softer, and more durable than those that we purchased in our hometown’s apparel stores. Every few years, we would clean out our closets, removing clothes that we no longer wanted to wear or had outgrown. We then gathered them into a bag and sent them back to our hometown for our extended family. Clothing was handed down from family members for many years until it became too worn out to wear again.
Then, we’d remove the buttons, zippers, and other parts of the garment and use them as household dusters to clean the floor and kitchen platforms, etc. In our small town, this was the sustainable way of life we lived. In the early 2000s, the fast fashion market took over, and thrift shopping was pushed to the back burner. This affected small business owners who made their living selling imported secondhand items. The culture of passing down clothes has also declined dramatically, as clothing no longer lasted after a few washings. Fashion trends are used to last a season, and designers release their collections four or five times a calendar year. Fast fashion now releases new readers each week.
Fashionistas are leaving their clothes untouched after just one or two wearings to stay up-to-date with the latest trends.
In order to provide a solution for the dying thrift industry while also keeping in mind that the community loves shopping and fashions, a handful of creative entrepreneurs started to scour the few remaining thrift shops. They spent hours browsing through the piles of clothes, looking for rare pieces of clothing. They then cleaned and steamed the clothes, fixed any defects, and sold them on Instagram at a substantial profit. The clothes were as good as brand new, and prices had been slashed by 70-90 percent compared to showroom prices. Customers liked the idea and began to buy more. The pandemic hit the state just as this new marketing form was taking off. Thousands of citizens who were working or studying in cities had to return home. After the pandemic, the lockdown forced the unemployed to take up the trend to earn a quick buck. This turned online thrifting into a craze. In just a few short months, hundreds of Instagram accounts appeared, selling their pre-loved clothing, handpicked goods, or upcycled apparel. This increased competition for the few trendsetters who were first.
Stores have slowly started to appear for various reasons. Some are created with a specific purpose. For example, the “Mishmash Online Store” on Instagram was founded in 2019 by four friends who were lifelong buddies: Lucy Humtsoe (founder), Medo Thapo (founder), Nula Jamir (founder), and Thungdi Murry.
The idea was born when we went on vacation to Bangkok in 2019. We decided to open a joint savings account, where we would save money every month towards our next vacation,” explained Humtsoe.
We all had piles of clothing we never wore again. So we decided to sell it. The idea was to make it a temporary thing, but after lockdown, friends and family started asking us to do the same for them. Thapo said, “We now sell used clothes to others at a 20 percent profit. This includes packaging and shipping charges.” Murry said, “We selected only clothes that were as good as brand new and some had never been worn. We sold them for half the price, or less, depending on the fashion trend at the time.”
We decided to participate after seeing the surge in online thrift shops selling used clothes during lockdown. We wanted to have fun while finding a new home and a new life for our old clothing. We were able to sell clothes that had been worn only once or twice at half their original price or even lower depending on quality”, said Asen, who founded Curated Cart with her friends. She and seven friends became richer in a matter of weeks.
The increase in this market has also led to a gradual rise in competition, forcing these new business owners into finding unique ways to differentiate their stores, such as the ’90s Something,’ which sells vintage clothing by preserving the timeless fashion from the 80s and 90s. Two sisters, Lentina Longkumer and Imsurenla Langkumer, opened the store because of their love for vintage style.
The sisters started their store during the lockdown to sell vintage pre-loved clothing. They now sell thrifted vintage clothes. We spend days and hours searching for vintage clothing and then at least two weeks washing, steaming, and repairing any defects. Then, we find a model and take photos of the items to post on social media.
“People think it’s a simple job, but they don’t know the amount of time and work that goes into the process,” Lentina said.
Ajung Aier is the woman behind Unisex Thriftstore, and she sells her entire collection for less than Rs500. She said: “I have always loved thrift shopping. It was a weekend hobby to spend hours in thrift shops looking for unique clothing. When I noticed the boom of online thrift shops, I knew that I could do it. I sold pre-loved winter clothing, shoes, etc. I made a profit of 50 to 70 percent despite the fact that my price range was the front of the store. Smartly managing my supply stores is the key. They will give me a lower price if I buy in large quantities. “It’s a win for everyone.”
The thrift market has made a big comeback in fashion, but with an upgraded personality and a lot of flair. Consumers can’t seem to get enough.
TTanjungLongkumer said, “Who would’ve thought that we could find such high-quality, nearly new products at such affordable prices?” He began thrifting after the pandemic and has been “hooked” ever since.
Since I was a child, I have always been a thrifter. I can be trendy without emptying my bank account. It’s amazing how many online thrift shops are popping up.
Karan Thapa has been a pioneer in the field of thrift fashion influencers. He stopped wearing secondhand clothing after an accident in 2016. He is a unique style blogger who manages ‘The thrift Ensemble’, where he teaches his followers how thrifted items can be cool and fashionable for men. The rise of social media and online shops has led to a double or triple in thrift markets over the last year. He said, “I’m glad that people now understand the benefits of thrifted products.”
The lockdown has given thrifting a new respect that it had never received before. It is also making us reconsider our fashion choices.
This wave of circular fashion and thrift can help pave the path to a sustainable future.
