How Thrifting Gives Rise to Individualism

Since 2012, when Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” came out, thrift shopping has become “cool” again. Instagram and other social media outlets have made the trend even more popular in the following years, especially with Generation Z shoppers.

Generation Z includes those born in the mid-1990s to those in the early 2000s, currently about 18-23 years old. They account for 40 percent of all U.S. consumers and are the most diverse generation. They are labeled as money savers and bargain-hunters. They are also more likely to be vegan, care about the environment than other generations and when it comes to fashion, they choose to be more individualistic.

Thrifting offers this generation of shoppers the opportunity to find bargains, save money, help the environment and find their individual fashion. Thrift and vintage stores today, vary. Some shoppers prefer to spend more money at a vintage and thrift store where the owners have found the best and most trendy clothes to resell, while others prefer to do the work themselves and shop at places like Salvation Army and Goodwill.

Noah Borgdorff, 20, describes the latter, as “cathartic”, saying “It’s like the lottery in these places sometimes, one time I found a 2004 Final Four shirt with frayed sleeves and a huge bear coat for like $10.00, I’m not bumping into anyone else with the same thing. When you find these items, it just feels so good.” Borgdorff noticed the fact that more and more people his age were thrifting for cool finds, “people are trying to be different, people have always wanted to stick out, but now you can show off your individual style like never before.”

He is referring to how social media outlets like Instagram and YouTube have encouraged people to show off their aesthetic, or artistic style, in a way they never have in previous generations. Being able to express your style through social media and see other people doing the same, allows people to be their most genuine, authentic selves.

Borgdorff has been thrifting like this since he was younger. His mother would take him to Value World and he and his siblings would be able to pick out “twelve Nike shirts because they were only $3.00.” His mother would “explain how the more money we saved thrift shopping, the more we had to go out to Olive Garden, or go camping.” That has always stuck with Noah, “I like to get my shirts and pants thrifted, so then I can spend more on shoes and other things I cannot find at a Salvation Army.”

The individualism that thrifting gives to Generation Z shoppers is what attracts them, the money they save is what makes them stay. “I’m willing to search through 100 shirts to find five good ones for the price. I can find stuff that no one else has and it gives me a sense of pride, that’s what makes it special.”