GREENSBORO, N.C. — Shoppers are increasingly turning to thrift stores to find more sustainable and environmentally friendly fashions.
Kandice Russell grew up going to yard sales and thrift stores every weekend with her mother, Elva Studstill. Something they did out of necessity turned into a full-time passion. The mother-daughter duo opened Tribe Thrift, formerly known as Thrift Chic Boutique, in April 2021.
“My mom was a waitress, and she was a single mom, so it was something that was fun for us to do, but it was something that was like, 'oh, we need to do this,'" Russell said.
Russell takes donated pieces and restyles them in-store. She’s focused on providing her customers with quality pieces, better known as slow fashion. Its competitor is fast fashion, or inexpensive trendy clothing made by big retailers. These pieces often involve man-made materials that don’t decompose and use a lot of natural resources.
“Stuff that we try to choose for here is more sustainable because it is slow fashion. Because they’re classic pieces, pieces that last through a washing machine. Things that will still be cool five years from now,” Russell said.
Because of fast fashion and social media’s reaction to it, trend cycles last only a few weeks compared with the entire season. Younger shoppers, who are environmentally conscious, are turning to thrift stores as an alternative.
Russell says she’s seen many influencers show themselves re-creating designer looks with thrift store finds, which encourages younger shoppers to do the same.
According to a report by online consignment store ThredUp, the secondhand market saw record growth in 2021, with a 32% increase. It’s expected to more than double, growing into an $82 billion industry by 2026. While Tribe Thrift is expecting a big move closer to downtown Greensboro this October, Russell hopes to convert more traditional shoppers into thrift shoppers and show the benefits of shopping sustainably.
“Supporting local is also sustainable because you’re sustaining your community. If you weren’t already a thrifter, I think they’re just going to start catching on soon with that,” she said.