Thrifting Tips: How to Build a Sustainable Wardrobe

Shopping for secondhand fashion just got easier with these thrifting tips.

In this week’s Stylekindly With Me video, fashion blogger Suresh Seneviratne talks about the benefits of thrift shopping. But he hasn’t always been a thrifter. “Thrift fashion and secondhand fashion is kind of a new concept for me,” he explains.

That was until his partner—who is a thrift and vintage shopper—taught him about the benefits of secondhand clothing shopping. “I have found some amazing things at really amazing prices that people are selling,” he continued. “And it’s kind of opened up my eyes and made me realize there is a whole world of beautiful fashion.”

Suresh shows us four clothing pieces he purchased on Poshmark: a short-sleeved shirt, a Vans clear raincoat, leather-free Adidas sneakers, and Everlane jeans. Poshmark is an online social marketplace for new and secondhand clothing. It features more than 70 million members across the U.S. and Canada, as well as 200 million pieces for sale.

Suresh shared his thrifting tips, which include shopping on Poshmark.

Suresh’s Thrifting Tips

Three of the pieces Suresh purchased on the platform were brand new. “The great thing about thrift fashion and thrifting, in general, is that depending on where you go, you’ll always find new pieces that people are selling […] along with gently used clothes,” he explains.

Suresh was inspired to shop for thrifted clothing pieces because of the impact that clothing waste has on the environment. Shopping for secondhand pieces helps keep clothing and other textiles out of landfills. According to the Council for Textile Recycling, the average American discards 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles each year. “That’s just a crazy, staggering number,” Suresh says.

“Clothes last a lot longer than we think,” he adds. Despite any stains or rips clothes may get, he explains “there are so many things you can do to repurpose that garment and bring it back to life.”

“One man’s trash is definitely another man’s treasure,” he adds.

Be sure to follow Suresh on Instagram @SureshNY. And subscribe to his YouTube channel here.