Over recent years, thrifting is quickly becoming fast fashion’s new competitor among the new generation of customers.
“I have been thrifting since I was a little kid,” said Sophomore Brooklyn Teran.
Brooklyn said she is grateful to have gone thrifting with her family, and she can also use thrift shopping as a way to connect with her friends.
“Personally, thrifting has given me memories of going out with friends. It also helped me find out more stuff about them such as what they like and how they express themselves,” she added.
According to Jan. 27, 2025 Seattle Times article, “83 percent of Gen Z is willing to shop for thrifted goods, and revenue in the global secondhand market has increased by more than a third.”
Brooklyn added that fashion can be a personal statement to a person’s own expression. “Thrifting is such a great way to find pieces of clothing or other items to express who you are as a person. I have always felt the way I dress myself expresses who I am,” said Brooklyn.
According to Brooklyn, thrifting has not only benefited her socially, but it has also been a great way to find her own style without a costly price tag. “Financially, thrifting has helped me get so many clothes that express me as a person as well as make me enjoy shopping, but at a low price. Now having a job, I am able to pay for my own clothes rather than asking my parents to get me a single shirt that costs $30-40 just because it’s in style,” she added.
An Oct. 23, 2025 Retail Brew article covering the growth in thrifting claimed through a recent study showed that “Gen Z slashed their spending by 13 percent between January and April this year.”
“I mainly thrift from in-store thrift shops, maybe twice a week depending on how much money I have, but I do love scrolling on Depop (an online thrifting site open to the public), and getting unique and vintage pieces of clothing or items off of there,” said Brooklyn. “I would recommend people who just started thrifting to better express themselves, to look through EVERYTHING. It gets tiring, but when you look at every single piece rather than skimming through it quickly, you can really notice how fast your cart starts filling up. My favorite item I ever been able to find through thrifting was a pair of Jordans.”
Brooklyn said that she believes mainstream clothing lines and “fast fashion” will always be the number one spot in trends; however she has also observed there has been a massive
resurgence in the thrifting industry. “You can really start to see that thrift has started to somewhat take over high fashion businesses, and a lot of kids have started to realize the potential and value of thrifting,” she said
“I really think thrifted clothes have started to make an impact on teenagers nowadays,” Brooklyn added.
