Generation Z, or better known as Gen Z, have been making waves and breaking barriers when it comes to our society. As of recent, Gen Z has become the main catalyst when it comes to this rebirth of thrifting, turning a once shunned upon practice into a popular cultural change. A generation that is deeply concerned with issues regarding the environment and the impact of fast fashion, Gen Z is constantly working to become the change they wish to see in the world. Secondhand shopping has become a popular way for Gen Z to address their concerns about the world we live in while also satisfying their need to dress well in a sustainable way. Whilst also satisfying Gen Z’s stylish desires, thrifting is also popular with this generation due to its ability to acquire a unique personal style. It seems that this rebranding of thrifting perfectly led by Gen Z, is demonstrating the importance of combating fast fashion with its additional benefits.

The main factor of why Gen Z are interested in thrifting and are leading this charge for sustainable fashion is due to their care for prominent environmental causes and the climate crisis happening in our world today. Gen Z’s newfound love for thrifting is subliminally intertwined with the generation’s desire for more sustainable fashion and a desire to help combat issues such as fast fashion and climate change. This is largely due to the generation growing up while devastating events regarding the environment have taken place, which have prompted their care for such environmental causes. Dr Madeleine Marcella-Hood is an accomplished Researcher and Senior Lecturer of Fashion Management in the School of Creative and Cultural Business at Robert Gordon University.

Dr Marcella-Hood explains: “We’ve definitely seen a shift in students, I suppose in the one hand being aware but also actually caring and wanting to sort of embed that more into their own.”

Gen Z at large are a generation that are at the forefront of most campaigns for environmental causes, so it’s no surprise that when it comes to issues such as fast fashion, the care for such environmental issues shows up.

Matters such as fast fashion affect the environment in detrimental ways, such as producing high carbon emissions, waste and overproduction and the most concerning factor, pollution.

Liberty Rae is a coordinator for ReMode, which is a non-profit organisation focused on providing upcycling and sustainable resources for the youth.

Rae asserts: “I feel like young people these days are really invested in the environment and do know a lot about climate change.”

In a Typeform survey regarding the matter, 50% of Gen Z’s claimed sustainability was very important when choosing where to shop. In the eyes of Gen Z, the matter of fast fashion is easily solved by switching to a more sustainable way of shopping. By changing the method of purchasing clothes, it almost solves two key problems with one solution, which is Gen Z’s deep desire to combat environmental issues all while looking stylish. The sustainable efforts of thrifting help reduce one’s own carbon footprint by purchasing secondhand clothes or goods in the place of ordering new items online or going out to shop on the High Streets.

Gen Z has reshaped what we know about thrifting to make it their own by incorporating the use of thrifting in a more modern style through the act of upcycling . The unique practice of upcycling, which is the act of transforming used or old clothes into custom stylish pieces, helps Gen Z act more sustainably. Upcycling allows the personalisation of older pieces by repurposing the materials in a different way which might appeal to the current style or trends within our society today. Upcycling is popular with Gen Z as it allows the customisation of pieces which fulfil Gen Z’s creative style and individuality while also reducing unnecessary waste by giving clothes another life.

Dr Marcella-Hood clarifies: “What upcycling gives us is a way of perhaps repurposing an older garment, so that it maybe looks more in keeping to what people might want to wear or a new style or trend just now without actually having to create a whole new garment.”

While not only providing a custom stylish piece, upcycling reduces the environmental impact of the disposability of clothing when it comes to fast fashion, as the act of refurbishing old clothes allows for the clothes to be repurposed and helps with the issue of overconsumption. Mass consumption is a vast component in the battle of fast fashion, with brands such as Shein and Zara dropping new articles of clothing weekly. These releases by brands subliminally encourage people to feel the urge to buy the latest trendiest piece of clothing and then people cave into buying clothes that they may not need, thus delving deeper into this overconsumption problem. According to The Guardian, fast fashion brands H&M and Zara release around a whopping 12,000 to 35,000 new pieces on their websites within a year. These staggering figures are followed by overproduction and the waste of textile materials alongside a massive detrimental carbon footprint.

Image by Franco is Le Nguyen via Unsplash

Upcycling comes into this equation as a solid solution to repurpose these textile materials and lessen the carbon footprint while also reducing the overconsumption issue within the overall battle against fast fashion. Gen Z understands the danger of overconsumption of clothing, especially within a fast cycle driven culture, and therefore has led with upcycling as a way to resolve this desire for new clothing. Upcycling also provides other benefits as it allows young people to be more creative and utilise life skills such as sewing, and it allows them to be more resourceful with the materials that they already have.

Rae clarifies: “I think that the act of sewing and upcycling has a massive impact on young people’s wellbeing and just like using your hands to do something is really good for people, it’s like a haptic way of thinking.”

For a generation that strives for uniqueness and that is driven by creativity, upcycling allows Gen Z to have more unique pieces while also helping to combat this issue of fast fashion. Upcycling provides a more accessible and personal touch to thrifting, which adds to its popularity. With the trend of upcycling, issues such as overconsumption and unsustainable practices can be combated easily with the overall goal of battling this problem with fast fashion.

The tech driven generation have also successfully managed to intertwine this modern concept of thrifting with social media. In this day and age, we are more connected with everyone than we have ever been, and this is heavily influenced by social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Popular trends for thrifting have surfacedon TikTok under #ThriftTok which is the app’s hashtag solely regarded to the act of thrifting. As of recent, on TikTok the “ThriftTok” hashtag has over 311,200 posts towards the hashtag further showing thrifting’s popularity on Gen Z’s favorite social media platform.

A screenshot of the hashtag thrifttok via TikTok

Dr Marcella-Hood emphasised: “Social media can make thrifting seem more exciting and fun, especially towards the younger generation, it can really help to engage younger people which is a good thing in the long run.”

This societal change of the act of thrifting has become more trendy and popular because of Gen Z, as what was once frowned upon is now embraced, with social media sites dedicating hashtags to it. This shows how the power of social media platforms is not only subliminally helping to promote the act of thrifting but also helping in the battle of combating fast fashion. With fashion trends such as the “Y2K” and the “90s Style” trending on social media platforms, it is evident that fashion styles work in cycles, which is a positive in this fast fashion battle.

Rae explains :“I think we’ve almost got to a stage where no one’s creating new trends or fashion; it’s all like looking back in the past so definitely the “Y2K" mouvement- like there’s stuff you get in the shops that the quality isn’t as good and it doesn’t quite look right but if you can get vintage stuff, it does just look better and more authentic.”

Certain vintage styles coming back into fashion is another positive as clothing and accessories fitting these certain types of styles can only be found by thrifting or in secondhand conditions. Therefore, the revival of these trends on social media platforms helps to promote sustainable buying from this tech-savvy generation.

Screenshots via TikTok from pages @hvllylouisemay @y2kxvinatge @stylebychloeee

It is evident that Gen Z are the new faces of this sustainable fashion campaign against fast fashion. This culture embraces by the younger generation, fueled by their environmental concerns, is a greater reaction to the society and culture we are faced with today, in regard to sustainability and fast fashion. This generation’s revival of this new adoration for thrifting and the newfound passion for upcycling shows Gen Z is actively fighting against overconsumption and environmental issues, when it comes to fashion. This is all done in true Gen Z style with embracing social media and individuality, while still being very conscious about the extreme consequences fast fashion has. Gen Z in general are writing their own scripts, moreover within fashion they are proving that sustainability and fashion actually harmonize with each other for the greater good.

Dr Madeleine Marcella-Hood on the future of sustainability.

Gen Z and the rebirth of modern thrifting- a sustainable approach to combat fast fashion?