If you spend any time on social media platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram, then you’ve probably already experienced Gen Z’s love for thrifting firsthand. If you haven’t, here’s the skinny, the younger generation is more interested in thrifting on a large scale than any generation before them.
From social media influencers with large followers promoting second-hand shopping, to social clubs being founded in high schools and colleges, young people love thrifting. And we did some digging to figure out why.
Here are the top four reasons Gen Z loves second-hand shopping:
Thrifting Popularity On Social Media
We mentioned it already, but social media plays a big role in teenagers’ interest in pretty much everything and thrifting is no exception. Social media has the power to glamorize anything. And when a few key content creators started gaining popularity for their second-hand shopping videos, it wasn’t long before the habit caught on like wildfire.
Many teens and young adults like sharing their thrifting adventures through story videos on their Tik Tok and Instagram pages. It’s even more common to see “thrifting haul” videos where posters share what they found at the thrift store and show how they styled it.
Embracing Thrifting To Reject Fast Fashion
Fast Fashion is bad for the environment, workers, and communities at large. But instead of accepting that they cannot avoid it, many Gen Z shoppers reject fast fashion by turning to thrifting instead.
In fact, Gen Z is the most vocal generation about slowing down fast fashion and rejecting brands and retailers that refuse to comply with basic environmental and human rights requests. As the youngest generation, they understand that their quality of life on this planet may be significantly worse than the generations before them if we don’t all work together to improve the current state. And while Gen Z can’t pass laws, they can decide where they shop, and they choose to shop vintage.
Passion For Individuality Through Vintage Styles
Chasing individuality and finding self-expression will always be important to young people. And Gen Z is no exception. But Gen Z is one of the first generations to be raised with a constant window looking into the past. Thanks to technology, they’re able to see how generations of teenagers expressed themselves centuries before them. This allows them to see more than just “what’s trendy right now” and also see what trends resonate with them throughout history.
While Y2K fashion is popular right now, it isn’t the only style Gen Z shoppers are picking up at the thrift store. Through social media, we’re able to see that there are large clusters of young adults interested in everything from 40’s fashion all the way to the currently popular 2000s fashion.
Saving Money In A Recession-Bound Economy
Inflation, recession, and debt are all words Gen Z grew up hearing. Not only that, but they’ve also been hearing them with increased frequency in the last couple of years. As a generation, they understand that a dollar isn’t what it used to be, even if they have no memory of what that was. So many young people are turning to second-hand shopping because they know their money stretches further at thrift stores.
And isn’t that what being young is all about, getting the most out of the little money you have? It’s a wonder Gen Z is the first generation to be this obsessed with thrifting.
With these four reasons, it’s safe to say that thrift shopping isn’t just a Gen Z trend. And we can only expect young people’s passion for vintage shopping to grow in the coming years.
