Revisiting this fine shit with a proposal to my fellows to share-within-the-family-and-friend system. My man friends rejected casual t shirts are now my workout jawns. Last year I was doubly blessed when two stylish ladies GIFTED ME their enswaggened “give away” trash bags with instructions to take what I want and pass on the rest. My closet got some new joints I would never have picked for myself (a snuggly yet sexy wool Romper!? A self-and-baby snuggling Manoogian scarf joint!?)and I thoughtfully found homes - teenaged babysitter, harried mom neighbor- for the jawns that didn’t work for me.
This process seemed less cursed than donation to Big Secondhand and I want to pay it forward.
This year I want to get some swap parties organized.
It sounds kinda counterintuitive, but something I’ve tried to do recently is avoid donating or just dropping off clothes that I don’t need whether they don’t fit or no longer appeal to me, especially when those clothes have rips or stains. My reasoning is clothes are much more likely to go into land fills when you drop them off at the Goodwill or your local thrift shop. These places frankly aren’t as good at keeping clothing in a closed ecosystem as they blame to be. Sure if you have very nice clothes, you can sell them, but the goal would be to buy nice things you wouldn’t want to let go of, and even then you can’t guarantee they will be tossed. Thrifting feels like the solution, but walk into any random thrift and you’ll see thousands of clothes that are probably months away from going to the trash. Really giving away is a last resort because I’m sure most people here have walked into an absolutely washed Crossroads or Buffalo Exchange packed to the gills with Zara and Shein.
Instead, when something of mine rips or stains and I can’t fix it (Suay LA is great for bringing new life to stuff like this), I try to repurpose it. Maybe I’ll keep it for fabric to turn patch things or sew some crazy mismatched fabric down the line. Or even more recently during the holidays, I’ve been cutting old shirts into squares and using them to wrap gifts furoshiki style. It’s honestly saved so much hassle with wrapping and it results in unique ways to give someone something special (just don’t use some nasty garments of course). So now my loved ones get to unveil their presents from a sick bright yellow, fish-print linen cloth that didn’t work so well as a shirt, but looks great as gift wrap and decoration!
@River immediately cutting up my favorite worn out things & going full FUROSHIKI . Thank you.
Also love all of this thoughtful discourse as I’m presently culling fancy curated wardrobe & w the sheer amount of time I am devoting to re-homing things/selling to collectors consigning to cute places where other people will ❤️my stuff & enjoy the luxury, comfort & beauty of well designed "made for life" fashion at an affordable price~ well i was about to say "i could have won a Nobel prize... but probs not.. ☺️
anyway, the intentionality of the enterprise has been weirdly absorbing... xo
Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023Liked by Blackbird Spyplane
My personal journey which may or may not be niche/relevant/of interest is that I'm a long time thrift only guy for whom this sletter has softened my in retrospect sometimes asshole-ish unconscious bias against new garments (obviously the vast majority in general are cancerous but the good stuff) allowing me to appreciate the care + thought in the hearts of their makers. If I see some good shit that speaks to me I'm still always going to try recreate secondhand first but I have greater empathy for their economy all round
Also real talk, thrifting is a grindset and its dirty secret that you perhaps gesture towards here is it is just as easy if not more so to fall (by virtue/sin of cost savings, implicit holiness and repetitive gamification addiction) into the same dead end bug eyed consumerist "State of Shopping" as any swagless chaser of high end clouts
This is certainly a thoughtful slapper but I would’ve appreciated more extended thoughts on the value of shopping secondhand as an alternative to copping new. I’m at a point with thrifting where I really can’t see myself ever buying new clothes again.
It’s been really empowering to unearth garms that were destined for a landfill. And on top of that, the vintage stuff is often made of natural materials, inexpensive and fits me better than the new stuff I was buying before.
That’s awesome. If you do a search for “secondhand” in the essay you will see our extended thoughts on secondhand clothes and other types of individual consumer-choice “harm mitigation” approaches to addressing the garment glut
I appreciate the sentiment of this, but I think this doesn't take into account the state of clothing / shopping for plus size and/or bigger bodies. The options are typically either mass market Shien / Fashion nova or some very small but expensive independent brands. It's easy to take Jonah's POV if you live in a body where you can walk into a thrift store and find something that fits you. But for many people who that is not the case, brands creating clothes in more sizes would be a welcome change.
When I think about 'What makes a garment special? What gives it that extra 'Swag'?'' I come back to what you touched on here: "Think about how intensely and beautifully social a garment can be…!!"
It takes me all the way back to high school when clothes began to have more significance to me- when my friends and I started borrowing or swapping clothes - there was (and is) something very special about wearing something that isn't yours and you know you don't get to keep it. I don't think I've found a contemporary equivalent that gives me the same joy about clothes now. I guess it's also the same version of taking your boyfriends jacket. Which led me to wonder, is this why influencer marketing can be so effective at driving commerce - the idea that you are simulating the idea of borrowing a best friends garment by buying the item they have, waiting for the Fedex truck, and then feeling unsatisfied because you aren't actually borrowing your real friends? Maybe we all just need to take our boyfriend's jacket more often.
This resonated deeply with me, because while I clearly care enough about clothes to subscribe to Blackbird Spyplane, I barely buy them, wear what I do own for long periods of time, and mend things when they get worn out. As of press time I own 8 bottoms and 15 tops, many of which have lasted me over 5-6 years. I have a separate closet with a few pieces that I wear out, a suit, summer accessories, and that’s it. I would rather buy 2-3 pieces a year (max!) that will last me many years, that I can have a deep relationship with, so that’s what I do.
I don’t think the clothing industry would be sustainable in its current form if everyone followed the same principles, though, would it? Shein’s whole deal is predicated on people buying lots of clothes all the time. More upscale, small-size brands still want to sell out their lines, so clearly the demand needs to be there. Clothing has a _manufactured seasonality_ to it. Capitalism _wants_ you to consume a lot. And I dress masculine, so I wouldn’t even know where to start with what other genders experience.
So why do I keep looking at clothes and thinking about clothes if I so rarely buy them? Looking at many options helps cultivate your taste; having better taste helps you pick with intention. It also feels more in alignment with my values when I buy from small independent makers. And it’s fun.
The apparel industry is problematic, but you still need to get dressed every day. Clothing is a form of communication, a way you put yourself into the world, and so you should communicate something that’s resonant with who you are. So I’ll keep buying clothes. Eventually.
Based on what I’ve read elsewhere the amount of clothing you have is about, if not more, than the average middle class person had mid 20th century. There was no fast fashion, clothing was a bit more expensive and people repaired what they had.
Letting the Shein’s of the world die for sustainability is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
speaking of which I've been working on a thing on the ethics of "shein-shaming" that I hope BBSP ends up making instead bc they'd do it better. I think its not only ethical but neccesary but I'm curious on what ppl here would think and esp what Jonah and Erin's views would be
Revisiting this fine shit with a proposal to my fellows to share-within-the-family-and-friend system. My man friends rejected casual t shirts are now my workout jawns. Last year I was doubly blessed when two stylish ladies GIFTED ME their enswaggened “give away” trash bags with instructions to take what I want and pass on the rest. My closet got some new joints I would never have picked for myself (a snuggly yet sexy wool Romper!? A self-and-baby snuggling Manoogian scarf joint!?)and I thoughtfully found homes - teenaged babysitter, harried mom neighbor- for the jawns that didn’t work for me.
This process seemed less cursed than donation to Big Secondhand and I want to pay it forward.
This year I want to get some swap parties organized.
It sounds kinda counterintuitive, but something I’ve tried to do recently is avoid donating or just dropping off clothes that I don’t need whether they don’t fit or no longer appeal to me, especially when those clothes have rips or stains. My reasoning is clothes are much more likely to go into land fills when you drop them off at the Goodwill or your local thrift shop. These places frankly aren’t as good at keeping clothing in a closed ecosystem as they blame to be. Sure if you have very nice clothes, you can sell them, but the goal would be to buy nice things you wouldn’t want to let go of, and even then you can’t guarantee they will be tossed. Thrifting feels like the solution, but walk into any random thrift and you’ll see thousands of clothes that are probably months away from going to the trash. Really giving away is a last resort because I’m sure most people here have walked into an absolutely washed Crossroads or Buffalo Exchange packed to the gills with Zara and Shein.
Instead, when something of mine rips or stains and I can’t fix it (Suay LA is great for bringing new life to stuff like this), I try to repurpose it. Maybe I’ll keep it for fabric to turn patch things or sew some crazy mismatched fabric down the line. Or even more recently during the holidays, I’ve been cutting old shirts into squares and using them to wrap gifts furoshiki style. It’s honestly saved so much hassle with wrapping and it results in unique ways to give someone something special (just don’t use some nasty garments of course). So now my loved ones get to unveil their presents from a sick bright yellow, fish-print linen cloth that didn’t work so well as a shirt, but looks great as gift wrap and decoration!
@River immediately cutting up my favorite worn out things & going full FUROSHIKI . Thank you.
Also love all of this thoughtful discourse as I’m presently culling fancy curated wardrobe & w the sheer amount of time I am devoting to re-homing things/selling to collectors consigning to cute places where other people will ❤️my stuff & enjoy the luxury, comfort & beauty of well designed "made for life" fashion at an affordable price~ well i was about to say "i could have won a Nobel prize... but probs not.. ☺️
anyway, the intentionality of the enterprise has been weirdly absorbing... xo
Love that
"Go green,...die."
My personal journey which may or may not be niche/relevant/of interest is that I'm a long time thrift only guy for whom this sletter has softened my in retrospect sometimes asshole-ish unconscious bias against new garments (obviously the vast majority in general are cancerous but the good stuff) allowing me to appreciate the care + thought in the hearts of their makers. If I see some good shit that speaks to me I'm still always going to try recreate secondhand first but I have greater empathy for their economy all round
Also real talk, thrifting is a grindset and its dirty secret that you perhaps gesture towards here is it is just as easy if not more so to fall (by virtue/sin of cost savings, implicit holiness and repetitive gamification addiction) into the same dead end bug eyed consumerist "State of Shopping" as any swagless chaser of high end clouts
Reduce Reswag Rejawn
This is certainly a thoughtful slapper but I would’ve appreciated more extended thoughts on the value of shopping secondhand as an alternative to copping new. I’m at a point with thrifting where I really can’t see myself ever buying new clothes again.
It’s been really empowering to unearth garms that were destined for a landfill. And on top of that, the vintage stuff is often made of natural materials, inexpensive and fits me better than the new stuff I was buying before.
I felt the piece carefully succeeded in encompassing those virtues while maintaining benevolent equanimity to people's modes tbh
That’s awesome. If you do a search for “secondhand” in the essay you will see our extended thoughts on secondhand clothes and other types of individual consumer-choice “harm mitigation” approaches to addressing the garment glut
Oh, totally. I just wanted even more of what was there. Thanks!
I appreciate the sentiment of this, but I think this doesn't take into account the state of clothing / shopping for plus size and/or bigger bodies. The options are typically either mass market Shien / Fashion nova or some very small but expensive independent brands. It's easy to take Jonah's POV if you live in a body where you can walk into a thrift store and find something that fits you. But for many people who that is not the case, brands creating clothes in more sizes would be a welcome change.
With respect, I would very much like to be invited to the timeline where everything in thrift stores is a perfect M/L
Not sure there’s anything in this essay that contradicts what you’re saying. This is definitely not an argument for “thrifting only.” ☮️
When I think about 'What makes a garment special? What gives it that extra 'Swag'?'' I come back to what you touched on here: "Think about how intensely and beautifully social a garment can be…!!"
It takes me all the way back to high school when clothes began to have more significance to me- when my friends and I started borrowing or swapping clothes - there was (and is) something very special about wearing something that isn't yours and you know you don't get to keep it. I don't think I've found a contemporary equivalent that gives me the same joy about clothes now. I guess it's also the same version of taking your boyfriends jacket. Which led me to wonder, is this why influencer marketing can be so effective at driving commerce - the idea that you are simulating the idea of borrowing a best friends garment by buying the item they have, waiting for the Fedex truck, and then feeling unsatisfied because you aren't actually borrowing your real friends? Maybe we all just need to take our boyfriend's jacket more often.
Something to that !
This resonated deeply with me, because while I clearly care enough about clothes to subscribe to Blackbird Spyplane, I barely buy them, wear what I do own for long periods of time, and mend things when they get worn out. As of press time I own 8 bottoms and 15 tops, many of which have lasted me over 5-6 years. I have a separate closet with a few pieces that I wear out, a suit, summer accessories, and that’s it. I would rather buy 2-3 pieces a year (max!) that will last me many years, that I can have a deep relationship with, so that’s what I do.
I don’t think the clothing industry would be sustainable in its current form if everyone followed the same principles, though, would it? Shein’s whole deal is predicated on people buying lots of clothes all the time. More upscale, small-size brands still want to sell out their lines, so clearly the demand needs to be there. Clothing has a _manufactured seasonality_ to it. Capitalism _wants_ you to consume a lot. And I dress masculine, so I wouldn’t even know where to start with what other genders experience.
So why do I keep looking at clothes and thinking about clothes if I so rarely buy them? Looking at many options helps cultivate your taste; having better taste helps you pick with intention. It also feels more in alignment with my values when I buy from small independent makers. And it’s fun.
The apparel industry is problematic, but you still need to get dressed every day. Clothing is a form of communication, a way you put yourself into the world, and so you should communicate something that’s resonant with who you are. So I’ll keep buying clothes. Eventually.
Based on what I’ve read elsewhere the amount of clothing you have is about, if not more, than the average middle class person had mid 20th century. There was no fast fashion, clothing was a bit more expensive and people repaired what they had.
Letting the Shein’s of the world die for sustainability is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
speaking of which I've been working on a thing on the ethics of "shein-shaming" that I hope BBSP ends up making instead bc they'd do it better. I think its not only ethical but neccesary but I'm curious on what ppl here would think and esp what Jonah and Erin's views would be