The Pop-Up Thrift Store Selection The Xavierite
The Green Movement, an environmental club at SXU, hosted a Pop-Up Thrift Store on Friday, Nov. 3 from 1-5 p.m. in the Wiseman Lounge.
Students, staff, and faculty were asked to donate different items to be used in the Pop-Up Thrift Store. Everyone donated items throughout the different bins set up around the Warde Academic Center.
Students were able to purchase clothes, shoes, bed sets, swimwear and accessories such as purses and jewelry. There was a wide variety of different items available for purchase, so students were able to have as many options as possible.
Prices ranged from $0.25 to $3 regardless of the brand being sold. Some brands that were offered included Pacsun, Under Armour, Nike, Banana Republic, etc.
Towards the end of the Pop-Up, everything was sold for $1 for one hour. Different discount vouchers were handed out throughout the semester for the Pop-Up Thrift Store that students were able to use as well as some prizes being given away.
Over $150 was made in sales and will be used to buy a rain collector for the university. The rainwater collected will be used for The Green Movement’s garden beds, according to Elizabeth Gomez, Green Movement Treasurer.
All non-purchased winter items were donated to a winter clothing drive for immigrants in Chicago. The rest was passed along to a clothing drive for veterans, run by an RSO at SXU.
Students were able to pay with cash, Apple Pay, credit or debit cards.
The Pop-Up Thrift Store was planned to give SXU students the opportunity to buy reused clothing at a more affordable price, while also helping students avoid contributing to fast fashion.
Shein, a popular fast fashion clothing store, has risen in popularity due to their cheaper prices, rapid production, and trend changes. According to Business Insider, “In the last few years, Shein has quickly become the world’s biggest player in fashion.”
The Green Movement incorporated cheap prices in their Pop-Up Thrift Store so students may buy trendy clothes without contributing to fast fashion.
“With inflation causing prices to rise, buying clothes may be expensive for some. Even thrift store prices have gone up and because of this people have turned to fast fashion apps like Shein because of how cheap it is. This event offers opportunities for students to buy stuff at low prices while giving life to clothes that would have ended up in a landfill,” according to Emily Saldana, President of The Green Movement.
With fashion trends always changing and clothes going out of style, many clothes get thrown out after only a few uses. Fast fashion is defined as the mass production of cheap clothing that is influenced by trends, which results in labor and environmental issues.
Some environmental issues caused by fast fashion are, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, waste occurring at every stage of the garment manufacturing process, harm to wildfire, degrading land, and pollution in soil and water.
The pressure from trying to meet production deadlines can often lead to excessive overtime for labor workers, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted.
Due to these issues, one app called Depop was created. Depop is a second-hand apparel online shop where people can sell or buy their clothes to reduce waste and reuse clothing.
Buying second-hand clothing has become an environmentally friendly trend on social media platforms and websites. Like Depop, the Pop-Up Thrift Store gave students an opportunity to clear their closets or fill them up with new, reused items.
“This event was important because a lot of clothes just sit around in people’s closets and might even be thrown away. By donating them to the Green Movement, donors were able to give their clothes a second chance at life,” according to student Natalie Chibe.
Students provided positive feedback while attending the Pop-Up Thrift Store, even going so far as to ask if there will be another event like this occurring in the future. “One student came in multiple times to buy stuff bringing more friends each time, diner staff stopped by, and another individual even brought their mom,” says Saldana.
The Green Movement has hosted past events that were based around environmental issues in the world. Some included cleaning Lake Marion, an aluminum can drive, clothing drives, and more. Each event was planned to help make Saint Xavier university a more environmentally friendly campus.
For more information or questions pertaining to The Green Movement, contact greenmovement@mymail.sxu.edu.