Episode 159: Examining The Ethics of Secondhand Resale (part 1) with Alex of St. Evens

This week’s episode is part one of a THREE episode series examining the ethics of secondhand resale with Alex of St. Evens.
In the first installment, we will tackle two arguments often tossed around in discussions about secondhand on social media:

Thrift stores are designed to be a resource for low income people.Resellers are making tons of money from taking things that should be for low income people.

The intro segment for this episode will focus on the reality that many people have shifted their behavior from overconsuming fast fashion to overconsuming secondhand clothing.  And we will talk about how we can change that!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this episode:  Stacie, Mags, Clare, Sarah, Katherine, and Amanda.

Some additional reading:

"Is Reselling Thrifted Clothing Sustainable or Selfish? TikTok User Sparks Ethical Debate," Emmaly Anderson, Bust.
"The Complicated Reality of Thrift Store 'Gentrification'," Hazel Cills, Jezebel.
"Rags to Riches," Anne Colamosca, The New York Times.

Listen again or for the first time:
Episode 97: Nothing is Disposable (with Liz Ricketts of the OR Foundation), part I
Episode 98: Nothing is Disposable (with Liz Ricketts of the OR Foundation), part II
Episode 99: Nothing is Disposable, part III (with Chloe and Sammy of the OR Foundation)
You can also find these episodes anywhere you listen to podcasts!

If you want to share your opinion/additional thoughts on the subjects we cover in each episode, feel free to email, whether it’s a typed out message or an audio recording:  [email protected]  Instagram DMs will be turned off for the duration of this series.

Get 25% off your order from North America Herb & Spice with the promo code clotheshorse25.

Check out Amanda's other podcast, The Department.

Find the transcript at clotheshorsepodcast.com

Want to support Amanda's work on Clotheshorse? Learn more at patreon.com/clotheshorsepodcast

Clotheshorse is brought to you with support from the following sustainable small businesses:

Cute Little Ruin is an online shop dedicated to providing quality vintage and secondhand clothing, vinyl, and home items in a wide range of styles and price points.  If it’s ethical and legal, we try to find a new home for it!  Vintage style with progressive values.  Find us on Instagram at @CuteLittleRuin.

Thumbprint is Detroit's only fair trade marketplace, located in the historic Eastern Market.  Our small business specializes in products handmade by empowered women in South Africa making a living wage creating things they love like hand painted candles and ceramics! We also carry a curated assortment of  sustainable/natural locally made goods. Thumbprint is a great gift destination for both the special people in your life and for yourself! Browse our online store at thumbprintdetroit.com and find us on instagram @thumbprintdetroit.

Gentle Vibes:  We are purveyors of polyester and psychedelic relics! We encourage experimentation and play not only in your wardrobe, but in your home, too. We have thousands of killer vintage pieces ready for their next adventure! 

Picnicwear:  a slow fashion brand, ethically made by hand from vintage and deadstock materials - most notably, vintage towels! Founder, Dani, has worked in the industry as a fashion designer for over 10 years, but started Picnicwear in response to her dissatisfaction with the industry's shortcomings. Picnicwear recently moved to rural North Carolina where all their clothing and accessories are now designed and cut, but the majority of their sewing is done by skilled garment workers in NYC. Their customers take comfort in knowing that all their sewists are paid well above NYC minimum wage. Picnicwear offers minimal waste and maximum authenticity: Future Vintage over future garbage.

Shift Clothing, out of beautiful Astoria, Oregon, with a focus on natural fibers, simple hardworking designs, and putting fat people first.  Discover more at shiftwheeler.com

​High Energy Vintage is a fun and funky vintage shop located in Somerville, MA, just a few minutes away from downtown Boston. They offer a highly curated selection of bright and colorful clothing and accessories from the 1940s-1990s for people of all genders. Husband-and-wife duo Wiley & Jessamy handpick each piece for quality and style, with a focus on pieces that transcend trends and will find a home in your closet for many years to come! In addition to clothing, the shop also features a large selection of vintage vinyl and old school video games. Find them on instagram @ highenergyvintage, online at highenergyvintage.com, and at markets in and around Boston.

Blank Cass, or Blanket Coats by Cass, is focused on restoring, renewing, and reviving the history held within vintage and heirloom textiles. By embodying and transferring the love, craft, and energy that is original to each vintage textile into a new garment, I hope we can reteach ourselves to care for and mend what we have and make it last. Blank Cass lives on Instagram @blank_cass and a website will be launched soon at blankcass.com.

St. Evens is an NYC-based vintage shop that is dedicated to bringing you those special pieces you’ll reach for again and again. More than just a store, St. Evens is dedicated to sharing the stories and history behind the garments. 10% of all sales are donated to a different charitable organization each month.  New vintage is released every Thursday at wearStEvens.com, with previews of new pieces and more brought to you on Instagram at @wear_st.evens.

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