And why you should start shopping second hand, too!
One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2020 was to limit my fast-fashion purchases. When I came up with this, I was thinking about brands like Boohoo, Shein, Cupshe, Forever21, etc. As the year has gone on, though, I have tried to limit purchases of all new clothing by shopping on Poshmark as much as I can. I originally used Depop as a seller, then learned about Poshmark, and transitioned to that to make more sales. Somewhere along the line, I began to buy more things from Poshmark than I bought brand new from brands. Now, I’m not claiming to be perfect by any means; I just made a Shein order last week, although that was my first fast fashion purchase of the year.
Why I Decided to Shop on Poshmark
When I first made the decision to start blogging and using social media more, I deliberated over what the ethical impact would be. How did I feel about focusing on materials? Or encouraging people to buy things? Or potentially being part of the problems with social media? I really wanted to make sure I could use any platform I developed for good and positive outcomes. So far, I’ve done that through being open and upfront about mental illness, but I want to make sure I continue to focus on larger, more important issues than what is most trendy right now. That’s why I’m sharing this post now!
The fashion industry is the second largest polluter! It creates water pollution, has huge rates of water consumption, contributes to deforestation, and greenhouse emissions. Textile factories often let untreated water runoff and contaminate the land and water, releasing toxins into the surrounding communities. Up to 20,000 liters of water are needed to produce just 1kg of cotton! Just 1kg(that’s about 2.2 lbs)! Every time we wash a synthetic garment (polyester,nylon, etc), about 1,900 individual microfibers are released into the water, making their way into our oceans. And 23% of all chemicals produced worldwide are for the textile industry.
I don’t want this to turn into a research paper, so I won’t add too many details but there’s lot of information out there if you want to do additional research.
How I Shop on Poshmark
One of the ways I have chosen to reduce my personal environmental impact is by shopping on Poshmark. Of course, transportation still creates pollution, but the clothes aren’t ending up in the landfill and their shelf life is being extended when they are added to someone else’s wardrobe. And selfishly, it’s usually cheaper! I don’t mind wearing something if it’s been gently used. Are there some items I will only buy new? Of course! But the vast majority of my closet can be second hand and that’s perfectly fine with me. Below are some items that I’ve purchased from Poshmark, and you would have no idea I didn’t buy them new!
Lilly Pulitzer is one of the things I love shopping for on Poshmark because it’s (usually) significantly cheaper and it allows me to try different fits at a reduced cost. Plus, I don’t care too much about wearing the current season’s patterns, so it’s helped me grow my own Lilly closet while also giving these pieces a new life when they might otherwise have been tossed. Both the image above and below are used Lilly pieces I got from Poshmark that combined only cost me $70!! That’s even better than the After Party Sale prices! Even my hoop earrings I’m wearing below I got from Poshmark ($7 brand new J Crew hoops? Sounds like a steal to me!)
In addition to Lilly Pulitzer, I’ve also found a lot of great tops, like the white one I’m wearing below, as well as amazing sweaters like the striped one below! I have a problem buying sweaters…getting them cheaper by shopping on Poshmark helps my wallet when the first fall day hits and all I want to do is buy more sweaters! I even found my dress for my college’s winter ball on Poshmark (it’s called Snow Ball….get it, because it’s in winter?!). Lastly, I’ve gotten around 6 or 7 pairs of shoes on Posh, too, and have had great experiences with each purchase. Finding size 12 shoes can be a bit challenging and pricey, so I love finding gently loved or even never worn shoes to add to my collection (including Jack Rogers and Sam Edelman!)
As you can see, I really love shopping on Poshmark! I think it’s a great way to reduce the costs of shopping, but it also helps the environment. Recycling is great, but it’s even better to reduce your consumption and reuse things. Of course, there are still issues with pollution from shipping items, but I’m glad that the clothes are getting a longer life rather than ending up in a landfill somewhere. And when I am running out of room in my closet and need to get rid of some things, I also enjoy selling on Poshmark to get some money back and send my cherished pieces off to good homes.
Please let me know if you have any questions about Poshmark (or Depop, which is another reselling app that is especially great if you like vintage clothes). I’ve been both a buyer and a seller and have become quite passionate about encouraging others to try Poshmark. With that, happy Poshing!
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