Thrifting to match a vintage aesthetic 

An eco-friendly way many are using to source new pieces for their wardrobe. 

Shadae Henriques
Kicker

Aiden Decker with one of his Dexis designs. The thrifted jeans are intertwined with curtain material and embroidery patches. Shadae Henriques/ Kicker

Fashion for many is an avenue to express their personal style.  

From the many different aesthetics that display bright and pastel colours such as fairycore, soft girl, and light academia, to ones with darker colour palettes such as dark academia and grunge, thrift stores are a fashion hotspot. 

People highlight their personalities in their clothing choices. What they wear often says who they are.

 For some, thrifting has made that personal statement much more accessible.  

Gem Dumet, a MUN linguistics undergraduate student from Ecuador, has always been fascinated with the concept of thrifting. 

Thrifting is not as common in Ecuador as it is in Canada. Dumet doesn’t recall ever seeing a thrift store there. 

“When I came here to Canada, and I finally saw a thrift store, I was like finally – affordable clothes that I can actually choose,” said Dumet. 

“T-shirts from back in the day last 10 times longer than T-shirts these days.”

Aiden Decker

Being used to hand-me-downs from other relatives, Dumet was finally able to create their style when they began thrifting. Their closet is now 40 per cent thrifted content.  

“I do like a lot of the clothes that look a little older like 80s and 70s looks. A little bit like grandma style,” said Dumet.   

The vintage look is Dumet’s go to.

“What they have at the stores is usually very modern looks … modern in the way that they appeal to a very young demographic that I am no longer a part of … then there’s the super fancy stuff that a very professional 40-year-old would wear to work and that’s just not my vibe.” 

Aiden Decker, a MUN business student, says vintage clothing is far better quality.

“Especially in T-shirts,” said Decker. “T-shirts from back in the day last 10 times longer than T-shirts these days. The graphics on all the shirts today are fading and cracking, but the shirts I’m wearing now are from the early 2000s and 90s, but hold up perfectly fine.” 

“I’m a big fan of how vintage jeans look and the loose feel. My style lately has been vintage, so I have been thrifting everything.” 

The majority of Decker’s wardrobe is thrifted. He estimates 70 per cent of it came from second-hand stores. 

Fast-fashion trends – businesses that make clothes based on trends that quickly go out of style – is something Dumet never liked because of the environmental impact.   

Older clothing items are often better made and that’s a major selling point for thrifters.  

“Winter clothes I find in thrift stores are of really good quality and are a lot cheaper than I would find them in other stores.”  

Thrifting also offers more size options than some fast-fashion, says Decker.  

When he was unable to find his size, he tailored his thrifted clothes to his aesthetic and size. 

“There’s more sizes that fit me,” said Decker. “I’m a 40 waist and I find that non-thrift stores end at a 38 waist. That’s one of the reasons I started making baggy jeans. It is because I couldn’t find them in my size” 

Decker started his own clothing business called Dexis, where he uses thrifted clothing to create new pieces while experimenting with different and unique colour combinations, patterns, and fabrics. 

Being the innovative individual he is, Decker has even used curtains in some of his designs.

“Lately I have been experimenting with curtains so I can have funky designs in the middle of my jeans. It has opened my eyes to being more creative.” 

There is a sizable community of people, Decker says, creating clothing from thrifted items.  

“They’re helpful and are willing to answer your questions. I see them doing cool stuff and it makes me want to do cool stuff, too. Lancebowerdesigns does full pieces from jeans, shirts to coats from scratch and Confidentialmafia does the craziest designs you’d see on jeans. He inspired me to put patches on my jeans to stand out more.” 

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.