Fighting Fast Fashion
Penny Hindle, interviewed by THP’s Tess Bettison
THP’s Tess Bettison spoke to 23 year old Penny Hindle, a software developer and Instagram influencer on all things thrifted.
“Second-hand fashion has always been a part of my life. There are more benefits than just saving money. It's sustainable, and there’s something so satisfying in finding a piece you love. With charity shops, the key is going all the time and doing a proper rummage. I also attend clothes swaps where you pay a couple of pounds for a set number of items. You see someone on the other side of the room pick up your old jacket and fall in love with it.
I got into promoting secondhand fashion online when I started making charity shop vines at college. Up until then, I had always been embarrassed that I shopped second-hand. Kids used to be quite judgy about brands and I felt quite under pressure. As I got older, I realized that was stupid. Once you get to the age where you earn, you value a bargain more.
Many fast fashion problems stem from trends changing too quickly. Everyone's under pressure to keep up. Say you want to get a new coat every year, and you want to have different coats that go with different outfits and colours. Suddenly you’re buying six coats from Primark. The problems stem from the fact that trends come around too quickly. And on platforms like Instagram, we are pressured to keep up. There is an excessive need to look good and buy lots.
People are becoming more considerate with buying and consuming habits. We are taking time to ask ‘where is this coming from?’ especially given the current state of the environment, and the poor treatment of some factory workers abroad. There is more information available now on fashion industry waste and sustainability. Around 90% of the stuff that you return online goes to a landfill. It’s awful, especially when some people can't afford clothes and companies are throwing it away.
What have you got to lose by shopping second hand? You can pick up a quality, stylish, vintage outfit for the price of a meal deal. 9 times out of 10 when I go to a charity shop I don't buy anything either but I go often and am resilient. So I'd say be persistent, be patient, and enjoy it!”