While taking out a sizable loan for new clothes is fun, thrifting offers a cheaper route to look snazzy — if you’re not shopping in the men’s section.
A scarce amount of men’s clothing lines the rows at local thrift stores, limiting options for those who shop out there out of necessity. This is evident inside the Idaho Youth Ranch off Broadway, where less than half of the racks are dedicated to men’s clothing, while the women’s section swallows up the front-facing racks and an entire back wall.
When asked about the discrepancy between sections, an employee noted that men are not donating as often as women do, and when they do choose to donate, the clothing often arrives tattered, stained or torn.
While this explains the measly two rows of boring blue denim and button-up shirts you can find at almost every local thrift, it’s discouraging when all that’s available are sizes made exclusively for Paul Bunyan.
Trevin Henderson, president of the university’s Fashion Society, attributed the limited options to the fact that men’s clothing is manufactured to value practicality over style.
“Guys have one pair of jeans for everything, so they don’t really have many clothes to give away,” Henderson said. “Clothes that they do wear don’t make it to that part of the clothing cycle where they can be given away.”
After pummeling a pair of Reeboks within the first three months of ownership, I found myself buying a new pair without even a second thought of donating the old ones. This focus on practicality leaves men with significantly fewer fashion options than women or children.
“Guys wear stuff until it’s absolutely obliterated, whether it’s socks, sweaters, everything,” added sophomore Ethan Webb.. “We wear something until we basically get our money’s worth out of it and it’s not donatable anymore.”
Webb considers himself an avid thrifter, viewing the act as an important way to recycle clothes and prevent unnecessary waste.
“Whenever my closet gets pretty full, that’s when I’ll go through it,” Webb said. “Then I’ll go to the [donation] drive-through, to donate my stuff back into the cycle.”
His donating habits are inspiring, as it’s tricky to discern the difference between donatable items and trash. Men tend to lack the sense of quality awareness required to not obliterate clothing items and donation is simply not at the forefront of every young man’s mind.
“It’s something that I’ve thought about more,” said sophomore Isaiah Ford on the topic. “I had a conversation with someone who was like, ‘we really don’t have to wear down all our clothes to the point where they’re just completely broken’, and that never really occurred to me.”
Stores like Uptown Cheapstake and Runway Fashion Exchange combat this quality awareness gap by offering everyone’s favorite incentive — cash.
To a degree, this incentive works. Consignment establishments tend to have a higher quality of clothing than donation stores at the cost of a smaller selection and higher prices.
“People know the value of clothes now more than ever. They’re gonna sell it, not just gonna give it away,” Henderson said. “It’s harder to find flattering clothes at thrift stores for men and women because of that.”
A valuable piece causes individuals to retain it as if they’re sitting atop a treasure hoard. In the case of men, once the clothes no longer hold the esteemed market value, they get worn down and thrown out rather than donated.
Second hand shopping is not only a fashion statement. For some, it’s a necessity. It opens doors for others to change their style, prep for an interview or outfit their loved ones, all on a budget.
For thrift shops to sustain that experience for everyone, men must understand that hoarding valuable clothes or immediately trashing old ones takes it out of the thrift ecosystem and away from those in need.
Conscious donations give a pummeled, but still wearable, pair of Reeboks a second-chance to become someone else’s perfect piece.
“Always continue the life cycle with clothes as much as you can,” Henderson added. “Sell it. Donate it. Just don’t throw away clothes.”
