Just wanted to get some opinions from VB on buying clothes in thrift stores.

I buy most of my clothes from Goodwill or Salvation Army - these dollars go back into the organization for payroll, operational expenses, rent, etc. So I buy a lot of sweaters that are made from lambswool or cashmere or silk.

Ive been wondering about the ethical part of this. They are second-hand clothes that I am paying a fraction of the original price for, if these clothes arent used, they'll most definately be thrown away. and the $$ is going back inot the community/organization.

just curious about what others think of this. Is buting these fabrics still contributing to animal cruelty?

discuss!

I don't buy stuff like that, but only because I think it's gross. I don't think there is any real ethical objection.

Personally, I think you are doing some good by making sure that the clothing isn't just going to be thrown away. Some poor animal lost it's life to make the clothes and it would really be a waste to have it end up in a lanfill. Plus the money helps the community.
Although, if you are for animal rights, or if you are vegan, you may have a tough time convincing others to follow your lead while wearing clothing made from animals.
I guess it depends on how you look at it.
If it were me, I would purchase the second hand clothing at a cheap price and then maybe donate it to a clothing drive. That way, I wouldn't have to necessarily wear it, but it would prevent it from being tossed out.

I think Vanilla Bean and Beloved_tree make good points. Personally, since it's used clothing, I wouldn't agonize over it too much.

I do most of my shopping at thrift stores and I do not buy anything that isn't vegan. I personally can't wear anything on my body that came from a suffering animal, even if it's cheap or even free. And don't think you have to buy something because if you don't it will get thrown away. If you don't buy it, someone else probably will.

I'll buy secondhand shoes made with leather. They last much longer than most non-animal materials, which means fewer resources are used overall and ideally less of a negative impact on the planet (and its human and animal inhabitants).

I don't see anything wrong with buying secondhand silk or leather that is second-hand

i do all my clothing shopping at thrift stores or direct order from americanapparell. think of it this way, when you thrift you're putting your money into something worthwhile.

you're:

1. not supporting sweatshops overseas
2. providing jobs to peeps at that store, in your community!
3. reducing the rate at which we deplete our mother earth's resources

leather or not, i really don't give a damn if it's second hand. though i'm not a fan of how leather looks, so i guess that helps... but if i found a leather belt or a pair of leather boots that fit (and did this hot bod some justice, hahaha) well from a thrift store , i'd rather wear them than see them thrown away. i mean... why dump into a landfill if we can avoid it, thrift shops are a good way to avoid that. and i noticed that statement above "don't think that if you don't buy it that someone else won't"... but really, i'm proud to wear thrifted clothing, buying leather shoes from a thrift store does not increase the demand for leather shoes from the retail market. if i like something thrifted, i don't think there is an ethical dilemma there for me.

bebop:up:

plus, what you get at a thrift store can be so unique and individual. most of my clothes are thrift or hand me downs. but not underwear, i MUST draw the line.:no:

I also am not comfortable wearing someone else's underwear. I'm not even comfort with someone wearing my underwear, including the dogs get into my laundry pile.

Second hand underwear are like my worst nightmare.

I won't buy leather from a retail store, but don't mind as much from a thrift store (if I can't find a fake leather or non-leather item...that almost always happens with belts). My money doesn't go to support the people killing the cows...it goes to support the charitable activities of the store itself, and as someone else pointed out, it lessens the impact on the earth.

Joanne Stepaniak takes a much harder line than most people here:

http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qacloth.htm


Every piece of animal-derived apparel represents a minimum of one -- and often multiple -- lives that have been needlessly sacrificed for human indulgence.

People who wear an animal's remains display callous disregard for the item's sentient origins, regardless of how recent or long ago the animal perished. When vegans use these products, even if they owned them before becoming vegan or purchased them second-hand, it lends credence to the social acceptability of using animal commodities.



(Emphasis added.)

Joanne Stepaniak takes a much harder line than most people here:

http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qacloth.htm



(Emphasis added.)
I agree with this. If I were walking around in leather shoes, with every step I took I would be thinking about the individual cow that once was alive, what it's personality was like, what it's life was like and how scared it was when it was being killed.

I agree with this. If I were walking around in leather shoes, with every step I took I would be thinking about the individual cow that once was alive, what it's personality was like, what it's life was like and how scared it was when it was being killed.

I totally agree. I think the same way you do lijahbaby. I couldn't get it out of my head knowing that a living, breathing animal with feelings, a personality and a soul was senselessly killed for my shoes, coats, etc. Humans possess the same qualities, so what would be different about a pair of shoes made out of human skin? I mean, skin is skin! I know it sounds gross but there is no difference - just the importance society places on humans over animals. That's so messed up.

I still wear leather I bought before going vegan, and will probably buy it secondhand in the future, for all the reasons stated above.

Second hand underwear are like my worst nightmare.


wow if THAT is your worst nightmare, i am in total envy.

Good discussion. After I stopped buying wool, leather, etc, I planned on keeping the existing stuff I had. I ended up giving all my stuff away to family members... I decided that, as a vegan, I should be setting an example. I want to show everyone I come into contact with that you can still have cute clothes, look professional, and stay warm without harming animals. You know?

I have mixed feelings about animal materials found in thrift stores. On one hand, no, it doesn't contribute directly to the industry. On the other hand, maybe if I leave the leather belt or silk shirt there, an omni will come along, buy it, and therefore not feel the need to buy something similar at a retail store.

I've yet to come up with a hard-and-fast rule on this myself. I would never buy leather, silk, wool, or fur at a retail store, but if I find an item I've been looking for at a thrift store, and it happens to be leather... Naturally, I look to see what else they have that isn't leather, but do you know how hard it is to find non-leather business-style purses that are any quality at thrift stores? Most people buy leather purses, and most of the people who donate their purses had leather purses to give. If I find a non-leather purse that fits the bill, sure, I'll buy it and donate back the leather one.

Other items are even dicier than a leather purse. Leather you can often spot just by looking at it. What about coats that contain 10% wool? It doesn't even look like wool, so you're hardly "advertising" for wool companies. Or, what if you find a completely vegan coat that was made to look like wool? Hmmm.

Good call, Skylark. I've often thought that about faux fur -- that's supposed to look and feel JUST LIKE real fur. WTF? Yes, no animals were harmed in its production - but if I wear it, aren't I promoting animal skins as fashion?

Mandie, I'm not saying people shouldn't wear faux fur. I was just raising several issues that came to mind. If someone chooses not to wear faux fur or clothing that coincidentally happens to look like another animal-derived product, then to be consistent, they ought not consume meat analogs. If someone sees you biting into a Boca burger, they may wrongly assume you're eating a meat burger. I've never had a problem with eating Boca burgers or any other meat analog. If people ask, I tell them what it is. If people think the wrong thing, that's their problem, not mine.

mmmmm boca burgers...:boobies: i ate a whiskey river bbq boca burger RIGHT after giving birth to my li'l sprout...soooo sorry, oversharing AND off topic sorry.
:no:

Tex-Mex Boca burgers = :love: I was really bummed when the last two in the box in the freezer disappeared, supposedly without anyone's knowlege. :brood: At least it may have prevented a meat hamburger from being eaten.

Which brings us back to animal products in clothing.

I don't have a problem buying second-hand wool or leather products. I'd prefer those to clothing made from virgin materials, animal or otherwise. I draw the line at second-hand fur though; that's not something I'd want to have on me whether it's new or not.

This has brought up some interesting ideas for me. Why am I ok with wearing something leather I bought from a thrift store? Why am I ok with wearing something that looks like leather?

I guess my justification is as follows. I will wear the leather belt I got from the thrift store because I need a professional-looking belt in order to make a living (part of the dress code), I looked long and hard for something marked immiation and couldn't find one, and the money I paid the thrift store does not support the leather industry (though actually the belt I bought didn't have ANY markings saying what the material was, so I hope it isn't real leather).

As for why I'll wear immitations: besides the fact that I like the look, it's a way of flying under the radar. I think the best way to spread the message is to become friends with outsiders, to let them see you're a smart, healthy, kind, normal person, and then talk to them about your beliefs once you've earned thier respect. Also, all the obviously non-leather stuff I've in stores right now (I hope it'll change soon) is cutsie, bubble-head, don't-ask-me-I'm-just-a-girl stuff. I'd rather look like an omni than like that.

I agree that I will not wear fur under any circumstances, even if I bought if from a thrift store, but that's for several non-ethical reasons. First, I don't like how it looks. Second, it wouldn't last long in our house. Our two cats would destroy it in a week.