In a lot of ways, living sustainably can be a real cash saver. Nixing bottled water and investing in a BPA-free reusable bottle can save you hundreds of dollars each year, and employing energy-efficient home devices can shave big bucks off your power bill.
But let’s be honest—when you’re riding your road bike up Broadway to campus, Timbuk2 messenger bag slung across your back, you want to be doing it in style. Nay, you want to be doing it in sustainable style—because, really, you don’t want to be the hypocrite whose clothing tag says that some child in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam or China sews your threads.
So what’s the alternative? Well, unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of mainstream options that are socially responsible.
There are some awesome local eco-fashions, from designers like Sameunderneath (they use 100 percent bamboo in their t-shirts) or Emily Katz, but items from these artists will almost, if not always, run you upwards of $100. For the average college student with tuition and bills to pay, sustainable clothing choices easily take a backseat to looking good.
Well, little hippie hipster in need of some threads that were not shipped thousands of miles, there is an answer. Welcome to the land of thrift shops and what we like to call “recycled” fashion. If you don’t have the dough to spend on American Apparel or these eco-friendly designers, then check out one of these awesome places in town to update your wardrobe and perhaps even contribute to someone else’s.
Goodwill
This one is kind of a given. In fact, there isn’t much to say about Goodwill except that it’s awesome and if you haven’t been to one, you’re crazy, considering that you can get more than just clothes at this place. Check out the huge store, affectionately known as “the Bins” on Southeast Sixth Street for a great selection of recycled duds and just about everything else you might need.
Buffalo Exchange
So you think you’re better than Goodwill, huh? That it isn’t your scene? Don’t worry, you sustainable fashion-hungry elitist you, you’re not alone. If you’re looking for some clothes that are, shall we say, “hipper,” then you might want to stop by Buffalo Exchange on West Burnside or Southeast 37th and Hawthorne. Yeah, it’ll run you a bit more than Goodwill might, but it may be worth it if the clothes match your style.
Red Light
With its location on Hawthorne, let’s be real, Red Light just screams hipster. So if that’s you and you need some new clothes that are hollering, “I’m better than you,” in that cool and casual way that hipster clothes tend to, then check this place out. You’re going to find a lot of vintage and frumpy styles that seem to make up the hipster world. Like Buffalo Exchange, it’s going to cost you a little extra, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s better to give your money to a thrift or consignment shop than to an unsustainable corporation.
Here We Go Again
If you’ve gone to Goodwill, Buffalo Exchange and Red Light, and you can’t get enough, check out Here We Go Again in Southwest Portland. While it may be a little out of the way, you’ll find some awesome higher-end pieces and it’s worth a trip down.