Thrift Day Offers Free Sustainable Fashion Finds
Image by Brooke Coupal
10/25/2023
By Brooke Coupal
鈥淥ne person鈥檚 trash is another person鈥檚 treasure.鈥�
Tal Nir quoted this common saying as she browsed through a rack of clothing in University Crossing before a light blue tank top caught her attention.
The first-year industrial engineering major from Brookline, Massachusetts, was one of roughly 70 students, faculty, staff and community members who scored free, lightly worn clothes during Thrift Day, an event hosted by the (SSS).
鈥淭hrift Day promotes sustainable shopping and lifestyle habits,鈥� says William Lefebvre, a junior environmental science major from Lancaster, Massachusetts, and the SSS media coordinator.
In the days leading up to the event, members of the 51视频 community donated their unwanted clothes and other textiles, such as blankets and towels, to the student organization. Items in good condition were made available to the public on Thrift Day.
Abby Mastromonaco, a junior plastics engineering major from North Andover, Massachusetts, is one of the many students who made a donation.
鈥淪eeing people walking away happy with my clothes makes me happy,鈥� says Mastromonaco, the SSS vice president.
Image by Brooke Coupal
Sophomore computer science major Shane Cummings snagged a sequin jacket among other items after stopping by the event with a group of friends.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very cool to have this on campus,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really go thrifting a lot, but I need to start doing it more, because it鈥檚 very expensive to go out and buy new outfits.鈥�
The floral sleeve of a multipatterned dress caught the attention of Nicole LaChapelle, mayor of Easthampton, Massachusetts, as she walked by a rack of clothes on her way to a separate event in University Crossing.
鈥淎s a college student, I would have loved this,鈥� she says.
Those who attended Thrift Day could leave their wallets behind, as each item of clothing came with a $0 price tag.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want price to be a barrier for anyone,鈥� Mastromonaco says.
Global studies Ph.D. student Gloria Donkor was also on hand to help people mend their ripped or worn clothes at no charge. Donkor, who worked in the secondhand textile industry in her home country of Ghana, knows the importance of clothing repair.
Image by Brooke Coupal
Donkor is working to develop additional workshops at the university to go over resources for mending apparel and upcycling textiles. The project, which she calls Seamingly Sustainable, is being funded by the Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy鈥檚 Sustainability Engagement and Enrichment Development Fund.
At the Thrift Day event, Donkor helped Ravi Patel sew a button back onto a pair of pants that he thrifted from Holy Grail Vintage in Lowell.
鈥淭his gets me more into the mindset of recycling and reusing,鈥� says Patel, a senior computer science major from Burlington, Massachusetts.
All donated clothes left over from the event, along with the other textiles that SSS collected, are being sent to Bay State Textiles for recycling. Last year, Massachusetts banned textiles from disposal in the trash.
鈥淔ast fashion is one of the biggest polluters on the planet,鈥� says Riva Chatsman, a senior accounting major from North Andover, Massachusetts, and the SSS president. 鈥淭he fewer people who buy new clothing, the better.鈥�
