If you remember, I started 2020 with a lofty goal in mind: buying one second-hand clothing for the remainder of the year. It felt like an ambitious goal, but one that would teach me a lot of about just how accessible good quality, durable clothing truly is.

When the challenge started, it was fairly straight-forward. I set out basic rules for myself to follow, including:

1. Only buy clothing from a thrift store, Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc.

2. Brand-new intimate items like socks, underwear, and so on are allowed.

3. Anything for free is fair game, including clothing swaps, or warranty exchanges.

4. Once I buy something, I have to keep it for the entire year.

I had also put in place a stipulation that, if I screw up or find something brand-new that I absolutely have to have, then I’m required to donate five pieces of clothing I own.

You may have noticed that I stopped logging all my thrift finds after the early months of 2020, as well. I had intended to keep track of all my purchases, but the thing is—by March, I had bought so many quality pieces that it was a bit overwhelming to keep track of it all. This challenge truly opened my eyes to just how much clothing gets donated, and how much of the donated clothing is likely thrown out because they can’t stock it all.

So, I know you’re dying to ask: how did buying only second-hand for an entire year go? Surprisingly well! But with a few minor setbacks.

I’m not sure if you heard, but there was a whole pandemic this year .. COVID-19? Have you heard of it? Anyway. My local thrift stores closed down for two months in March, and my only source of second-hand clothing was through Poshmark, and through Thred Up, an online thrift store that lets you do extremely granular searches for items by brand, size, style, colour, and so on.

The thrift stores I like to frequent did open up again, but they didn’t open their fitting rooms for trying on pieces. This threw a wrench in my plans to try anything I was buying on. After March, I have blind-bought almost every piece I’ve bought, and this has resulted in me reselling or donating many of the items I thrifted this year. So .. that’s not ideal. But it did make me feel better knowing there was an avenue for me to sell clothing directly to a buyer, so I knew that it was in good hands and not likely to get thrown out.

At this point, I do have to address the elephant in the room: I did buy new clothing in 2020. However, this probably made up 5% of my overall purchases. Not bad. I put a lot of care and thought into the purchases I did make, and they were for items I knew I truly wanted.

• I bought a new pair of hiking boots, which I ironically haven’t worn yet. I had bought them ahead of a planned backpacking trip which got rained out, so they are waiting patiently for the spring.

• I bought a new sweater and T-shirt on a trip to Tofino, BC from a local print shop. These items were part of very limited runs, and supported a local artist and her small business. It felt much better buying new clothing that I knew were much more sustainable options than buying them from a fast fashion clothing store.

• I bought new activewear, including merino wool socks/intimates and bike shorts. I had already drawn a line in the sand at intimates, and knew I would be buying brand-new items like socks instead of thrifting them. I have been a believer in merino wool socks for a long time, and even though they cost more upfront, keeping an item for the long term matters much more than repeatedly buying low-quality items and spending more in the long run.

With that in mind, buying second-hand did teach me several valuable lessons about how accessible good quality clothing is for people with lower income. Spoiler alert: it’s increasingly becoming less accessible.

Clothing prices at thrift stores are going up. I’ve noticed it over the course of several years, and it’s extremely concerning to me. It’s easy to chalk it up to thrift stores not having the supply to keep up with demand for second-hand clothing, but we know that isn’t true. Thrift stores receive their supply through donations. In fact, they receive so many donations that they often can’t sell it all. So, prices are going up at thrift stores because more and more people are thrifting to lessen their carbon footprint while saving money. And yes, you do still save some money thrifting right now compared to buying brand-new, but not as much as you used to.

Thrifting is becoming fast fashion in a sustainable disguise. Do you know just how many H&M pieces I find each time I go thrifting? Too. Many. The biggest distinction between a thrift store and a vintage clothing store is the quality of the items. Vintage collectors spend their time at second-hand stores scouring the racks for valuable pieces, and stock them at their stop for a surcharge. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this: it’s a free market, and their time spent finding good quality clothing is valuable, as well. But what I’m concerned about is the fact that thrift stores are swimming in cheap clothing that needs to be replaced in less than a year, and these are the only pieces that are still accessible to people who live close to the poverty line.

There is seemingly no perfect solution to the clothing problem. What is the clothing problem? Right now, we have a fashion economy where clothing can be ethically made, affordable, or physically accessible—and buyers only have two out of those three options available in any given piece of clothing. Some argue that buying ethically made clothing using materials that do less harm to the planet in manufacturing is a better solution than thrifting. However, these often carry a higher price tag (as they should if they were created by a small business or single artisan craftsman). However, this right here is what excludes lower income people from having a meaningful part in conversation on sustainability. People who live closer to the poverty line often have to resort to more affordable clothing options available at big box stores—partially out of cost, but also out of ease of access and product availability. Going to a thrift store doesn’t always guarantee the exact item you want will be in stock, so it requires much more time; something that poorer people don’t have a lot of if they work more than one job.

I started this challenge with a thorough understanding that it wouldn’t be so much a pass/fail exam as it would be a learning process throughout the year. Through 2020, I saw that there are many ways to buy or sell second-hand clothing, and it’s an option you should strongly consider before going to a big box store. Not just to save money, but to save products from going to a landfill. Will I keep buying second-hand? Of course! But, I will also buy new products where it’s appropriate, or where I need to. This challenge taught me to think hard of where I need to buy new vs. buy used, and I appreciate that.