Yesterday, popular content creator Catherine Kariuki aka Fashionable Stepmum shared a photo on her Instagram of herself in a lovely dusty pink dress complete with bell sleeves. While the photo was nice enough, it is the caption that caught the attention of many.
She wrote, “I am sitting pretty wearing a Sh2, 000 dress I thrifted last week from Moi Avenue. Can you guys believe it? I’m still in shock myself…”
Catherine’s thrifty find caused a stir as some shoppers pointed out that Sh2, 000 on a dress wasn’t exactly thrifty.
“I thrift for Sh500 and Sh350 myself,” wrote one lady.
“Wow 2000/- a thrift? Have you ever thrifted for less? Would you? Because for me, thrifting is within the 1000/- bracket,” said another.
According to the Oxford dictionary, a thrift shop is a shop selling second-hand clothes and household goods. Thus, thrifting is the act of going to such shops to make your purchases.
For many Kenyans, thrifting is more a normality than a new phenomenon. It’s the way to go, even now when new clothes have become readily accessible.
Over the years, YouTubers and fashion bloggers have showed off their thrifting prowess online, as they shared their thrifted duds, bought for different price points.
Joy Kendi, for instance, has proved to be the queen of thrifting and upcycling pieces. She often shares outfits with items she has thrifted, from Gikomba or online, and then transformed to fit her personal style.
When she was still new at the game, Nancie Mwai showed us how to put together stylish outfits from pieces she thrifted at Toi market.
Joanna Kinuthia would also do clothing hauls showing off items she bought in Ngara and Toi markets.
The beauty of thrifting, as diehard thrifters will tell you, is that you’ll most likely find unique pieces that hardly anyone will be wearing.
Another advantage is the fact that you can find stylish pieces at a fraction of the price that you would in a fashion shop. However, when it comes to price, the bargain is dependent on what you usually spend on clothes. For instance, Catherine’s Sh2, 000 would be the total amount that another thrifter spends on several clothing items.
What’s your take? What does thrifting mean to you?