Looking for a Cup outfit that looks great, but doesn’t break the break the budget?  Maybe your local op shop has the solution, writes new Ethical Living contributor Belinda Smith.

Melbourne is home to many secrets. In every nook and cranny of arcades, streets and alleys you will find vintage stores undiscovered by the ordinary Melbournian.  Vintage shoppers hold the key to its fashion doorways.

Recycled fashion is becoming more than a ritual treasure hunt for frugal fashionistas, trekking from city boutiques and local thrifts to markets that travel like circuses. Driven in part by the economic climate, young women are now eager to hitch the second-hand bandwagon.

“Paying for clothes in big retail stores, I can’t justify anymore. It’s too expensive and it doesn’t really promote anything other than wasted money, and wasted materials,” says 18-year old Casey Jeffrey, a self-proclaimed op shop fanatic.

Casey’s obsession began several years ago, starting out with regular trips to Melbourne recycle superstore Savers.

“I still have and remember my first item bought from my first Savers trip. A black cardigan with a weird pattern on the front filled with nice mustards, browns, reds and other trippy colours. I still love it,” she recalls.

Today Casey says she no longer buys clothes from ‘normal’ retailers, instead turning to local thrift stores to soothe her passion for patterned skirts.

“It’s a relief, finding something just as nice as an expensive dress in an op shop for less. The best sort of fashion right now is recycling. It’s doing something great for the environment as well as saving your hard-earned money,” explains Casey.

According to Rina Chia, the entrepreneurial brains behind ‘Take 2 Markets’, second-hand clothing markets are becoming an emerging source for quality vintage threads. Each month, Take 2 Markets rolls into Hawthorn and Geelong, featuring over 80 clothing stalls. But you can tuck away the stereotype of moth-eaten furs, she says.

“Vintage has always been popular. What was once seen as ‘dead people’s clothes’ is now not only acceptable in mainstream fashion, but very in vogue,” she said.

As a struggling student, Rina would scour op-shops and garage sales for second-hand clothes, much to the admiration of her friends.

“Friends would ask where I shopped and then couldn’t believe that I found the things I had in op shops,” she recalls.

According to Rina, Melbourne hipsters are bypassing emerging international stores, like Zara, instead jumping on the op-shop bandwagon for its originality.

“There is a lot of hype around Zara and eventually that will die down until the next big thing comes along,” Rina says.

Emily Luecke, 18, another op-shop enthusiast, is keen on the ‘indie’ fashion trend, endorsing retro threads as ‘cool’. She enjoys the uniqueness of local thrifts, selling garments like her favourite pale-blue peter pan style dress that she brought from a thrift store.

“I prefer wearing things that are more likely to be one of a kind, rather than the sort of generic things you’d find in stores today,” she says.

The vintage look is becoming ‘cool’ amongst young hipsters, she says.

“These days it’s a lot more socially acceptable to buy recycled clothing, and more often than not you’ll find that the majority of wearers are now young. Even the style of clothing [generic retail stores] sell nowadays is a direct imitation of the sort of clothing you’d find in op shops,” she says.

Recycled fashion markets are growing in popularity, with markets such as Hello Sailor Vintage Fairs attracting 500 attendees fortnightly. Frugal shoppers are turning to travelling vintage markets and fairs over local thrift stores for low-priced quality recycled designer products, comforted by the fact stall holders stock is screened and assessed before they are able to have a stall.

Melissa Chacon’s ‘Grandma Funk’ vintage line is one of the many successful stalls at Hello Sailor, thanks to new consumer patterns.

‘Recycled fashion is gaining momentum because we are such a consumer driven society and with the state of the economy not everyone can afford to buy from ‘normal retail’,’ Melissa sad.

But fashion can be very fickle, says Rina Chia.

“That’s one of the great things about [recycled fashion markets] – every market is different with new treasures to be found. There is literally something for everyone, and you’re guaranteed to walk out smiling.

“It’s great to find a little treasure and know that you won’t see 20 women wearing it down the street,” she says.

Tips for exploring the fashion road less travelled? Rina lets us in a secret. Curiosity does not kill the cat for mixing old and new, as she explains,

“Experiment with fashion and shopping – You are only limited by your imagination. Don’t follow the pack and don’t be afraid to stand out. Second-hand shopping is a wonderful experience and the best part is that you never know what you might find. You don’t need to spend a fortune to look fantastic.”

No Melbournian is too late to discover the cities pre-owned clothing outlets, cemented or abroad like the weather. The Market Roll heads you in the right direction for exploring pre-loved gems.

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EthicalLiving.com.au

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