POPSUGAR: Tell us about yourself.
Izzy Manuel: I'm a chemistry graduate turned sustainable and ethical fashion advocate. I'm all about educating others about sustainable and ethical fashion in a shame-free way while also just being really real about my life and how I navigate sustainability.
PS: What makes you pick up a piece of clothing when you are thrifting?
IM: This is a hard one. I tend to think about these three things when secondhand shopping: 1. Will I wear it at least 30 times, if not more? 2. Does it go with my current wardrobe, and can it be dressed up and dressed down? 3. Is it well-made and made to last? In terms of style and color, I love anything bright colored, and my personal style is so varied, so sometimes it's more preppy, sometimes it's Y2K, sometimes it's more punk.
PS: What is the best thing you've ever thrifted?
IM: A few months ago, I bought a pair of secondhand Levi Ribcage jeans, and they fit me like an absolute dream. I think a classic pair of comfy, well-made jeans is a must in a wardrobe, and secondhand/vintage denim is always a great alternative to buying new.
PS: What are your predictions for the future of thrifting?
IM: According to the Boston Consulting Group, the secondhand and thrifting market is growing at 15 percent a year, which shows that there is a huge future for sustainable fashion, specifically when it comes to buying secondhand. So I think that is great news, especially with around 235 million pieces of clothing ending up in landfill in the UK each year, buying secondhand can hugely reduce that number.
But the issue with thrifting becoming more popular is that there is a possibility that this will become a trend causing prices to increase, which makes it harder for people who want to be more sustainable but might not have the budget to buy new from sustainable and ethical brands.
