Kolkata: City fashionistas turn to thrift stores for affordable & sustainable style statement

KOLKATA: The pandemic taught people sustainable and economical ways of purchasing and recycling and this trend gave momentum to the thrifting culture in Kolkata. Owner of one of the oldest thrift stores in Kolkata, Alka Dalmia, said people are more receptive towards her store and the stigma attached to buying pre-used clothes have lessened post-Covid. “We started our store about five years ago. Back then we weren’t sure if it would take off as thrifting was not popular. Over the last two years, more people are wanting to buy recycled products because they are cheaper and environmentally sustainable,” she said.Instagram fashion influencer Arjama Bakshi feels thrifting is the new era of ‘fashion’. “Clothes found at thrift stores are economical, their use reduces human water footprints, and very less chemicals are used in the production process. Currently, several Kolkata flea markets are trying to create outlets for people to buy such products. My experiences so far has been amazing. The clothes I bought at thrift stores for a few hundred rupees are sold for a couple of thousands at malls or branded websites,” she said.Last month, during an annual meet-up in Kolkata, hosted by entrepreneur Anshu Gupta, founder of an NGO, talked about various clothes-recycling initiatives. “Textiles are among the most disastrous fuels. We have been working to create safe and environmentally friendly cloth-based employment in rural areas using recycled cloth. The clothes are repurposed and sold cheaply.” At the venue, numerous repurposed cloth bags were displayed, demonstrating involvement of NGOs in bringing thrifting to the mainstream.Student Udit Chakrabarti added, “For me and my peers, we became conscious of the need to financially support local tailors, rather than buying new clothes. While one wants to lend the same support to small scale textile producers, they often produce a lot of pollution. That is why, people are more comfortable buying from bigger thrift stores, some of which are associated with NGOs, as they have resources to recycle and repurpose textiles with less damage to environment.”Most Kolkata thrifters find their products on Instagram boutiques, largely because the trend grew during the pandemic, when visiting markets was not possible.Photographer Priya Thakur said, “I started following thrifting pages on Instagram during the first wave. Many foreign branded websites were no longer delivering to India, and markets and stores became inaccessible. Over time, my friends started wearing thrift clothes bought from Instagram boutiques.” Research scholar in Sociology, Rahul Ganguly, said, “Most people came across this trend on social media, and Instagram remains the main hub for thrift stores. Thrifting first started in the West to overcome household costs during the World Wars.”