43 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen makes for a fun rather than overwhelming experience. Gernard’s partner, Drake Smith continued, “When you buy inexpensive, low-quality clothes new every season, they become easy to throw away once they’ve served their purpose, pilled, stretched-out or faded. The issue with that is our landfill is already overflowing. That means toxins run into our waterways and garbage is burned, filling the air we are breathing. Clothes used to be made with natural fibers like cotton, flax or wool. The difference is, if you bury a 100% cotton sweatshirt in the ground, it will disintegrate and become part of the soil, but a synthetic won’t rot or return to the earth. For example, elastane and polyester materials don’t decay,” Smith explained. “In 40 years, thrift stores won’t carry anything but a bunch of junk because the 2020s are a dead zone — which is sad when you think about vintage items we can still find today that tell a story. For instance, a jacket or a pair of pants could have been worn on a battleship, the beaches of Normandy or on a World War II submarine. Back in the day, if it ripped, you mended it,” Smith reminisced, pointing out a repair in the vintage overalls he was wearing as an example. “But then in 1950, businesses started cutting costs by using cheaper materials such as acrylic fibers and Dacron polyester. The challenge with that is, synthetics don’t insulate. Before the invention and introduction of these materials, if you had one wool sweater and one wool coat, you wouldn’t have needed anything else. In this day in age, it’s all about the next new thing. We’ve moved away from everything that once made sense.” Gernard elaborated, “Thrifting is fun because, like Drake said, each piece of vintage clothing has a story of its own and now when I wear it, my experiences become a part of that journey as well. “Between all of the chemicals in new clothing and thinking about how many people have touched a garment or tried it on, I feel better wearing something older that’s lasted the test of time, sometimes longer than my parents have been around,” she said, adding that a good vintage seller will wash, repair and take good care of the clothing so that it’s stayed in great shape. “Another benefit of shopping for older pieces is that they are often much less expensive than buying new ones, so I’m not overpaying,” she said. Gernard and Drake said they started their thrifting adventures in 2023 and within a year had filled a double storage unit full of unique wares. “It feels like we’ve been doing this forever,” Gernard said. “Whenever we can shop locally, we do, whether that’s going to the farmer’s markets or waiting for the bi-monthly Picker’s Hullabaloo or the quarterly Holy City Vintage Market. For shoppers who are hesitant to wear repurposed, previously worn “hand-me-downs” but who still care about dressing for style as well as sustainability, an alternative is to source all-natural clothing and towels such as the ones created by Kelly Fort, the owner of Pluff Mud Farm. As an expert in fiber arts derived from the indigo and flax she grows, along with the Pygora goats, Valais cross sheep, mini donkeys and chickens she raises, Fort said, “The Slow Food movement changed how we think of what we are putting in our bodies. Farm-to-closet is going to be the next big thing because what we wear also matters to our health and well-being, just as much as it does to the earth. When master gardeners come to visit the farm, growing from the ground and/or raising animals for this purpose is regularly a topic of conversation.” Charleston Women in Style HANDMADE FROM OUR STORE IN CHARLESTON! We make fun, colorful, Fashion Jewelry. HOLSTANDLEE.COM @holstandlee Fashion Jewelry and Accessories designed by Natalie Holst ALSO, VISIT US IN CHARLOTTE! 1930 CAMDEN RD, SUITE 135 17 STATE STREET, CHARLESTON, SC CHECK OUT OUR CHARM BAR! SHOP ONLINE AT
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