It is second nature to associate fashion with large and grandiose concepts – concepts of walk-in closets stacked to the top with designer and cashmere wool, with bejeweled heels and Cartier, all with a heavy musk of Oud and Ambergris on top. One envisions the word fashion displayed in bright LED-lit letters and slick, glossy runways, along with the heel clacking of the prospective Naomi Campbell. Of large fur coats and bold magazine titles, VOGUE, GQ, BAZAAR.

But the trend pendulum swings, with a complete opposition emerging: frugality. Thrifting in particular has gained popularity as frugality took power. Yet, thrifty consumption habits continue to uphold the exclusionary ideals of the fashion industry, only through a different font. Thrifting brings an air of uniqueness and personality that one perceives not many people are capable of attaining (which they, in fact, are capable of doing).

Thrifting has always been grounded in mindful consumption and the desire of participating in the fashion conversation, without seeking the appeal of designer houses nor the prices that come with them. The upheaval of interest back into thrifting had been interesting to witness. Some elements of interest are rooted in sustainability. But, a lot of thrifters tend to regurgitate the very same ideals of the fashion world, only now in locally owned and run-down shops, thinking that they stand at the very top of the fashion hierarchy.

Thrifting used to be a genuine admiration and a love of the craft, for the effort it takes of digging through stacked piles of discarded and surplus articles of clothing in the worst of environmental conditions: carpet peeling off the floor, an odd odor sticking to the corners of the shop, and some pop music that is a bit too outdated to be played out loud through some cheap speakers.

Many participate in these consumption habits because they bring an air of uniqueness and personality to the outfit, but refuse to go through the experience of scavenging on a Saturday evening while chatting with the thrift storekeeper. Thrifting was almost like a competition, how bad of a shop could you go to and obtain the zenith of all “2 For Just 5 Dirhams!” piles.

And, of course, as all opportunists saw the gap in the market. The supply of thrifting materials was not meeting the demand of visually hungry consumers, leading to suppliers creating new products to fulfill the gap. Today we see overpriced second-hand items bandwagoning off titles normally attributed to thrifted clothes: “vintage”, “oversized”, and “distressed”. There is now a dissonance between the desire of thrifting and its being.

Thrifting has become a trend and a victim of the commodification process, so much so that they cancel each other out. There are people who wish to buy the personality, novelty, and originality obtained through thrifting, upcycling, and frugality through easy ways. They want the personalities to be packaged and be sold to them, ready to be put on and then put off, switched out, and equipped. This is also seen through the trend of keychains, items that were supposed to subtly convey the experiences, relationships, connections, maybe even things you collected off the road. But now, there are just knick-knacks that do not run parallel to the owner’s personality.

Trends are, above all, superficial, which is most likely why the trend of thrifting seems to be fading with fast fashion trend pumping machines of SHEIN, Temu, Shopee, and Amazon. Packaged, commodified, and disposable personalities have become a reality.