Thrift Day: An Emerging Tradition?

Written by: Sindura Nagabooshan Vidhya

This past May, KCI’s Roots and Shoots club was back with another Thrift Day held in the Greenhouse Industries classroom, as they step forward to minimize waste by embracing the growing trend of thrifting. Ms. Galian and many other student volunteers took part in making this event successful and are thinking about establishing Thrift Day as a KCI tradition.

The Thrift Day team started planning for the event ahead of time to create a great thrifting experience for the students. They had one month to collect donations from the school community, and dressed their mannequin with eye-catching outfits to attract more students to the event. A lot of effort was put into the popularity of the thrift event by bringing spring-y and exuberant energy to the thrifting environment. 

Roots and Shoots made the second-hand shopping experience vibrant and engaging by changing the perspective of how students view fashion and waste. Ms. Galian mentioned that “the buzz and the energy felt in the hallways and the marketplace” measured the success of thrift days. “It’s not so much about how much money is gathered,” she explained, “it’s more about keeping the clothes out of landfills and being on trend with the thrifting tradition.” Her words highlighted the deeper purpose of the event. She enunciated that the goal is not to make profit but to create a vibe while raising awareness to live a sustainable lifestyle by making the eco-friendly options fun, accessible, and affordable. The excitement that the event created goes beyond just shopping; it was about sharing an experience with friends to participate in a cause that matters, all while making fashionable choices.

Thrift day also offered students from the Green Industries classes and the Roots and Shoots club an opportunity to display their leadership and creative ideas to make the event promising. They were all ready to take initiative to promote eco-conscious habits by giving life to the garments that were supposed to be thrown away. Ms. Galian said that she “hardly did a thing to be honest.” She emphasized the way “they took charge, they took action, they taught me so much.” The students played an essential role in setting up the event with enthusiasm by transforming Thrift Day into a meaningful event.

Ultimately, Thrift Day is most likely going to become a tradition as validated by all the positive impacts it has created for the KCI community. It is a representation of hard work, fashion, sustainability, and connection to support the environment and protect the Earth. With the continued leadership of the students and the support from teachers, Thrift Day is well on its way to become a lasting and impactful tradition.