We have all had those days when the bedroom closet looked a little more like a dumping ground for fashion artifacts and misfits that should have probably been left on the SALE rack a long time ago… but you caved to your impulse-buyer side anyway, and the pile steadily grew. However, not everything in the world’s collective graveyard of unwearables is doomed to end up vaporized in an incinerator (although those Member’s Only jackets probably should be!), or languishing at the bottom of a landfill. Haven’t you ever wondered what happens to some of that stuff that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing… but might be a nice discovery for somebody else who’s looking for something unique?

Yes, I’m talking about the recycled apparel shops, the gently-used clothing market, the indie fashion boutiques, and Internet vintage clothes sellers. It’s become a rather important money-spinner in this age of economic downturns and headline news that make you want to take a shot at being a wandering vagabond monk, wearing nothing but an orange sash and a pair of sandals as you seek peace and enlightenment… but there’s money to be made in those old gems you’ve been hoarding for so long, and it’s no secret that this is a big industry; both in the form of brick-and-mortar establishments, and online sales. Have you looked around at the vintage clothing market? A quick search on Google turns up some interesting – and varied – leads. It would seem that there’s something for everyone in this area, and it’s even becoming a little difficult to distinguish between a true vintage clothes dealer, a gently-worn goods retailer, and the venerable neighborhood thrift shop.

Now there’s a funny one. Neighborhood thrift shop. I remember a while back when I was a kid, seeing a few of these kicking around in busy sections of downtown… usually near the department stores. These days it almost seems like you have to make a special trip out to parts unknown to find one of them, and when you do find one, it’s become a sad reminder of why your mother used to yell at you for wearing a t-shirt with a hole in it, or it looks more like a typical big-box retailer, without all the charm of dusty floors and cardboard boxes. Things have changed, and it’s especially true these days with Internet sales growing on a daily basis. While retailers like Buffalo Exchange have taken a bite out of the neighborhood thrift shops, craigslist and the almighty ebay have taken a stab at them, too. Shrinking donations have put the freeze on St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill Industries. Owners of shops that catered to a more specialized crowd looking for authentic, truly vintage goods from bygone eras are finding it harder to locate – and acquire – these old items for their customers.

(image courtesy of MT)

Others have moved on, and found new ways to approach the changing market. Stores like Hollister are making the best out of the fact that virtual sales are eroding away at actual floor sales, by creating an in-store experience that can’t be found anywhere else. While their UK brand Abercrombie & Fitch is in a world of hurt, Hollister has been successfully meeting the needs of those who want more than point-and-click. That’s expensive, though. I personally don’t like the idea of having to deal with the overhead and management issues of a physical location, so the Internet becomes the logical alternative. Looking at the Moscow Times (your favorite morning read too, right?) I found an article of particular importance to wholesalers and online retailers about Shtripka, the online fashion design company that is marketing and selling their creations almost exclusively within the realm of social networking sites. The husband-and-wife team of Dima Sher, 25, and Sveta, 22, are doing it. Why shouldn’t you? Let the economists and talking heads on TV ramble on about how the economic crash will crush us all… “The economic crisis can’t harm social networks,” Dima says. “It [word of mouth] was how new ideas traveled in the Soviet Union, around the kitchen table, and it will continue to work now, online.”