If you are a regular at secondhand stores, you may have noticed an influx of younger generations shopping thrift. As a teenage thrifter, I can explain why!

Since 2020, there has been a comeback of old clothing trends from the 90s and early 2000s, a style aesthetic called Y2K. It was an era where low-rise jeans, platform boots and anything velour exploded into the fashion scene.

With a 10–15 year break from these trends, the best place to find pieces from that time period is in secondhand stores. Teenagers are enjoying Y2K and other such vintage trends unfold. Most vintage-loving teens have whole closets full of thrifted goods. We flock to these thrift stores and secondhand stores to snatch up all the vintage pieces and cherish them for years until they inevitably end up back where they started after the trends die out yet again.

There’s something particularly special about buying secondhand; there are stories behind every piece of clothing. Those shoes could have walked all over the country, that dress could have been to a first prom, or those pants could have been a favorite pair to someone, but no longer fit. I love to imagine what stories these items carry; it makes me appreciate them even more. They are now in my hands, but who knows what adventures they had or their adventures to come.

You’ll see me rocking the argyle sweater and platform boots into old age. Current trends will change, but my love for thrifting will stay strong.