Sonali Sharma, An Author and a social media lover runs @Thriftwoo on Instagram. This interview aims to highlight how thrifting is once again fashionable and should remain so in the future. Thrifting is one of the most straightforward strategies to combat rapid fashion. Make the switch to thrifting!
Sonali (she/her) is a 25 year old young individual, who is a writer by profession. She enjoys spending her free time scrolling through her phone and watching cat videos.
Q1) How did you land up with the idea of running a thrift store? What inspired you?
Sonali: I had always gotten most, if not all, of my clothes from thrift stores or had them altered, like my mother did for us. My mother used to own a physical thrift store in Dehradun, so I was already familiar with the sourcing process. Thrifting was not frowned upon in the community where I grew up, and it came easy to me. To make money, I founded @thriftwoo in 2020. I recall pulling out size charts from various countries and companies and analysing them because our company was striving to be a lingerie company. It was not an impulsive decision, although it did feel impulsive at first. We were out and about one day when we decided to go thrifting for the most beautiful bras we could find. Everything happened in a flash, and the process of packaging our first order felt extremely personal to us.
Q2) What is your main aim in terms of your Thrift store?
Sonali: My primary goal was to make some money. However, I discovered along the way that bra sizing was a capitalistic evil designed to confuse women. It's amusing how bra sizes range not only from country to country, but also from company to company in terms of what makes an A or E cup. Many women are unaware of this and continue to refuse to learn, and who can blame them? I've found that taking the effort to explain the sizing of bras and lingerie to myself and others who wear such clothing has been encouraging.
Q3) Where do you see your store in a few years? Would you still continue to run it?
Sonali: I doubt that i'll shut down my store in the coming few years, as long as i keep following my passion for beautiful lingerie and swimwear, my store will continue to grow!
Q4) Why do you think people should indulge in thrifting?
Sonali: Thrifting is a low-cost option. I don't see why anyone would need another reason as a broke college student. But, on a more serious note, thrifting has been invaluable in helping me in finding clothing that allows me to express myself. When it comes to thrifting, most items are one-of-a-kind, and the chances of wearing the same outfit as a lady from your church are close to none!
Q5) Do you like to thrift? Why?
Sonali: YES! I adore thrifting and the thrifting community on Instagram, as well as in India. Because my mother used to manage a thrift store, I believe I know more about thrifting than most people, which is fantastic. The majority of middlemen are in it for the money, but scammers are quite rare.
Q6) Fast Fashion is evil. How do you avoid fast fashion at an individual level?
Sonali: Trends are heavily influenced by fast fashion. How people continue to purchase new products in accordance with the latest fashion trend. Trends lead to mass production and rapid clothing disposal, both of which contribute to pollution. As a result, I buy locally or at thrift stores, ignoring fashion trends. I look for items that will last a long time and never go out of style.
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