By Avery Owens | Staff Writer
Instagram can be used for more than sharing memories and experiences with followers. It can additionally be used to sell thrifted clothing, as a few Baylor students are doing.
Friso junior Meg Lewis uses the social media app for this purpose. Lewis’ shop, The Clothing Cycle, has over 1,000 followers on Instagram.
“I started The Clothing Cycle a few years ago, whenever I realized I was accumulating a lot of clothes in my closet and realized that there was a need in the Baylor community for thrifted clothes,” Lewis said. “It was largely sustainability driven, just trying to get people to choose the thrifted resale route instead of people going towards fast fashion.”
Lewis, an environmental studies major, said she believes that buying secondhand clothing has many benefits.
“It saves a lot of material, production, shipment and just saves the planet a lot of unnecessary waste,” Lewis said. “Also, just from a fashion point of view, a lot of clothes that you thrift are definitely more unique. That’s a main element for me as well apart from sustainability.”
Lewis has been using Instagram to sell clothes for a few years. She said her customers are from all over the country, Colorado, California and New York. Instagram extends her reach beyond Waco.
“My typical customer is someone who is between the age of 15 and 25, usually young girls looking to be more sustainable and that are also active on Instagram,” Lewis said.
Round Rock sophomore Layne McCalmont also runs a thrifted clothing shop on Instagram, Thrifted by Lane. She is a business fellows major with a focus in entrepreneurship. Her business has made her an entrepreneur while still in school.
“I keep up with the trends so that people don’t have to,” McCalmont said. “I go out and source clothing from thrift shops or other small businesses like consignment stores. Then I wash them, upload them in my inventory spreadsheet and then post them online so that my customers can find clothes that they want without having to go out and thrift them themselves.”
McCalmont also said she believes that secondhand shopping is better for the planet.
“There have been a lot of studies done on the amount of clothing that gets thrown away and a huge factor in our pollution and trash sites is clothing,” McCalmont said. “For me, I change up my style a lot and so I personally feel better about not spending a lot of money being able to buy it second hand, just because I think it’s more ethical and also environmentally aware.”
McCalmont said she recommends this shopping method for anyone who is a frequent shopper.
“If there is someone who changes up their style a lot and typically buys a lot of clothing, it’s cheaper to shop second hand,” McCalmont said. “It’s like a treasure hunt, where you get to go and find good, fun things.”
