“Thrift retailer is a technique to hack the capitalist system”, says Giovanna Nader

Influencer encourages the conscious use of clothing and warns about the negative impact of fashion on the environment

Brazilians are increasingly interested in thrift stores. According to data from the Google search engine, searches for used parts grew 572% in Brazil between the first half of 2019 and 2022.

What is thrift store?

Used clothing and accessories stores have cheaper products, which makes life easier for those who want to stay stylish in the midst of an economic crisis, but it goes far beyond that.

“Brechó is a very important concept for the environment, in addition to being easier to find your style. Once you learn to consume that way, it’s a one-way street. Even if it is consumption, it is a way of hacking the capitalist system”, explains the presenter and influencer, Giovanna Nader.

The 36-year-old from Minas Gerais, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, is the author of the book “With what clothes? A practical guide to sustainable fashion”, launched in 2021 by Editora Paralela. In addition, she produces content on her social networks on the subject and presents the program “Se Essa Roupa Fosse Minha”, on the GNT channel.

The impact of fashion on the environment

One of Giovanna’s most accessed Instagram videos is about the Atacama Desert in Chile. The place has become a sea of ​​abandoned clothes, which forms a large toxic dump coming from several countries, including the richest ones like the US, China and the UK.

“The fashion industry is super expressive in the negative impact on the environment. It is among the five most polluting, and is responsible for 8% to 10% of greenhouse gases. In addition, due to excessive consumption, every second a truckload of clothes is burned or disposed of in toxic waste, such as that of the Atacama desert”, says the presenter.

According to the Fashion on Climate report, by the Global Fashion Agenda organization, in partnership with the consultancy McKinsey and Company, in 2018, companies in the fashion world issued around 2.1 billion tons of greenhouse gases all around the world.

In Brazil, the numbers also issue a red alert. More than 4 million tons of textile waste are discarded per year in our country, according to a survey released in June this year by the Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies (Abrelpe).

How to make fashion more sustainable?

And what’s the solution? The answer, according to Giovanna, is to reuse. “The first thing to be more sustainable is to wear used clothes, the ones that already exist. It can be from mom’s, grandmother’s, friends’ and thrift stores’ wardrobe. They are cheaper and do not produce energy and water to be produced, as they are already in the world. We need to look at fashion in another way, as a human value,” she points out.

The communicator has a project called “Drawer”, which, in partnership with the stylist Raquel Vitti Lino, promotes meetings in which people can exchange clothes they no longer use, without any money involved. In all, there have been 10 editions of the project, with more than 70,000 clothes circulated.

The next edition still has no date set, but the contents are posted on @projetogaveta’s Instagram

How to transform children’s fashion into circular fashion?

Giovanna and her husband, the actor Gregory Duvivier, have just had their second daughter, little Celeste, who is only two months old. At this stage, it is very common for parents to buy a lot of clothes for their children, as the growth happens quickly. This is not the case for Giovanna and Gregorio.

“I don’t buy clothes for her. Celeste is two months old and I connect with other mothers, who pass me the clothes that no longer fit their children. In addition, I reuse the clothes of my first daughter, who is now four years old, and the ones my mother kept for me. Clothes have been passed down from generation to generation, and that’s how it should be,” she says.

The communicator believes that buying clothes for children of this age is much more a vanity of the parents. “There’s no reason to”. “Sustainable fashion is much better self-knowledge than buying ready-made pieces. About 90% of my wardrobe is made up of second-hand items. I think the circular fashion it’s much more stylish because it’s authentic. Much better than buying new clothes at the mall, in addition to helping to save the environment”, concludes Giovanna.

Source: Exam