Thrifting is a Talent...

Hey My Cheap Gang :-)

Welcome back to my blog, once again thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. I hope it speaks to my OG thrifter’s and helps some of you consider adding thrifting to your shopping M.O

Now I can’t give you a specific date when the phenomenon of thrift store shopping began, and to be honest this post is not a glorified history lesson (I would suck at that), this post serves more as a brief talking point about thrifting in our culture and explore why it’s become so popular. I will also be profiling a good friend of mine who in my opinion is an expert thrifter!

Okay, so as much as fashion has evolved over the centuries, it has also remained the same in the sense that trends have come and gone and come back again. Most of what we wear now has in some way or the other been worn before in different times and ways for far different purposes than today. What we wear is so much more than just fabric that covers our bodies. Clothing items have been, across cultures, an idea, that has been created and evolved and re-purposed with creativity and practicality in mind. It’s so beautiful to see old styles come back in the past few years (although there are some styles that we could have done without)…just like the Braam lords I too love a trip down to a thrift store to find a beautiful second hand item that has character and has lived. An item I know many won’t have.

Personally, my thrifting journey began in Varsity with me rummaging through my mom’s closet for some of her more ‘vintage’ items and kindly taking them to wear to school (and asking later when she’d shout about one or more pieces of clothing missing LOL). I always used to get compliments from my friends and peers and other ‘vintage’ enthusiasts on campus. It was and still is a trend to dress like you walked out of an 80’s/90’s sitcom. There is something “original” and authentic that has so much swag in having these old items. It’s like they encapsulate a certain era where real and good music, art and activism meant something (if that makes sense).

Thrifting is not for everyone, I mean you can get a taste of the old school in stores like H&M and Zara and plenty of other top retail stores who sell fast-fashion where you can purchase the vintage aesthetic without having it be second hand. If you're not an avid thrifter, I do hope you at least consider checking out some thrift stores/markets or individual sellers alike and give it a shot. You may be surprised at what treasures you find :-)

Thrift: NOUN

1. The quality of using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully.

Thrifting: VERB

1. When one visits several different thrift shops, second-hand shops, and vintage clothing stores in the hopes of buying several items of cheap and unusual clothing and other items.

Meet The Thrift Goddess Of The East (Pretoria East, that is LOL)

Name: Bridgette Makhela

Age: 31

Career: PR Manager & Entertainment /Media Blogger

Hair Colour: Fire Red (because I’m a flame)

Motto: Live Your Best Life

Weaknesses: Michael B. Jordan and Chocolate

Superpower: Not Giving a F*@k

In her own words:

“I’m probably one of the weirdest girls you’ll ever get to meet LMAO. I’m an ambivert, I love the outdoors and travelling. I love fashion and I’m addicted to music. I’m an entertainment/media blogger who knows the whose who of the industry. I’m an ambitious, confident and hardworking woman that knows what she wants in life and I’ve got the star sign to prove it…your girl is a LIBRA 😊”

“What I love about being a “cheap girl” and thrifting is that you hardly break the bank, but your closet is always full. You mostly find items that others won’t have, and I love the versatility of how you put an outfit together. I love the look on people’s faces when they hear how much I bought an item of clothing for. That look is priceless (pun intended LOL).”

A huge thank you to Bridgette for letting me profile her and her 'cheap girl' swag :-)

Do check out her social media pages for more dope content:

Instagram: @bridgettemakhela | Twitter: @BridgetteM_10 | Facebook: @BridgetteMakhela