Out with the new, in with the old?Â
As College Park begins to feel winter’s chill slowly seeping in, it’s time to diversify your closet and make trendy, stylish additions to your wardrobe. This fall, UMDthrift and UMDvintage are providing students with an easy, accessible way of shopping.
In the past year, vintage fashion has rapidly grown. Shoppers are scouring stores in hopes of uncovering unique, throwback pieces. UMDthrift and UMDvintage have University of Maryland students prepared for the latest fashion trends, with new pop-up stores available on-campus.
UMDvintage
Who doesn’t want to wear something that makes everyone ask you where you got it? UMDvintage has wasted no time appealing to student clothing interests. Beginning only four months ago, UMDvintage offers a wide collection of pieces from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Their primary products are over 20 years old and range from hats to sweaters, sweatpants, hoodies and other accessories.
Chimera Ukwuani, founder and owner of UMDvintage, has high hopes for continuing to develop the business and aspires to bring other vintage clothing outlets to campus.Â
UMDvintage is determined to bring school spirit-related articles of clothing that are affordable and hard to come by for students.Â
“Even though wearing vintage clothing is becoming very popular nowadays, I try to find and post the vintage UMD stuff that people don’t usually see too often, which is what I think brings success to the page,” Ukwuani said.Â
A popular product at UMDvintage is Nikebrand shirts and hoodies, a brand the university is no longer associated with since their contract with Under Armour.Â
UMDvintage mainly distributes their clothing through media outlets, specifically their Instagram, which can be found at @umdvintage. UMDvintage hosted its first official campus pop-up shop Sept. 2 in parking lot Q. The organization plans to old more pop-up stores in the near future.
UMDthrift
Vintage clothing, graphic t-shirts and other special thrift finds. Since its start-up in January this year, UMDthrift has brought many appealing pieces right to this university’s own McKeldin Mall.Â
Ethan Pham, a junior information science major and founder of UMDthrift, has held various pop-ups on McKeldin Mall. Pham, who directs this business with several other students, believes its turnout success thus far can be linked to the rising popularity of vintage clothing.Â
“I definitely think that the trend of vintage fashion has contributed to the popularity of UMDthrift,” Pham said. “I myself haven’t been into vintage for very long, but after discovering the uniqueness and quality that it brings, I prefer buying vintage over retail.”
UMDthrift provides students with a simple, accessible alternative to purchasing clothing through online or in-store retail. As described by Pham, the items UMDthrift sells stand out because they are “much more unique, higher quality, and at a reasonable price in comparison to fast fashion.”Â
With the rise in vintage fashion, new shopping methods have emerged for students to access clothing that fulfills their need and a desire to express their own unique style. Shopping through UMDvintage and UMDthrift, not only provides the opportunity to introduce one-of-a-kind, quality clothes to your closet, but also a way to shop sustainably. By supporting UMDthrift and UMDvintage, students can avoid the fast fashion industry and ultimately not contribute to the detrimental effects that the retail industry can have for the environment.Â