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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UPR chapter.

 I have recently been on some sort of “style journey” (as I’ve alluded to before in past articles *cough cough* shameless plug *cough*) and, in the midst of such, I faced the conundrum of “accessibility” for my desired lifestyle… and bank account *side eye*. In my search for personal style at an affordable price, the bright neon signs blinded me and pointed me in the direction of thrift shopping. I went to my lovely peer’s Amiari’s article to see where one could start. 

It was down a rabbit hole from there on out.

Here’s the gig, the concept of “thrifting” dates back to very ancient times. The act of repurposing and exchanging clothes was the norm up until the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution with the influx of mass produced clothes in the USA, which affected the whole concept of fashion and the way we consume it. Trend setters and fast-fashioners alike all still collectively shunned the concept of used or repurposed clothing. In this island that I may call home, trends were a little bit lagged because clothes used to come by boat from the mainland, and so the older generations had to make do with what little they had in order to pave the way for their own telenovela fashion fantasies to come true. If Maria Conchita Alonso had it on, you best believe your “tití” did too and that her sewing machine was full of scraps of memories woven into used fabric and a hope to make themselves look like THAT telenovela star. 

From my observations, the sudden popularity and interest in the phenomenon of thrifting and being more conscious of the pieces of clothing that you may or may not have, has much to do with the concept of being “aesthetic.” The act of separating oneself from the usual, mundane, and overused white tube top with baggy boyfriend jeans and a dream, which is a classic, don’t get me wrong, but it’s overused and oversold as a standard. Is this movement just another statement for wokeness in this generation? One may truly wonder, but hey! I’m not complaining, because the creativity that I have seen come out of the pieces that have been loved and have lived through few or many lives is truly outstanding. These clothes are being worn once again with purpose.

Currently, here in Puerto Rico there has been a slight boom in the name of thrifting! 

All in all a very good thing, in my opinion.

Since I was a kid—and I’m sure many can relate ton this—, there has always been a point when you overused or underused the clothes in your closet. So you clean up and divide the piles as throw-outs or hand-me-downs to anyone that may need it— a cousin, a friend, a neighbor. It’s a common activity, a “trueque” of sorts in Boricua culture. A cycle that has benefitted many that might’ve been under-privileged or might’ve not found the clothing market, specifically in PR, as accessible as others. People thrifted and designed clothes out of necessity. 

The Paradéigma store has now iconicly(!) presented its first ever runway walk in San Juan Moda this season which, if I’m not mistaken, is definitely a first for San Juan Moda history. A stride to modernity, generating also the popularity gained in reverence of the funky and eclectic shop Electroshock, evolving from an “electro-qué?” to a very well known establishment in the collegiate community of UPRRP students who dabble in experimental fashion, bringing color, creativity and sometimes even protest to the campus grounds.

Amongst it, are other communities and businesses of this nature that are dispersed in the local metro area of San Juan, some smaller than others. We’re growing out of the box of Salvation Army, which used to be the only option and variety for people with tighter budgets who still loved the shopping experience, although a very limited one. Somewhere in between, I find that thrifting here has turned into a method of divisive nature inside the fashion  industry of Puerto Rico, in addition to providing an accessible way to curate your closet or any new style you may want to try out. 

For me, I can’t wait for the next market to open and see which piece of clothing chooses me, speaks to me, and hopefully speaks through me, paying homage to those who have loved  it enough to pass it down and for it to be appreciated just the same. 

Who knows? 

…Aplausos, aplausos, aplausos, que sale una mujer con causa..

Arianys Ramos Soto is a writer for Her Campus at UPR chapter. She will be writing articles in hopes that when others read they might feel enlightened, relieved, seen, or heard. Putting deciphering girlhood, fashion forward, heavy hitter life experiences, and music as main topics. They’re an English Literature Major at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus. As a freshly published writer on the Her Campus team, she’s just getting her sea legs in this world. Creating or helping to shape certain visions and content, be it audio-visual or written, for peers, friends, and family is what is behind her drive to strive for new learning opportunities. With a niche liking of French music and an obsession with Pinterest boards with hyper specific Spotify playlists to match, Arianys loves to write and read (shocker). They spend their time reading more on the end of philosophical and semi autobiographical works, but are not exempt from the occasional dramatic fiction, even fan written, and when that’s not the case she’s frantically looking for order in between college life.