The Fabric of a City: San Francisco's Resale Scene
- Nicole
- Jul 22, 2019
- 10 min read
I sat down with Delila Hailechristos and Kristin Klein, owners of San Francisco fashion epicenters ReLove and Vacation. We talk personal style, sustainability, and San Francisco culture.
“Style is awesome in general because it’s people’s own vision…”
-- Kristin Klein
“Personal style is practice. It’s an art that you have to hone just like anything else”
-- Delila Hailechristos
Some Context
When clickbait infiltrated women’s content giants like Refinery 29 and Who What Wear begin to feature articles focused on unique vintage and thrift finds, we should be paying attention. Ads lurk in most of the content that these media giants produce-- so what messages are they trying to send by including this type of content? What benefits do these media companies gain from articles about women showcasing their favorite Goodwill finds?
There are a few different ways to respond to these questions. First, and most obvious, the well-known non-profit Goodwill benefits from these conversations through heightened visibility. Second, consider that media giants and corporations have a tendency to commodify ideas and movements like “feminism”, “social justice” and “environmentalism” into a series of consumable ads and products. That is, you can purchase products that will bring you closer to a “sustainable” “woke”, “feminist” or “anti-racist” lifestyle without doing too much else.
The above article-- hosted by a website embedded with sponsorships and blatant consumerism-- featuring prized Goodwill possessions and sustainable shopping tips (while still linking brand new, “similar” products in the same article) is contradictory. However, this display is significant perhaps because it signals a shift in the mainstream acceptance of resale shopping.
The secondhand apparel market was $24B in 2018; this market is projected to double in five years with resale clothing as the driving force behind this growth.
Though resale shopping has been stigmatized historically, Netflix shows like Slobby’s World and the YouTube show Round Two indicate a type of mainstream cultural acceptance to resale shopping. Perhaps fashion giants feel the shift in shopping culture, due to the fact that millennials tend to prefer to support companies that give to charity. People are also becoming more conscious of the negative human and environmental impacts of the fashion industry, which are highly gendered and racialized globally. A consumer survey completed by 2,000 women reveals that 59% expect retailers to create clothes ethically and sustainably. The rapid growth of companies like The Real Real, ThredUP, Depop, Everlane and Reformation are proof of consumer’s desires to shop more responsibly and sustainably.
Marie Kondo’s philosophy on organization and mass purging has also contributed to the large influx of donated clothing and personal items to resale shops-- further emphasizing the idea that clothing can be recycled instead of accumulated and then thrown away.
The Industry
After the 2008 recession, there was an increase in the thrift store industry, as people were looking for more affordable clothing options. According to research from retail analytics firm GlobalData, the fashion resale market has grown 21 times faster than the retail market over the past three years. The secondhand apparel market was $24B in 2018; this market is projected to double in five years with resale clothing as the driving force behind this growth.
Vintage: A Complicated Word
“Vintage” has strong class connotations since the term was originally associated with wine and “high” culture. In the 1950s and 1960s, “vintage” items signified novelty and privilege since this type of clothing appealed to those who could afford to stand out and resist “acceptable” standards of appearance, as compared to marginalized peoples who had to adhere to mainstream aesthetic standards for survival (Le Zotte). Research supports the fact that upper and middle class environments tend to promote “qualities such as autonomy, independence, uniqueness and differentiation”, compared to people from more working class or poor backgrounds who are more likely to “exhibit behavior that leads to similarity to others” (Korgen).
There were also activists that were political in their intentions, donning old clothes to protest corporate capitalism, war, poverty, sexism, rigid gender performance, and environmental degradation (Le Zotte). Further, there are people whose very existence and aesthetics (skin color, hair, facial features, gender expression, body types, ability, etc) challenge narrow dominant narratives of beauty, desirability, and “professionalism”-- whatever that means.
A lower socioeconomic status brings some into thrift shops (though not necessarily vintage shops) out of necessity. The act of decorating and dressing yourself--especially when your body is outside of dominant constructions of beauty and/or value--is an assertion of agency and self-love that sits in direct resistance to systems that attempt disempower and stigmatize marginalized people. While the history of thrift and vintage shopping is rich in political, economic and social movements, the reality is that clothes are an expression and an assertion of identity.
After graduate school I found myself strapped for cash and in deep need of new work clothes. I had dropped 3 pant sizes and all of my bottoms were literally falling off. Not only did thrift and resale shopping provide a personal thrill for me (like that one time I found new Acne Studios shorts for $8), but this type of shopping also stimulated (and continues to stimulate) my creativity as I begin to consider new possibilities for myself through fashion. I’m eternally inspired by my grandmothers, late ‘60s Black power movements and the ‘90s models I grew up idolizing. The truth is, my personal style continues to develop with the help of resale shopping.
The Experts
After talking to a Delila Hailechristos, owner of ReLove and Kristin Klein, owner of Vacation Vintage, I was able to dive a little more into the resale scene in San Francisco. Kristin describes the scene as “small and supportive...everybody knows everybody”. Given the swift economic, social, and cultural changes in the San Francisco Bay Area, this type of culture is essential.
Resale vs Vintage vs Thrift
There are differences between vintage and thrift shops; both of which can be considered types of resale shops since they resell previously owned goods. Kristin Klein explains that Vacation’s inventory relies on staff and owners going to thrift stores, estate sales, etc and digging through piles and piles of dusty clothes and accessories that people no longer want. “We put in all of the hours to find the cool stuff; it’s curated based on each store’s taste. So there’s a bunch of...extra layers of work that people don’t think about,” she explains. Kristin also notes shops like Vacation or ReLove are not volunteer run-- which means that everyone involved in the process needs to be paid a decent wage.
While various resale shops have different types of items, the resale industry itself emerges out of capitalist societies with too much stuff, and which values the mere transactional act of shopping and dressing.
While Kristin and her staff might enjoy curating goods, the reality is that we all don’t have the time, the keen eye or the tolerance to dust (come through Zyrtec) to do this work. Both ReLove and Vacation also buy clothing from individual sellers, creating a type of environmentally friendly culture between buyers, sellers, and the San Francisco community.
While various resale shops have different types of items, the resale industry itself emerges out of capitalist societies with too much stuff, and which values the mere transactional act of shopping and dressing. In contrast to this, resale shops promote recycling items no longer serving us “as the resale industry is sort of saving things from being gone forever. And giving it a new life so it has a little bit of extra time. Specifically vintage that is one of a kind--no one else has it. People are buying vintage to make new clothes out of pieces or copy them,” explains Kristin.
Though San Francisco is an expensive city, “…we have the cheapest vintage. New York and Los Angeles are really expensive. We have a long history of affordable vintage,” says Kristin. In my experience shopping resale, I find this to be true; there is a bit of something for every budget.
A Community of Badass Folks “in Conversation” with Each Other
While hoards of sterile, soulless individuals in Lulu Lemon leggings and Patagonia sweaters wander around San Francisco searching for new ways to blow cash, there is still a small multicultural, multiracial resistant community of badass folks “in conversation” with each other and the city, as Delila, says. Proof of this came about Small Business Saturday of last year, when Kristin organized Paradise, a gathering of 18 Vintage and Resale vendors for Small Business Saturday, at the Phoenix Hotel, a glamorous, gritty hotel in the heart of the Tenderloin.
To see these beautiful, fashionable people in this area was really interesting given the context of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. This event attracted Black and brown and white people, bay natives, the funky, the witchy, the chic, the revolutionary, the punk, the artistic, the hipster, the poor, the unsheltered--all in the same couple of blocks.
I wonder about how the large amounts of money that continues to pour into San Francisco will not only deepen race and class inequities in San Francisco, but also facilitate the erasure of peoples and cultures that gave San Francisco its global reputation thanks to queer, poor, working class, creative, Black and brown folks.
As I trek through San Francisco, few people seem inspired. Few seem like they’re thinking outside the box. Delila expresses a similar feeling: “very few people are on the streets are performing themselves in full personal expression... it used to be such a stylish city where you could find inspiration in every corner from the queer community, the art community, the fashion community. It was a thriving vintage scene.”
So what happens when those that make up the very cultural fabric of a city are pushed out? Fashion is art that not only provides inspiration, but also gives insight to the culture and energy of a city.
The Politics of Shopping and Dressing
When I asked Delila if dressing and shopping are political she said that “resale shopping is political in a sense that you are rejecting this notion of consumerism that isn’t regulated and is unethical... People don’t understand how expensive it is to buy cheap things. You buy a shirt for $18 and it’s not just the cost for you. You pay $18, you wear it twice and you now get rid of it. So already that’s a loss. But really the cost that it takes to make something is more than $18-- the environmental costs, the places it was produced, the cost of the lives of the people that are producing that product and that are inhaling these chemicals."
In addition to this, re-thinking your relationship to large corporations can unfold in beautiful ways to spend, like supporting local, women owned businesses like ReLove and Vacation. As a Black woman business owner, Delila mentions that the resale industry is a space that has not really had a lot of Black women. It’s important to vote with your dollar if you want to see these businesses survive.
On Resale Shopping in San Francisco
I asked both Kristin and Delila for some advice they would give someone wanting to explore the San Francisco resale scene.
Take what feels right for your budget, politics, and values.
1. Don’t be intimidated by Eurocentric and classist definitions of sustainability in fashion
There’s a difference between sustainability and accessibility. “You can’t say oh this is sustainable fashion but then everything is $300 dollars. That’s not sustainable for people. So somebody might feel more inspired to go to Zara.... I really believe that part of sustainability is also affordability and accessibility…I never think fashion should be inaccessible”, Delila explains.
Think about what is accessible and “sustainable” for you.
2. Visit the actual shops
Delila recommends that people visit the shop that speaks to your personal style. There are various shops in which employees curate items according to a specific aesthetic. For example, Afterlife in the Mission District showcases 80s and 90s vintage with a Rock & Roll flare.“Find the [shops] that feel like your vibe… and get to know the people that work there and because they know the product...they can make suggestions,” Delila explains.
Kristin emphasizes the importance of actually going into shops “because that is the number one way to keep stores around so that it [the industry] doesn’t disappear into the internet”. As chronicled earlier in the year, the Mission thrift mecca has experienced major losses this year, impacting the ability of locals to shop in their own neighborhoods affordably. These types of losses also impact the character of a district, as identities and subcultures tied to these types of businesses get erased overtime.
One could argue that Black and brown folks occupying space in a city like San Francisco is an act of resistance, especially as Black and brown people are being pushed out in record rates.
3. Build personal relationships with staff
Delila suggests asking staff in shops for their thoughts on a look. A simple “What do you think? I’m pushing my personal style," she suggests. Most of the time employees are stylish and into fashion; they’re happy to give advice, even if they look way, way cooler than you.
4. Get in touch with what inspires you.
Kristin, who also works in tour management in addition to running her shop, emphasizes the connection between music and fashion. Both shop owners believe in this connection between music and fashion; chances are if you like a certain type of music, you can build your style around that.
“If you have music that inspires you or art or a certain movement of any kind that inspires you... chances are along with that [movement] comes a style of dress or aesthetic and maybe that will speak to you and you can dive into that and put your own personal spin on it. It’s exploration and practice,” according to Delila. “As a person of color you can never escape being political because your very presence is challenging to the status quo,” notes Delila.
Find inspiration in your various identities and the resistance movements of your people; let the resilience of your ancestors inspire you!
5. Find items you love
According to Delila, if you have less pieces you’re already ahead of the game. From there carefully collect pieces you love. “Have the perfect jeans. The perfect broken in sweatshirt. The perfect coat. A couple perfect t-shirts. Sweaters that are cashmere. Things that you really love that are great fabrics. Get iconic pieces and then once you have that foundation then you can play with whatever silhouettes and go to whatever direction you want to,” she says.
6. Use Social Media as a tool for inspiration and self-discovery (within reason)
Use Instagram as a tool for discovering both your style and shops that may fit with your style and politics. Since most resale shops have a specific theme or taste, you can utilize the identity of the shop to help you. “You can find so many stores and see all the things these stores are posting in a couple hours,” which makes it helpful to see how a shop’s items meshes with your personal style, says Kristin.
Social media can also be a tool for learning: “I’ve learned so much about clothes from other sellers-- different dates on things, different history, fabrics, prints, and stuff like that. The cool thing is that someone can post something and then you can ask that person directly a question,” Kristin adds.
Imagine that: the internet...a tool of education, connectivity and creative inspiration!
On the journey to discover your personal style, ditch fast fashion and/or support the endangered species of independently owned resale shops?
Here are some San Francisco shops to check out:
Re-Love ( 1815 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109) @shoprelove
No-Shop (389 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103) @no_shop
Vacation SF (651 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109) @vacationsf
St. Lightning (1813 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109) @st.lightning
Afterlife (988 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110) @afterlifeboutique
Wasteland (1660 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117) @shopwastelandsf
Indigo Vintage Cooperative (1649 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117) @indigovtg
Resources
For more on this topic check out these resources:
Le Zotte, J. (2017). From Goodwill to grunge: A history of secondhand styles and alternative economies.
Korgen, K. (2010). Multiracial Americans and social class: The influence of social class on racial identity.
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