Top Thrifted Outfits Tips by Thrifter Star @Sustainable.Ster

by Carley Lake | Last Updated:   May 29, 2020

Ster of @sustainable.ster grew up on the Penang Island of Malaysia not worrying about wearing the latest trends. She moved to Belgium for university and the pressure of fitting in began. After some time chasing the trends she realized it was cooler to be yourself and have confidence in your own views and values (like sustainability!). Learn how the former Primark-shopper found her true style and how you can build your own thrifted outfits.

Who are you? 🙂

My name is Ster. I was born in a small town in the Netherlands but raised on an island in Malaysia. Growing up in Penang I wasn’t super concerned about fashion. I basically wore shorts and tank tops every day. I wasn’t in school uniform because it was too warm for anything else really.

Then when I graduated high school I moved to Belgium for university and sort of discovered fashion. Suddenly everyone looked like me but everyone dressed much better because they’d had years of finding their style. I didn’t even own a coat. This was a heavy Primark and H&M phase for me because I wanted to have all the stylish clothes all the Belgian girls had. However, I was on a student budget.

After a year or 2, I became more confident in who I was and I also discovered sustainable fashion. So, since then, all of my clothes are secondhand or sustainably sourced. I wear things that I want to wear—not what other girls are wearing.

How do you describe your thrift store style and thrifted outfits?

I don’t know if I can really classify it as one particular thing because sometimes I dress cute and girly, sometimes I dress up. Sometimes I just wear jeans and a tee. However, every outfit I wear has at least one thrifted item, which most likely cost me less than 10 euros.

What is your favorite way to embrace sustainable fashion and thrifted outfits?

I’m very big on thrifting and thrifted outfits. I love hunting through racks of clothing looking for little gems. I like flea markets a lot as well, I’ve been going to Ij-Hallen (a huge monthly flea market in Amsterdam) since I was a kid. My mum would take us in the summers we spent in the Netherlands. I’m not a huge fan of online secondhand shopping because I like trying things on, feeling the materials, and seeing how things fall on my body.

What are your favorite thrift stores and brands for your thrifted outfits?

There’s this one thrift store chain in Belgium called Think Twice, and they’re amazing. Every 6 weeks they have discounts on the whole store to the point where one day everything in the store will be 1 euro. They really started the whole thrifting journey for me because it was so affordable and exciting and I always ended up with fun things that were out of my comfort zone but I loved them. A favorite sustainable brand for me is ARMEDANGELS. It’s a German brand that somehow just gets it right every time. It gets it right in its marketing, in its design, and in its ethics.

What are your go-to thrifted outfits?

It *really* depends on my mood that day but I guess I’d say my go-to outfit is high-waisted, loose-fit trousers, with a tucked in men’s tee (they fit better) and a cropped jacket. I usually wear some kind of variation of this. If I was a cartoon character with only one outfit, it would be something of this sort. 

The high-waisted trousers that I love are all from Think Twice or Riot, which is another thrift store in Belgium that I love. The tees are usually from flea markets. On King’s Day in the Netherlands, everyone sets up stalls outside their homes selling their old clothes or household items they don’t need anymore. So that’s a big one for me to find plain tees that fit well. Or I steal them from my brother. I have jackets from all kinds of places. I have a denim jacket from a mega thrift store I found accidentally in Paris, a couple from Think Twice, a couple from Ij-Hallen, and one from the only thrift store we have in Penang, Fujiyama Jeans.

What’s your advice on building a wardrobe you love?

You don’t have to wear what other girls are wearing. Find things that you like and feel good in. Clothes with plastic in them (polyester, polyamide, nylon, etc.) don’t feel good on your skin. They’re bad for the environment so they’re just never a good idea. Look for natural materials like organic cotton, linen,  and Tencel.

How do you think you (and others!) can do more to be sustainable?

There is still a huge group of people that haven’t heard of sustainable fashion. People still love to shop at H&M and MNG and will walk in the store every 2 weeks to see if they have anything new and will mass order clothes online from Zaful or PrettyLittleThing. People are feeding the bad habits of the fashion world consumerism, waste, corruption, pollution—and they just don’t know it. We need to continue to spread the message of sustainability until we all step over to slow fashion. We need to show you can still dress cute and feel good about yourself without thoughtlessly buying up all of Zara’s newest collection.

Thanks, Ster for sharing your thrift store style and thrifted outfits.

Check Out Top Thrift & Secondhand Clothing Platforms Online:

‘A Curated Thrift’ Subscription Box

Price: $35 – $44 a month

A Curated Thrift is a clothing subscription box that sends curated secondhand fashion & vintage straight to your door. Just choose your box type and fill out the fun and quick style survey. First box ships in one week and every box after that ships the first two weeks of the month. Use coupon code 2020SUMMER to get 20% off your entire order.

ASOS Marketplace

Price: Varies by seller

Now don’t go to the typical ASOS site you may be used to—check out Marketplace instead. Marketplace launched in 2010 with just 20 sellers and since then we’ve become the leading online platform for independent and sustainable brands and vintage boutiques. 800 boutiques from across the globe have a storefront on ASOS Marketplace. You will find plenty of small business stores giving you 90s fashion inspiration.

You can find all your 90s fashion inspiration favorites like vintage 90s sportswear from brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Champion, artisanal hand-made jewelry, and more.

Etsy

Price: Varies

Etsy is a marketplace where people around the world connect to buy and sell handmade and vintage goods. Etsy also gives independent, creative businesses around the world the tools to be successful. Find vintage clothing, handmade gifts, and so much more sold directly from small businesses and designers. Again, so many small business stores giving 90s fashion inspiration.

Vestiaire Collective

Price: Varies, items are priced at up to 70% off retail price.

Vestiaire Collective is my favorite for premium and luxury pre-owned fashion due to its range of designers and deals. The global platform is unique due to its carefully curated catalog of over 600,000 desirable items. Once sold, pieces are expertly checked for quality and authenticity. Instead of buying new brands like Adidas, Champion, Dr. Martens giving 90s fashion inspiration you can get them second on Vestaire Collective.

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