Student Club to fundraise through fashion
You do not need to be a fashion expert to master the art of thrifting. If you are into deals and dressing up then try your hand at secondhand shopping with the Student Fashion Association (SFA)! This Wednesday, the SFA Thrift Store will be opening its doors in 135 Everson Hall, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Since October 2013, the SFA has aimed to host a thrift store once a month. Every purchase made goes into funding the SFA’s Annual Fashion Show, which takes place during Spring Quarter. While the SFA depends on proceeds to produce the fashion gala, the SFA still puts customers and student values first.
Kristina Gong, SFA External Events Coordinator and a fifth-year textiles and clothing major, expressed that the club makes an effort to keep its prices budget-friendly for college students.
“[The SFA relies] on members or other students for donations, and we try to keep most items under [five dollars],” Gong said. “We know students like a discount, [so] we try to price [our selection] similarly to what people would bid [on] the Clothing and Accessories Facebook page.”
Along with keeping costs low, the SFA strives to keep the thrift store up with the times. In doing so, the store considers not only styles trending at the moment, but also pieces relevant to the current season and appealing to all personal tastes.
Selections from past thrift stores featured the products of retail favorites, such as Forever 21, Express, Ralph Lauren and Volcom. The thrift store also offers both men’s and women’s fashions.
Cathy Lee, SFA treasurer and a third-year communication major, mentioned that the SFA accepts donations from everyone. Encouraging any and all contributions allows the club to cater to the Davis population’s dynamic fashion senses.
“Our thrift stores fit several people’s interests because our donations come from a wide variety of people, including UC Davis students and non-UC Davis students,” Lee said. “Therefore, our thrift store patrons should be able to find at least one item that will catch their eye.”
Most items have histories that range from never used to lightly worn. While secondhand shopping might be out of the comfort zone for some, there are benefits and tradeoffs that can help alleviate any hesitation.
“Thrifting has its advantages because everything is generally cheaper, of course,” Gong said. “I like getting purses and belts specifically from thrift stores [because] I don’t have to really worry about [the] cleanliness of the items since they’re not [exactly] touching my body directly.”
As for future thrift shops, the SFA has a lot of new ideas in store. With spring formal season approaching, the organization has plans to make available more semi-formal and formal attire. According to Michelle Lee, SFA marketing manager and a second-year UC Davis transfer double majoring in psychology and textiles and clothing, the group has also been looking into ways to make its events more representative of its members and their perspective of the fashion world.
“[The SFA would] like to make special occasion clothing more accessible and affordable,” Lee said. “[We also would like to do] maybe an exclusive sale featuring SFA officer’s closets as an opportunity to get to know their styles.”
To spice up your wardrobe and to support the SFA, make sure to stop by 135 Everson Hall and come prepared with cash. For further information about the April thrift store, please visit the Facebook event page.
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SFA officers dished on their favorite finds from past thrift stores:
Kristina Gong: In terms of purses, I like the vintage styles that I find on occasion.
Cathy Lee: I’ve seen tons of desirable items at our thrift stores. I [remember] finding a fitted, cropped V-neck sweater that I absolutely fell in love with.
Michelle Lee: In my two years working the thrift store, one of my favorite pieces was this long, fuzzy animal print jacket! Totally not my style, but it was so fun, and definitely something I could see someone showcasing on a style blog.
Graphic by Sandra Bae.
