Thrifty Shoppers to ‘Understand Secondhand’

One person’s tired old trench coat can be another’s fashion statement, which is why it’s no wonder that eco-friendly and budget-conscious shoppers everywhere are turning to thrift stores and vintage shops.

So PETA is working with the Lucky Dog Thrift Shop in Nashua, New Hampshire, to make certain that all its customers “Understand Secondhand.”

Informative tags will be placed on all of Lucky Dog’s fur, wool, silk, down, leather, and exotic-skins items so that would-be buyers will understand that the making of such articles involved animal suffering. We’ll also be sending similar tags to activists to share with local thrift stores in college towns across the country.

Make no mistake: PETA opposes all exploitation and slaughter of animals by the fashion industry—past, present, and future—but we also realize that in today’s eco-conscious culture, people might be reluctant to throw away clothing items that aren’t beyond repair. Similarly, others might want to purchase sweaters and coats secondhand so that they’re at least not contributing to the suffering that goes into manufacturing new items for today’s department stores. PETA urges purchasers of secondhand furs to make sure others know that such garments are vintage and not newly produced products of pain.

With the “Understand Secondhand” tags, people can make informed shopping decisions—and maybe they’ll opt for those cute retro canvas sneakers instead of the leather loafers after they learn about the cruelty of the skins trade.

Written by Karin Bennett