The Changing Face of the Op Shop
From Mod Mania
Opting to Op – The Changing Face of The Op Shop
It was not so long ago when the words “op shop” would conjure images of that modest, charity run, jumbled, moth ball smelling shop. An interesting, mostly odd medley of donated goods, clothing, furniture, crockery and other random miscellany, the token smiling old lady behind the counter and the general air of “uncool”. The clothes were second hand and the customers usually had no choice but to shop there because of their financial circumstances. Certainly the popular and fashion conscious “in” crowds were not to be found here. However in recent years it seems op shop has gone top shop, the idea of second hand has been turned on its head, clothes are no longer called “second hand” they are “vintage” “preloved” “archive” and “recycled”. Whatever it is called, the general consensus is that op is cool and so enters a new era where all the “cool kids” are sporting granny cardis and the fashionistas, exuding originality and uniqueness, proudly (or pretentiously) proclaims their outfits are vintage. With this new age of fashion comes a changing face of op shop, no more volunteers or old lady’s, or scavenging with the uncertainty of finding treasure among the trash, the new breed of op shop caters for a new audience and promises beauty and quality in its individually and carefully selected, considered and transformed products, for a price.
$1 billion, this is the amount of money Savers have paid to charity organisations since its beginning in 1954. Op shops began, as the name suggests, opportunity shops, a way to provide opportunity for those less fortunate in society. Run by charitable organisations, staffed mainly by volunteers and selling only second-hand goods donated from the public, the business costs of running an op shop like a Salvos or Vinnies store are quite low, with all the profits going to charity. These funds then work to provide opportunities in various forms in the community such as education and health for the needy, the poor, the homeless and the sick. The low business costs also allow the items being sold to have very low prices and so another way in which op shops provide opportunity for those suffering economic hardship, allowing them to still be able to obtain quality items despite their financial situation. Consequently the initial consumer of op shop goods usually consisted of people living in the margins of society, low earning, large or single parent families, the unemployed, the elderly and students, for the simple reason that they could not meet the expenses of purchasing brand new items from commercial retail stores. While this audience still remains a popular one, new audiences have been increasingly emerging. Collectors, environmentalists and members of various subcultures.
10-billion kg of used textiles are dumped into landfills each year. In recent times, environmental and ethical awareness has been heightened by the media and so become of greater concern to the public. People have become more eco conscious, concerned with reducing their carbon footprint and reducing their personal contribution to landfill. Although receiving little media attention as a means of helping the environment, buying second hand has become a popular, simple and enjoyable way for ordinary people to eliminate waste and save carbon points as well as money. Buying recycled products means less consumption, this plus the fact that op shops generally receive their products locally, means that more natural resources, energy and raw material are able to be conserved for other valuable purposes. Along with the new eco-op-shopper comes another audience, people who are concerned with the ethics of purchasing products made in sweat shops and who refuse to support clothing companies who operate using such practices. But probably more apparent, and increasingly so, emerges an audience of creative, fashion minded people, with possibly unusual tastes, whose reason for buying second hand is aesthetic or culture related. Probably beginning with early punk rockers who purchased and modified second hand clothing, op shops have become a source of inspiration and variety, that which cannot be found in a commercial retail environment. People find second hand objects to be somehow more alive, not only are they unique, but they have narratives and histories, past lives and sentiments attached to them, by owning the object, the person somehow also owns this little piece of history. Wearing vintage clothing also means never being caught with the same outfit as someone else, it gives a person status as an individual, unique, original and this is why it has now become popular. It is not cool to be a stock standard high fashion, mannequin clone. People want limited edition and rare, qualities which usually cost more, except for in op shops where clothing is bargain cheap.
With an increase in popularity and a focus on the fashion virtues of vintage clothing, it is evident that op shops are rapidly changing. Where once, op shops functioned predominantly for fundraising, they have now joined the ranks of retail stores and fashion boutiques, functioning to provide consumers with what they want and of course make more money. While the odd moth ball scented op shop still remains, new variations of op shop are emerging, vintage boutiques, websites, markets and fairs, some which still give a percentage to charity. Op shops are now employing merchandising staff to make the store more accessible to people, gone are the days of scavenging and diving through piles of preloved items, these items are now made to look as elegant and attractive as possible. They are carefully selected with great attention to detail, only the items of high quality craftsmanship and true uniqueness make it to these shops. They are professionally cleaned and restored to their absolute finest. However all of this does not go unnoticed in the price, which is quite noticeably bumped up. In one of these op shops, one can expect to pay $60 for a second hand dress, or even more than $100 depending on the brand, a far cry from $5 and $10 dresses of op shops past. A premium is put on the more interesting and unique items in op shops because the digging and delving through piles of second hand clothing has already been done, a service fee perhaps? But also because people don’t often like to see the items they donate, their much loved and expensive items be undervalued, and more notably, the items are more expensive because they can be, in the midst of this vintage craze, vintage merchants know that people will pay the price.
The idea behind new avenues and ways in which second hand items can be sold is to cater for the many new groups of op shoppers and ultimately make the experience a more enjoyable one for all so that much like any other retail store, the customer will return and a profit made. Vintage markets and fairs like the ‘Hello Sailor Vintage Fair’ have music, food and drink specials, a fun, young environment catering for the young fashion lover. Websites such as www.bowerbirdvintage.com.au create a hassle free experience. While some people find all the fun is in rummaging through the jumble of second hand goods in search of some elusive treasure, others purely want vintage fashion in the easiest way possible. Bowerbird is also an example of the way in which second hand shops are now also selling brand new garments.’ Rescued by Bowerbird’ is a range launched by a vintage seller and inspired by vintage clothing, using vintage fabrics and reworking old garments. This is a common practice amongst vintage sellers, who source their products on frequent buying trips around the world and either restore them or modify them for the contemporary shopper, Modifying can be as simple as the shortening of a hem or a complete reworking of a garment.
From chaotic, cluttered, musty and out-moded to organised and carefully considered, upscale and in vogue, the op shop has made a considerable transformation. It has undergone a process of evolution due do the changing desires of mass culture. However this change does not come without its downfalls. More expenditure on merchandising and wages means less money is going to charity. Increasing prices means that some op shops now are not even within the price ranges of their initially targeted audience. Obtaining items internationally rather than locally is less environmentally friendly as more energy is required and selling vintage inspired garments contributes landfill. The op shopper no longer has to waste time and energy delving through piles of junk because their treasures now hang neatly on hangers, but who is to say what is treasure and what is trash? The new op shop has perhaps taken away from the experience of hunting for treasures and taken away the consumer’s choice. Where vintage clothing used to be original and meaningful, it has now become merely a trend, so is it somehow less special? Or should we embrace the fact that buying second hand has become more widely accepted and practised, for even though some of their values have been compromised, shopping at op shops is ultimately still the better choice for our planet. This is up to the individual. From the original cheap and charity orientated to the new online vintage boutique there are many options to satisfy the different and changing groups in society, it is up to the individual where and how they to opt to op.
References
http://www.critic.co.nz/about/features/115 http://www.bowerbirdvintage.com.au/node/10 http://www.retrostar.com.au http://www.salvationarmy.org.au http://www.savers.com.au http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/shopping/op-shopping-with-the-experts-20090406-9ulg.html http://stylefrizz.com/img/vintage-boutique http://www.vinnies.org.au/home-vic http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/op-shop-till-you-drop-20090403-9ow6.html http://www.theage.com.au/national/thrift-back-in-fashion-in-a-rush-to-op-shops-20090324-98yh.html http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article1636030.ece
