With prom closing in at the beginning of April, many students rushed to find their perfect outfits, searching online or heading to traditional retailers for popular brands.
However, senior Marley Burroughs had other ideas.
Cruising through the downtown Ventura area, hopping from Arc to Coalition to Buffalo Exchange, Marley was able to thrift her whole outfit on one trip.
“Prom is always a stressful time,” said Marley, who netted a perfectly fitting vest, flared pants with a built-in belt, and a dark green blazer on her thrifting expedition. “So instead of just overspending on some outfit I’ll only wear once, I figured I would thrift something I would enjoy wearing on more than one occasion,”
Thrifting has become an integral part of modern fashion. Not only does thrifting provide unique finds from past trends, it also provides good-looking and sturdy clothing for cheap. 
However, for a very long time, thrifting was not at the forefront of fashion.
Due to the clothing’s second-hand nature, it provided affordable clothing for those in need. However, as fashion began to move forward, trends from the past began to pop up again, making thrifting the best option for finding pieces from decades past.
Now, according to a Google survey, more than 85% of OVS students thrift or have thrifted before.
“When I was younger, thrifting was a necessity, it was how you’d get your clothes,” said OVS College Counselor Fred Alvarez. “It surprises me, the different clientele that thrifts now. I find it interesting that anyone would want to wear whatever I was wearing in the 90s,”
Similarly, with the effect fashion has had on the Earth, many turned to thrifting their clothing as it was the most sustainable option. The fashion industry is one of the driving forces of pollution in the world, and people have realized change had to be made in the name of sustainability.
As a result, thrifting blew up in popularity. In the current generation, an overwhelming majority have thrifted pieces in their closet. Some have gone as far as to have thrifted over half of their closet, such as OVS junior Hannah Little, who does a majority of her thrifting on the Ventura Main Street.
“The thrifting in Ventura County can be limited,” Hannah said. “But the prices are great and I’ve found some of my favorite pieces there. One time, at Arc, I found this amazing pair of brown corduroy cargo pants with flair.”
From shopping with some of her favorite stores on Main Street – such as Arc, Buffalo Exchange, or Coalition – Hannah has been able to compile most of her closet.
“At first I wasn’t into thrifting when I was doing it with my mom, but then I started buying clothes for myself, I realized thrifting was so much more sustainable and unique,” Hannah said.
Some Ojai Valley School teachers also have thrifted a majority of their closet, including OVS English teacher Brad Weidlich.
He has been thrifting in the 805 area since he moved in nearly 20 years ago. Instead of thrifting out of need or environmental reasons, Mr. Weidlich started thrifting to find affordable and fun fashion. 
Mr. Weidlich prefers thrifting, not only for price reasons, but because it is a great way to be creative with one’s style. With the ability to find clothing from the eras of his childhood, he is now able to revisit these pieces with a new attitude years later.
“I enjoy the cyclical nature that young people today are choosing to pay tribute to previous decades,” Mr. Weidlich said. “Adding a new spin on it, twisting it, and making it their own is a good decision for anyone.”