University of Wollongong students are embracing the affordability of op-shopping, discovering funky outfits for themed parties in student accommodation.
Students on tight budgets are finding innovative ways to make the most of social events by dressing up in second-hand clothes.
Kooloobong village resident Zara Carson frequently visits the Green Connect Uni-Op Shop on campus. She is glad that it allows her and her friends to be more creative when it comes to finding an outfit that checks all the boxes.
“It’s become a trend to go to a second-hand shop because you get something that no one else has,” she said.
“The outfits we come up with are crazy, but I like that I’m not going to break the bank for one night.”
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the price of clothing and footwear rose 3.1 per cent in the last 12 months, with the main contributor of the price gouge being on women’s clothing market, which saw prices increase by 4.2 per cent.
UOW Green Connect volunteer Joe Ross-Ward thinks that the on-campus store is the perfect fit for uni-students, given the current economic climate.
“It’s always so much fun having everyone dress up in theme,” he said.
“And it’s so much cheaper for us.”
Mr Ross-Ward recalls frequenting Green Connect on campus to find outfits for themed Happy Hour at The Cabbage Patch Hotel, appreciating that he could participate without burning a hole in his pocket.
“I had no money, so I would be [at the op shop], in front of the mirror almost every time I needed an outfit,” he said.
“It was all made possible because of this place.”
Miss Carson prefers going to a second-hand clothing shop due to the incessant pricing of larger corporations and is always conscious of where her money is going.
“Clothes are insanely expensive now,” she said.
“I’d rather spend my money by giving back to the community.”