Terms such as “secondhand” or “used” have been replaced by “preloved”, in an attempt to rebrand the concept in a more positive light. While thrift shops have been around for decades, now, more than ever, consumers are choosing secondhand clothing to support sustainable values. While the West is more open to the idea, Pakistan is still struggling to accept the concept and what model-turned-actor Saheefa Jabbar recently faced is proof.
Sustainability is one of the prime motivators for the push towards pre-loved fashion. Apart from that, it can never hurt to earn a little by selling clothes you spent money on and never wore.
Saheefa Jabbar thought of giving her old clothes, which were hardly worn or not worn at all, a new home. She held a thrift sale on her Instagram account giving people the opportunity to buy some expensive clothes at lower prices. However, while some were happy, many also criticized her for selling her clothes.
“Hello jee, I hope you’re all doing well, and those who aren’t, I pray God grants you good health,” she responded to the hate in her Instagram story.
She went on to reveal the kind of hate messages and judgement she received for selling her clothes. Saheefa also answered people’s concerns although she did not need to.
“So the thing is, when I posted stories regarding selling my clothes yesterday, quite a few people messaged me with a lot of questions. At first, I was confused whether I should be addressing them or not, but then I thought it would be a good idea to answer them, in case anyone’s left with a misunderstanding,” she wrote.
From asking personal questions such as why she needs to sell her clothes to attacks on why she doesn’t donate and shaming her for buying such expensive clothes, the questions and accusations had no boundaries.
Saheefa answered the listed questions adding that one doesn’t need to announce before donating. “Is it necessary that one has to announce in advance before partaking in a good deed? Is it necessary that any action a public figure takes has to be met with negative criticism first? What does a less fortunate person have to do with branded clothes? He’s rather be fed. What do you want me to do, feed a poor person my clothes?”
She then went on to reveal the reason behind hosting the thrift sale. “Honestly, my only aim is to make a profit out of the clothes I’m selling — the more money I collect — the more I can donate,” she wrote adding that the dollar was on fire when she initially bought the clothes.
The model who has also launched her fashion brand recently thanked those who showed support.
“Can’t thank all the lovely buyers in the world, you came as a blessing for me,” she said, revealing that “every single penny will be going to charity.”
She concluded by asking the audience not to judge so quickly and wished them a lovely month of Ramazan.
