Josh Aki, a creative from South Jersey and the founder of Thrift A Lot, believes that fashion is one of the best examples of how a place shapes us.
You can hear how much Aki’s upbringing, which he describes as ‘blessed and humble,” influenced how he views sustainability. Early on, he learned to be content with what he had, rather than what he didn’t have, so he never felt the need for flashy designer brands or a huge closet. As a result, he created a thrifting community that focuses on sustainability and affordability.
Over time, Aki’s understanding of sustainability has grown. He used to think it was “just like, recycling… like economic stuff,” and came to the realization that sustainability is really about longevity.
“How long can you make something last and get the most use out of one item?” Aki said. “Rather than discarding my favorite jacket whenever I outgrow it , it lasts longer when passed on. It makes that item more useful rather than letting it sit around in my closet or the trash.”
His thrifting events are built around the same mentality. Every aspect of a Thrift A Lot event, including the vendors who are chosen and the flyer design, is very intentional. Aki is extremely careful about who takes part in these events.
“I usually turn away those who have personal clothing brands because that’s not what we’re doing,” he said.
He wants vendors who are committed to secondhand and circular fashion. Additionally, when it comes to communicating sustainability, Aki embraces the term in his brand itself.
“A big part of the promo is me constantly saying ‘do you thrift a lot?’” Aki said. “It’s not ‘do you shop a lot?’”
Still, South Jersey has its barriers. Although thrifting is becoming more and more popular around the country, this area hasn’t fully caught up.
“A lot of people don’t know about thrift stores here, or the stores are far,” Aki said. “And because of fast fashion, Shein is more viable to people than going to the thrift store.”
One of Aki’s main concerns is the lack of accessibility. He wants more events, more visibility, and more education so people can understand the value of secondhand clothing. He hears the same thing at the majority of his pop-ups.
“They tell me they’ve never been to something like this. They didn’t even know what a thrift convention was,” Aki said.
Aki has a clear vision for the upcoming years. He envisions Thrift A Lot expanding well beyond pop-up events: an LLC, a website, and even a storefront. His dream idea sees the store operating like a sustainable shop, a proper brick and mortar where regular people could drop clothes off to sell for commission.
Ultimately, Aki wants the region to establish its own identity in the fashion industry, not as a shadow of New York City or Philadelphia.
“I want South Jersey to stay in its own bubble and its own hub,” Aki said. “I want well-known thrift shops in South Jersey. I want people to claim they’re from South Jersey and not feel like they have to leave to make an impact.”
