BRAND NAME FASHION

What would you say if your co-workers noticed that you are wearing the most expensive and fashionable outfits? Let me say this. Maybe you would noy believe me of what I'm going to say but in the long run the truth will convince you as I'm trying to tell you where these outfits came from. Almost everybody know that in North America clothing that are foiund in thrift stores are the old fashion ones as they were used already for a long time and people bring them to thrift stores. Some organizations collect old clothes or you can call them second hand clothes. When you enter a thrift store you will notice that clothes as hanged according to sizes and the men's clothes or women's clothes are located in one place. It depends what kind of material cotton or polyester the blouse you are looking for but does it carry the brand you are looking for. Yes the brand name is very important. . If the dress does not carry the latest brand names they may fall to the antique kind of clothing. There people who likes to wear this clothings as long as they look new. Men's clothings has the same appeal for buyers for they are really expensive in the market. So they choose to come and buy at thrift stores. There is another story that I would like to relate and it is about work uniforms, workers come to thrift stores to buy their uniforms. Uniforms that belong to hospital workers, nursing mothers, expectant mothers will come in to buy. In a thrift store it is also important to have baby clothes. Some don't carry much baby clothes as they seem to be very hard to classify and hanging them also with small hangers is tedious. So what do you find in the young boys and girls section? For girls , buyers will mostly buy dresses, then blouses then pants. Dresses for girls are fanciful with Disney characters designs or with floral designs. Do you know that prices vary from one thrift store to another? There is one thrift store that sells sceond hand clothing and people are complaining why the price is not fair as the company doesn't give all the money to charity but only a certain portion of their sale while other stores gives 100% of their sale to charity. Speaking of charity if they sell clothes and make money where does the money is it pocketed by those who run the organization. You can also find this second hand world in third world countries in the Far East. They are sold in open markets coming from the West. House furnishings like window curtains, blankets pillow cases and bedsheets and included with the clothings that they sell. So, second hand is not for charity in this but it is totally a business venture. Who runs them is a big question. If they make not thousands but million dollars hile they have no capitalization but to collect them who are benefited , it not fair if not totally given free. The question may be ask where will they get moneyn for overhead expenses if they are not sold? This maybe possible for local charities to raise fund for the overhead expenses so the clothing is given free of charge. It maybe possible when indigent people in the community is benefited. At the onset of COVID a community rallied and campaign to help each other by way of providing basic necessities coming from donations. Again free clothing has been given donated by members of the community and the beneficiaries were also members of the community who needed them. When this happened there were other services being offered like food in the box given monthly to families in need. Inside the box were a bag of potatoes, fruits and

vegetables. Could this be possible to happen in every community ? It maybe if their is a strong leadership and being run by knowledgeable then they were awarded to become an official not for profit organization sponsored by one of the the big local banks. It became a community project wherein drop off points for free clothing is set up until they found a permanent warehouse. This now a real charity where people helps each other. I think this is the kind of community to be admired and be followed by other communities. This is the kind of community where people will grow in the spirit of supporting each other in terms of basic necessities being provided. During winter time, winter clothes, winter boots and winter clothes were also distributed, come spring summer clothes will replace the winter clothes. Being a member in the community when I heard where the warehouse location is and they have an open house I thought of bringing some clothes in exchange of the clothes that I would get. To my surprise when I tried to read the label of the blouses, there is Reitman, Jones New York, Liz Claiborne and long sleeves of Tommy Hilfiger. It is really a big bargain to wear brand name fashion at work and my co-workers were eyeing at me. Some clothes were slightly used and the biggest treasure that I got is a full laced two piece dress that I used on my birthday. This are the other treasures that I found in thrift stores. A set of beautiful chinaware and cups for everyday that are goldrimmed. Beautiful set of piillow cases, bedsheets and brightly colored towels. Next time when they will announce again for another open house next fall I will hesitate to go there again to find

my treasures. But the one who started this free clothing was a guy who has a philantrophic spirit giving away cash to the needy then when a local clothing thrift store closed he ventured to start a free clothing drive using his own money and looked for sponsors to help him. It took him three years to get his own place and struggled for funds. An illness struck him that he was not able to continue what he wanted to do for the clothing store and eventually he died. That is when the group came in to rescue the clothing store for him. It takes one person to have a vision for the progress a community and this must be recognized not to be forgotten but be remembered. In my heart and mind may there be more heroes to start there vision and they sacrificed to realize that vision and when they die we call them heroes. For me to wear these brand name coming from this unique store is a great pride for me wearing leather jackets to work with the Danier brand which is a national pride. the lady's bags with the brand names Guess, Loui Vitton, Puma, with shoes Nike, Adidas and look like new slippers and my other personal needs from toothpaste shampoo conditioner and

body lotion.