Shopping Responsibly in Reykjavík

Drawing/Halldór Sanchez

Translation: Julie Summers

As Birta Karen Tryggvadóttir explains in her article, “What Do Our Clothes Really Cost?”, the fashion industry has a huge environmental and social impact. It takes around five to ten thousand liters of water to make a pair of jeans, and children work hours at a time for low wages sewing clothes. Rivers are polluted and turn pink, yellow, blue, and every other color of the rainbow because of dyes used in clothing production, just to give a few examples. The fashion industry is booming, and clothes are cheaper and more accessible than ever. But what if we were all aware of the consequences of buying clothes? Would we still do it? I recommend watching the documentary The True Cost; it really gets people to think and consider the impact of their actions.

I’ve thought a lot about buying clothes, and I have to admit I really like clothes. But this semester, I’ve made it a goal to not buy any new clothing; I will only shop second-hand, and only when I really need to. It was difficult at first, like when I saw ads for new products from 66° North, but there was an easy solution: I stopped following fashion brands and shops on online media. When I needed an article of clothing, I went to check out the second-hand stores here in Reykjavík, and I was shocked by the variety and good prices! In this article, I want to recommend several second-hand stores in the city and give you some tips for buying second-hand.  

Wide variety

There are plenty of second-hand shops in Reykjavík, such as Spúútnik, Fatamarkaðurinn by Hlemmur, the Red Cross shop, and Hertex. Personally, I love going to the flea market, Kolaportið. It has a bunch of booths with a wide selection of clothing. Most of the clothing doesn’t reflect my personal style, but if I spend enough time looking around, I can always find something. Kolaportið is definitely the cheapest place to shop, and you can even barter. For example, I’ve bought sweaters and shirts for 500 krónur and a skirt for 150 krónur! I also recommend the Red Cross shop, which has a great vintage selection and also has low prices. They work together with the Iceland University of the Arts on a project called “Misbrigði.” Students can take a course in which they discuss consumer behavior and have to create new outfits using only second-hand clothes.

The store Gyllti Kötturinn offers slightly classier, fancier clothes. You can find cool jackets and dresses and even brand names at great prices. I also have to mention Spúútnik, which is the best vintage shop in Reykjavík, in my opinion. They have plenty of unique clothing with great personality, but also more traditional clothes, like Levi’s jeans. Personally, I think the shop is a bit overpriced considering everything is second-hand, but it’s often worth it. Other shops worth checking out include Fatamarkaðurinn, Extraloppan, and Hertex. Finally, I also want to recommend the Facebook group “Áhugafólk um sanngjörn vöruskipti,” where you can ask about where to find environmentally friendly and fair-trade products. The group is in Icelandic, but questions in English are also welcomed.

With all these second-hand options, I think buying new clothing is completely unnecessary. We don’t need everything; let’s think before we buy! But if you do need to shop for something new, try to look for environmentally friendly and fair-trade brands.